Classes	MWF 3:00-3:50, 1415 BPS.
Instructor	Mr. Ed Loh, 3260 BPS, 884-5612, Loh@msu.edu
Office hours	MWF 12:00-1:00, 3260 BPS.
Grader	Nicholas Earl, earlnich@msu.edu; Jacob Gordon, gordon70@msu.edu
Textbook	Cosmic Perspective, 5^th ed., Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit, 2009. (Older editions are OK.)
Web	angel.msu.edu

	Calendar				Topic & Reading
		2		Sep	Overview. Learning science. Example with 51 Pegasi.
1543—The Copernican Revolution
			4		Finish 51 Peg. Erathosthenes' measurement of the diameter of the earth. p. 68.
		9			Hipparchus measures the distance to the moon.
			11		Daily and annual motions of the sky. §2, §S-1 (p.92). Celestial sphere.
	14			H01	Ptolemy’s model. Tycho Brahe maps the sky
		16			Kepler studies Mars' motion. §3 Measuring the relative size of Mars’ orbit.
			18		Kepler’s Laws of planetary motion.
1838—Size of the Solar System & Distances to the Nearest Stars
	21			H02	Galileo invents the telescope. (Sidereus Nuncius, pp. 64–67.)
		23			Newton’s laws of motion & gravity §3
			25		How big is the solar system? Parallax of Mars and Venus. pp. 225, 521–523.
	28			H03 A03	Preparation for test. Practice test Practice test answer
		30			Test. Test1-2009Answers
			2	Oct	How far are the nearest stars? Bessell, Henderson, & Struve.
	5				Model of the universe of 1850. Hertzsprung Russell Diagram. §15.2
		7			Simple model of stars. §15
			9		Adam’s discovery of a white dwarf.
	12			H04	Lifetime of stars §16, §17
		14	16		Nuclear fusion powers the stars. §14.2
	19			H05 A05	Death of stars. §17, §18
		21			Midterm exam. Practice test Practice test answer Test2-2009Answers
1929—Expansion of the Universe
			23		Measuring velocities: Doppler effect. §5.5.
	26				Pickering’s spectra of Mizar
		28	30		Hubble's paper of 1929: discovery of the expansion of the universe. §20.3
	2			Nov H06	Observations of distant objects
1965—Radiation from the Big Bang
		4	6		Discovery of the cosmic background radiation. §23.2 The hot Big Bang. §23
	9			H07	The universe at 3 minutes: the formation of helium. pp. 716–719.
Unsolved problem: What is the universe made of?
		11			Weighing the earth by timing fall of a ball. Weighing galaxies.
			13		Dark matter in galaxies. §22
	16	18		H08	Black holes and quasars. §18.3, §21.3
			20	H09 A09	Review
	23				Third test. Practice test Test answers Test3-2009Answers
		25			No class
	30				Universe at 400,000years. Recombination of hydrogen; matter and radiation become independent. WMAP satellite.
		2	4	Dec	WMAP weighs the universe. First stars.
	7				Weighing the universe by timing the expansion of the universe with supernovae. Discovery of matter with a repulsive force. §22.4
		9		H10	Einstein’s theory of gravity. §S3, pp. 448-460
			11	A10	Review.
	14				Final exam, Mon., Dec. 14^th, 3:00-5:00, BPS 1410. Practice test. Answers Final-2009Answers

Ast207, the Science of Astronomy, is based on the premise that learning a science is done better by an in-depth study of a few topics rather than a brief brush with many.

This term, Ast207 will focus on cosmology, the study of the structure and content of the universe on the largest scales. We will examine and interpret the evidence for the key discoveries in cosmology. Four epochal discoveries will be our focus for the first part: the Copernican revolution, the measurement of the distances to the nearest stars, Hubble's discovery of the expansion of the universe, and the discovery of the radiation from the Big Bang. For the remainder of the course we will examine topics of current interest in cosmology.

Doing science is a social and cooperative venture. Find a 207 pal with whom you can work on Ast207. If you get stuck, your 207 pal may help. If you think you understand a concept, explain it to your 207 pal to see if he/she thinks your explanation is sensible and clear. Difficult concepts become clear with discussion.

You may work together on your homework assignments, but you must hand in your own solutions. Late homework may be handed in up until the time the graded papers are returned.

The course grade will be based on in-class exercises (9%), homework (25%), first test (5%), midterm (15%), third test (15%) and final exam (31%). Your lowest homework score and your three lowest exercise scores will be dropped.

The in-class exercises use i-clickers. Register your clicker at iclicker.com. If the identification number has been rubbed off, you may register it in class, which does not require your reading the number.

We will have an evening observing session on Wednesday and Thursday, 21 & 22 October. It will be rescheduled if the weather is bad on those dates. The Physics-Astronomy Department and Abrams Planetarium also offer public observing at the MSU Observatory (at College Rd. & Farm Lane) from 9:00–11:00 on Sept. 25 & 26, and Oct. 23 & 24. (See http://www.pa.msu.edu/astro/observ/public.html)

For other skywatcher’s information, see the web site for Abrams’ Planetarium www.pa.msu.edu/abrams.