ASTR-106 is a 3-credit course which may be applied toward the General Education Natural Sciences - Mathematics (D-1) requirement as a Designated Lab (DL) course. ASTR 106 is an introduction to the properties of stars and galaxies - the universe beyond our solar system. It is not neccessary to take ASTR 104, Astronomy of the Solar System, before taking ASTR 106. This course includes an integrated laboratory that includes on-line exercises and evening observing sessions using telescopes.

Prerequisites: None

Corequisites: None

Astronomy of stellar systems includes the study of the nature of light; our Sun as a star; the birth, life and death of stars (including red giants, white dwarfs, black holes, and exploding stars known as supernovae); groups of stars known as galaxies; active galaxies such as quasars and radio galaxies; and the birth, life, and end of the entire universe. Throughout history, we human beings have sought to understand the nature of the universe and the physical principles that govern it. Our understanding of the physical universe is gained through a scientific study of nature.

It is important that students take responsibility for their education. Ask questions, both inside and outside the classroom. Discuss the material with friends and classmates how this course relates to the real world. Manage your time and do not cram for exams. The student and professor make a team, you both want to learn the material and earn a good grade. Click here to view a brief essay on how to achieve academic success.

The final grades will be determined from 1000 possible points. Your grade for the course will be determined by your ultimate point total in comparison with the rest of the class.

100    First Hour Examination
100    Second Hour Examination
100    Third Hour Examination
200    Comprehensive Final Examination
150    MasteringAstronomy online tutorials and quizzes
  80    In-class activities
270    Laboratory Exercises

Your grade for the course will be determined by your ultimate point total in comparison with the rest of the class.

All work turned in for a grade must be your own. No credit will be given for work that is not demonstrably your own.

I expect prompt and regular attendance. Lectures will largely follow the order of the book, though lecture content may differ somewhat from the text. Material presented in lecture takes precedence over the text. Students are advised to keep their notes up to date and to read the text as an accompaniment to their notes. Missed classes should be covered by obtaining notes from other students. In addition, there will occasionally be unscheduled activities distributed for completion during the same class period and counting toward your final grade.

You must be sure to attend all tests and the final exam at the scheduled times. If you are unable to take an exam with the rest of the class you must notify the instructor before the regularly scheduled exam time. The only makeup exams allowed after the class takes the test will be for students with a verified excuse of illness or extraordinary crisis. A missed exam will otherwise be scored as a zero.

I consider myself to be open and accessible to my students. You are always welcome to drop by my office to seek advice, discuss your progress, or ask questions. If my door is open and I am around, then I will do my best to make time to sit down with you. Anyone who finds that my availability does not live up to my desires can catch me during my scheduled office hours or make an appointment at our mutual convenience.

The ASTR 106 lab component is integrated into the lecture. Most labs must be completed out of class, on your own time.

Required labs for this section of ASTR 106 are:

Observing Spectra with a Diffraction Grating   (Image of comparison spectra)  [30 points], complete lab during class on Feb 01 and 03;

Stellar Spectral Classification   [30 points] due Fri, Feb 19;

Exploding Stars [30 points] in-class on Wed, Mar 17;

Classifying the Shapes of Galaxies   [30 points], in-class on Mon, Mar 29;

Zooniverse Galaxy Zoo 101 in-class on Mon, Apr 5;

Using Cepheid Variable Stars to Measure the Distance to a Nearby Galaxy   [30 points], due Wed, Apr 07

Zooniverse Hubble's Law in-class on Wed, Apr 7;

Hubble's Law: The Distance--Redshift Relation for Galaxies   [30 points], due Fri, Apr 09;

Large-scale Structure of the Universe   [30 points], due Wed, Apr 14;

Each lab is due at the start of class on the due date. A 10% penalty will be assessed for every 24 hours of lateness, with no exceptions allowed.

The questions will be primarily multiple choice. You are required to bring #2 pencils and a calculator to each exam. No other outside material, notes, texts, etc., will be allowed.

A required component of this class incorporates our textbook's online component, known as MasteringAstronomy. There is a cost associated with access to this website. Students purchasing a new text will find a pasteboard inclusion that contains an access code to allow registration on MasteringAstronomy. An alternative way to pay for access to the site is to use a credit card through a secure online transaction. Students will irretrievably lose the opportunity to earn points if access to MasteringAstronomy is not accomplished by the start of the second week of class.
To access MasteringAstronomy you will need the following CourseID to sign into our online portal: gelderman90752. There is a two week trial period before payment is due, so every student should register for MastringAstronomy, associate with our course, and complete the Introduction assignment before the first class meeting. Assignments are set for almost every clkass meeting and will be posted online at our course site in MasteringAstronomy. Some of these assignments will only be available during the course meeting times. Other assignments will be assigned with at least a week's notice and must completed out of class.
Your gradebook will be kept on MasteringAstronomy, in addition to the regular (not quite daily) online assignments.

Students with disabilities who require accomodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Service, (270) 745-5004 V/TDD. Please do not request accomodations directly from the professor without a letter from the office of Student Disability Services.

A weekly schedule of the material to be presented. Students should read the appropriate pages from the textbook before that week's lectures.

Astronomy 106 - Spring 2021 Course Calendar (Watch for Changes!)

Week of:	Lecture Topics:	Readings:	Due Dates / Tests:
Jan 18	Tour of the Universe, What is Astronomy?	1-21, 69-80,24-31, 84-93	.
Jan 25	Energy and Matter, The Nature of Light	137-143, 165-184	.
Feb 01	Spectroscopy, Telescopes	143-161, 110-127, 188-189	.
Feb 08	Spectroscopy, The Sun as a Star	468-486	Test 1 (chs 1, 3, 4, 5, 6) on Friday 2/12
Feb 15	Measuring Star Properties	490-510, 47-48	.
Feb 22	The Birth and Life of Stars	514-531,535-540	.
Mar 01	Stellar Evolution	541-553, 447-463	.
Mar 08	The Death of Stars	557-574, 578-579	.
Mar 15	Black Holes and Hyperspace	433-444	.
Mar 22	Our Milky Way Galaxy	580-600	Test 2 (Chs. S2-S4, 14 - 19) on Friday 3/26
Mar 29	Normal and Active Galaxies	604-610, 627-644	.
Apr 05	Size and Structure of the Universe	611-623	.
Apr 12	Beginning and End of Time	648-665, 670-692, 696-697	Test 3 (chs. 19 - 23) on Fri 4/16
Apr 19	Meaning of LIfe	698-723	.
Apr 26	cumulative final exam week	.	Cumulative Final Exam on Tuesday 4/27, 10:30-12:30

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