Astronomy
Course Syllabus
Course Syllabus for Astronomy
Astronomy Syllabus: Homework, Reading Assignments, Discussion Topics, and Labs
Use the Links in the Homework column to find your homework assignment. Homework is usually due on the date given, unless otherwise stated in the assignment.
| Week | Date | Chapter | Topic | Lab | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 2, 2025 | HW00 | Introduction to Course: Methods and online Resources | Lab Reports | |
| 2 | Sep 9, 2025 | HW01 | 1.1-8 | Astronomy and the Universe | Observing Techniques |
| 3 | Sep 16, 2025 | HW02A | 2.1-4 | Knowing the Heavens | Observing Constellations |
| 4 | Sep 23, 2025 | HW02B | 2.5-8 | Finding your way around the year | Observing Using Coordinate Systems |
| 5 | Sep 30, 2025 | HW03 | 3.1-6 | Eclipses and the Motion of the Moon | Observing the Moon |
| 6 | Oct 7, 2025 | HW04A | 4.1-4 | Gravitation | Planetary Orbits |
| 7 | Oct 14, 2025 | HW04B | 4.5-8 | Derivation of Kepler's Laws | Determining the Mass of Jupiter |
| 8 | Oct 21, 2025 | HW05A | 5:1-4 | The Wave Nature of Light | Spectroscopy |
| 9 | Oct 28, 2025 | HW05B | 5.5-9 | The Particle Nature of Light | Refraction and Reflection |
| 10 | Nov 4, 2025 | HW06 | 6 | Optics and the Telescope | Telescopes |
| 11 | Nov 11, 2025 | HW07 | 7 | Comparative Planetology 1 | Observing Mercury and Venus |
| 12 | Nov 18, 2025 | HW08 | 8 | Comparative Planetology 2 | Observing Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn |
| 13 | Nov 25, 2025 | HW09 | 9 | The Living Earth: Geology [Terrestrial Plate Tectonics and Atmosphere] | Earth's Rocks |
| 14 | Dec 2, 2025 | HW10 | 10 | Our Barren Moon [Surface Features w/o plate tectonics or erosion] | Crater Formation |
| 15 | Dec 9, 2025 | HW11 | 11 | Mercury, Venus, and Mars [Planetary core structures and planetary development] | The Greenhouse Effect |
| 16 | Dec 16, 2025 | Focus on Terrestrial Planets | |||
| Dec 23, 2025 | CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY | ||||
| Dec 30, 2025 | NEW YEAR's HOLIDAY | ||||
| 17 | Jan 6, 2026 | HW12 | 12 | Jupiter and Saturn [Atmospheres II] | Differential Rotation |
| 18 | Jan 13, 2026 | HW13 | 13 | Jupiter and Saturn's Satellites: Moons, Rings and Tidal Forces | Ice Under Pressure |
| 19 | Jan 20, 2026 | HW14 | 14 | Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and the Kuiper Belt; Roche Limit | Observation of Jupiter's Moons |
| 20 | Jan 27, 2026 | HW15 | 15 | Vagabonds of the Solar System | Comet Observations |
| 21 | Feb 3, 2026 | Project Presentations, Review, and Exam | NO LAB | ||
| 22 | Feb 10, 2026 | Exam Results Overview | |||
| 23 | Feb 17, 2026 | HW16 | 16 | Our Star, the Sun | Sunspots |
| 24 | Feb 24, 2026 | HW17 | 17 | The Nature of the Stars | Stellar Motions and Distances |
| 25 | Mar 3, 2026 | HW18 | 18 | The Birth of Stars | Stellar Spectra |
| 26 | Mar 10, 2026 | HW19 | 19 | Stellar Evolution: On and After the Main Sequence | Stellar Evolution |
| 27 | Mar 17, 2026 | What we can learn from starlight | |||
| 28 | Mar 24, 2026 | HW20 | 20 | Stellar Evolution: Death of Stars | Variable stars - Period Luminosity Relationships |
| 29 | Mar 31, 2026 | Holy Week Holiday | |||
| 30 | Apr 7, 2026 | HW21 | 21 | Black Holes | Binary Stars |
| Apr 14, 2026 | HW22 | 22 | Our Galaxy | Observing HII Regions | |
| 31 | Apr 21, 2026 | HW23 | 23 | Galaxies | Classifying Normal Galaxies |
| 32 | Apr 28, 2026 | HW24 | 24 | Quasars and Active Galaxies | Classifying Active Galaxies |
| 33 | May 5, 2026 | HW25 | 25 | Cosmology | Hubble's Law |
| 34 | May 12, 2026 | HW26 | 26 | The Early Universe | The Curvature of Space |
| 35 | May 19, 2026 | HW27 | 27 | The Search for Extra Terrestrial Life | The Search For ExoPlanets |
| 36 | May 26, 2026 | Review, and Exam | |||
| Jun 2, 2026 |
Observations Planning Calendar
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