Dennison, Eric D.

Khatiwada, Ashlesha

Ware, Andrew

English

University of Montana

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Syllabi Course Syllabi Spring 2-1-2019 ASTR 135N.02: Star, Galaxies, and the Universe Lav Andrew Ware University of Montana, Missoula, andrew.ware@umontana.edu Eric D. Dennison University of Montana, Missoula Ashlesha Khatiwada University of Montana, Missoula Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Ware, Andrew; Dennison, Eric D.; and Khatiwada, Ashlesha, "ASTR 135N.02: Star, Galaxies, and the Universe Lav" (2019). Syllabi. 10341. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/10341 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu.    Astronomy 135  Section 2 Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Lab             Course Syllabus - Spring 2019   Meets Wednesday 1-2:50 pm in CHCB 13  INSTRUCTORS:   Eric Dennison, Ashlesha Khatiwada     E-MAIL:          eric.dennison@umontana.edu, ashlesha.khatiwada@umontana.edu OFFICE:   CHCB 13  OFFICE HOURS:  Monday noon-1 pm (Ash) and 3-5 pm (Eric)  Please feel free to make an appointment for other times.  Required supplies:  You will need a calculator capable of doing scientific notation and a small flashlight or headlamp for the nighttime observing.   Moodle: You have TWO Moodle listings for Astronomy 135.  ASTR135 Lab Common Area Spring 2019:  Important course announcements, all lab exercises, and very useful links and resources will be posted on Moodle in the Astronomy 135 Common Area.  You will need to check the Common Area every week before lab to make sure you are up to date on the activities and resources for that week.  Stars, Galaxies, and Universe Lab Sect. 2 Quizzes and all of your lab grades will be posted in the Moodle supplement for your specific lab section.  Labs:   All labs will be available for download in the Moodle Astronomy 135  Common Area. You do not need to purchase a lab manual for this course.  IMPORTANT:  You MUST bring a hardcopy of each week’s lab to class with you.  There will be a standard 20% reduction in your weekly in-class lab grade if you come to class without the write-up.                                                                                                                             Astronomical ObservingObserving the universe personally is an experience not to bemissed! Even on campus, a clear, dark Montana night will yieldspectacular views of star clusters, nebulas, and galaxies. We wouldlike everyone in the class to have a chance to observe. Early this semester we will visit the Planetarium to do some stargazingand get familiar with what is currently up in the night sky.  AlthoughSpring semester weather in Missoula is notoriously cloudy, we will try tohave some informal observing opportunities where you can bring yourfriends and/or family members to our Skaggs rooftop observatory whenthe weather warms.16” telescope and domeSkaggs Observing Deck1                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Course Content This course will give you an introduction to some of the METHODS astronomers use to study the universe. You willhave a chance to see deep-sky objects through a telescope, use modern computer software to explore deep-skyobjects, analyze astronomical data, and discover HOW astronomers gather information about the stars, the galaxyin which we live, and the universe at large.By the time you finish this course you should•	 know how to find your way around the night sky•	 know where and how to look up information on any object in the sky you are curious about•	 have gained a fundamental knowledge of the properties of light and the information that can be gleaned from it•	 understand the role of gravity in the motion of celestial objects and the evolution of structure in theuniverse•	 understand the basic nature of stars (including our Sun) and how they evolve over time•	 know the basic characteristics of our home galaxy, the Milky Way•	 understand how galaxies can differ from one another, how they evolve over time, and what they can tellus about the evolution of the universe•	 have gained experience with some of the techniques that have enabled us to discover some amazingthings about the universe we live in!Specific, detailed learning objectives for each laboratory exercise are given at the beginning of each lab write-up.Course ExpectationsThe labs will often expand on material presented in Astronomy 132, so it is important that you attend the lecturesand keep up with any readings or activities in that class before coming to lab. Most past students of the lab havefound that the more in-depth, practical experience of the laboratory course greatly helps their understanding of some of the material presented in the lecture. Throughout the course you will be expected to: 1. 	 Read through the experiments (at least the introductory material in them) and complete any pre-lab reading required before coming to class. Make sure you understand the material from the lecture that relates to the lab.   2. 	 Ask questions. Come prepared to enter into discussion. Try to ask questions that help you focus on the big picture, not just procedural details.  3. 	 Do your own work.  In short, always practice academic honesty.  Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University.  If you have not read through the material at http://www.umt.edu/vpesa/Dean%20of%20Students/default.php, do so now!   IMPORTANT:  Specifically, in this course, academic honesty means that each student contributes equally to the completion and write-up of each lab.  EVERY student working in a group is expected to be a thinking, questioning, contributing member!  Lab quizzes are to be worked on alone.   We reserve the right to assign zero credit to students who remain disengaged or whom we see relying primarily on the work of others. The zero score may be replaced with a full credit grade by scheduling an oral interview that will cover the concepts of that particular lab. If you can convince us that you understand the material, we will grade you on the work you submitted.   GradingThis course consists of 14 graded labs. Your grade for each lab (with the exception of the first two labs) will consistof two parts. 50% of your grade will be based on the satisfactory completion of your weekly lab in class. We willlook through these at the end of your lab period, checking to see if they are complete and spot-checking some ofthe more difficult questions. We can go over any problems you had questions on. You should also feel free tocome see us outside of class if you have additional questions you would like to clear up before taking the quiz. Youmust get your lab checked off before leaving class each week. The remaining 50% of your grade will be based on a weekly Moodle quiz that will test your understanding of the material presented in the lab. Each quiz will be open 2                                                                  from the end of your lab until 1 p.m. on Wednesday the following week. Answers to quiz questions will be available once the quiz has closed. 100% of your grade for the first lab (Modeling the Sky) will be based on your lab write-up.Your grade for the week we visit the Planetarium will be based solely on attendance.Grading summary √+   100%  Everything complete and virtually everything correct  √    80%  Everything complete and mostly correct  √-     60%  Incomplete, hurried work and/or many major misconceptions  Lab quiz:  50% of weekly grade • To be completed on your own. • Covers concepts from that week’s lab. • Can be completed anytime between the end of your lab and the following Wednesday at 1 pm.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                In class lab write-up: 50% of weekly gradeBefore leaving lab you must submit your completed lab write-up for review and grading. We will use the followingscale:Exceptions:Modeling the Sky Lab • Each person must hand in a write-up for grading.• 100% of the grade for this lab will be based on your individual write-up.Planetarium• 100% of your grade will be based on attendance.Course Grade:Your grade will be based on your 13 highest lab grades. At the end of the semester, we will drop your lowest labPLUS lowest quiz grade, OR the Modeling the Sky Lab, OR the Planetarium Lab- whichever helps improve yourgrade the most.  If you complete everything, you can drop your lowest of the above. Plan on grades beingassigned based on the traditional grading scale: 90-100% A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C, etc. Since grades will be regularly posted on Moodle, you can easily track your progress throughout the semester.Note on missed labs:Because everyone can drop one lab, there will be NO make-up labs. If you know ahead of time that you will haveto miss a lab for a legitimate reason, please get in touch. We may be able to fit you into another lab section thatweek. If you have a prolonged illness or emergency with appropriate documentation, definitely come see us and we will do our best to help you out. In the case of such extenuating circumstances, all work must be turned in and graded no later than Friday, April 26 by 5 pm.EQUAL ACCESS: A fair and inclusive learning environment benefits us all. We encourage students from different culturalbackgrounds, students for whom English is not their native language, and/or any student who has a disability that may adverselyaffect their academic performance to contact us within the first few days of class to discuss appropriate accommodations. If you think you may have a disability and have not registered with DSS, please contact them in Lommasson 154, call (406) 243-2243,or view the DSS website at www.umt.edu/dss.  The folks at DSS are very helpful!ADD/DROPS: The last day to add/drop on Cyber Bear is Thursday, Jan. 31.  The last day to drop with your instructor's andadvisor's signature, is Friday, March 15.  A drop, or change of grading option after March 15 requires the signature of the Deanand written documentation of exceptional circumstances. Doing poorly in the class does not constitute adequate reason to dropthe class at the end of the semester!3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               SPRING LAB SCHEDULE WEEK DATES EXPERIMENT LOCATION1 Jan. 10 No lab this week.2no quizJan 16,17 Course introduction; Modeling the SkyYou may want to download a night sky app on your smartphone or laptop and bring to class with you. Several are listed under Week 1 in the Astr.135 common area- along with many other great observing resources.CHCB 133no quizJan 23,24 Exploring the Universe in the UM planetarium“Star Gazing Room” in the basement of PFNACPFNAC 13(in the basement)4 Jan. 30,31 Gravity and Orbits CHCB 135 Feb 6,7 Interaction of Matter and Radiation CHCB 136 Feb 13,14 Brightness/Distance Relationship CHCB 137 Feb 20,21 Atomic Spectra CHCB 138 Feb 27,28 Stellar Spectra CHCB 139 Mar 6,7 Exoplanets CHCB 1310 Mar 13,14 The Sun CHCB 1311 Mar 20,21 Milky Way Galaxy12 Mar 25-29 SPRING BREAK CHCB 1313 Apr 3,4 Determining Ages of Star Clusters CHCB 1314 Apr 10,11 Galaxies CHCB 1315 Apr 17,18 Hubble Law: Data and Observations CHCB 1316 Apr 24,25 Hubble Law: Analysis and Results(LAST class meeting)CHCB 1317 Apr 29 –May 3Finals week   NO final! Final course grades will be posted on Moodle.Observing NotesTotal lunar eclipseEvening of Jan. 20Moon phases this semesterNew moon: Feb. 4, Mar. 6, April 5, May 4Full moon: Jan. 20, Feb. 19, Mar. 20, April 19, May 18Meteor showersLyrids: night of April 21/22 Eta Aquarids: night of May 4/5Perseids: night of August 12/13 4

ASTR 135N.02: Star, Galaxies, and the Universe Lav

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ASTR 135N.02: Star, Galaxies, and the Universe Lav

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