ASTR 330 Spring 2004
Solar System Astronomy
Course Description
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30-13:45 hrs; Room CSS 2400
Class Teacher: Dr Conor A. Nixon
Phone: (UMD) 301-405-6853 (NASA) 301-286-6757
E-mail: nixon@astro.umd.edu
Hours: Tue & Thur 2-3 or by appointment: Room CSS 1246
Teaching Assistant: Rachel Kuzio de Naray
Phone: (UMD) 301-405-1530
E-mail: kuzio@astro.umd.edu
Hours: Mon 10-11 : Room CSS 0206
Text: The Planetary System (3rd edition) by Owen and Morrision
(be sure to get the third edition: ISBN 0-8053-8734-X)
Click here for the latest course schedule.
Course Description
This course is intended for juniors and seniors who are not majoring in the physical sciences and who have successfully completed either ASTR 100 or ASTR 101 and also the CORE Distributive Studies Requirement in Mathematics and Sciences. The course will emphasize the way in which we combine different types of information to answer fundamental questions about the Solar System, such as:
How did the Solar System form?
How have the planets evolved since the Solar System formed?
Are the planets different from one another and from the Earth? Why?
Are there planetary systems like our own orbiting other stars?
This means that we will consider the important physical and chemical processes in the Solar System, illustrating them with examples from the real bodies in the Solar System, rather than trying to inventory each of the objects in the Solar System separately.
We will consider how our ideas have changed over the centuries, as well as the most modern data. Who were Galileo, Copernicus and Newton, and how did they revolutionize our view of the universe? How has our view changed over time and how have spacecraft such as Voyager, Viking and Galileo helped to change this view? What new objects in far reaches of the solar system and beyond continue to be discovered today?
We will use very little mathematics in this course but we will use a lot of physical reasoning and we will use information from geology, meteorology, and physics as well as from astronomy, all sciences that have contributed importantly to planetary science. Thus you will be expected to master a broad spectrum of knowledge.
Work Expectations
Lectures and books: You should attend all lecture classes. Lectures are an integral part of the course, and will contain additional information not available in the course text book. Attempt to read the course text before class to gain an idea of forthcoming material, as well as after class to reinforce and broaden your learning. While the course textbook is the primary source for the course, you should not consider it a sole source. If you wish to achieve a high grade you would do well to read other astronomy books, popular astronomy magazines, and astronomy websites to supplement and expand your knowledge.
Exams: There will be three exams, two mid-terms and a final. The mid-terms will each contribute 20% of the total course grade, and the final exam will contribute 30%. The mid-term exam dates are on March 4th and April 15th, and will examine the first third and second third of the course respectively. The final exam on May 18th (1:30 to 3:30) will examine the whole course and has a correspondingly greater weight. All exams are closed book with no notes or calculators allowed. The mid-term exams will consist primarily of essay questions with a few short answer questions at the beginning to get you started. The final exam will also include some numerical problems. I will discuss exam rules and protocol on the first day of class: in general these will follow standard University practice.
Make-up exams will only be set in exceptional circumstances. If you are not able to take an exam due to legitimate reasons such as illness or death in the family (as outlined in the Academic Info section of the schedule of classes) you must (1) make efforts to contact me by phone (leaving a message) or e-mail BEFORE you miss the exam, and (2) submit a written excuse with appropriate documentation when you return. A make-up exam will then be arranged. Inform me as soon as possible if religious observance conflicts with exam dates.
Homeworks: There will be three homework assignments, each contributing 10% of the total grade. The assignments will be handed out periodically, with about 2 weeks to complete each assignment. The dates will be announced in class when the assignments are set. Homeworks submitted after the deadline will not be considered, except in the case of serious and prolonged illness with appropriate documentation.
Please type (preferred) or write your homeworks neatly. Use your own words. Copying from a friend or from a book, or permitting others to copy from you is academic dishonesty and will automatically be referred to the university authorities. If you use any books other than the course text or websites sources as reference materials please give appropriate acknowledgements in your writing. Short, direct quotations from historical sources (e.g. a quotation from Newton or Galileo) are permissible and should be surrounded by double quotation marks: the person quoted and the year of the writing should also be noted.
Extra Credit: You are encouraged to write a semester paper on any topic relating to the class syllabus, to receive extra credit of up 5 additional percentage points (in no case can your total grade exceed 100%). It should be no more than 1500 words or 6 text pages, but up to 2 additional pages for figures and diagrams is allowed. Topics should be chosen and approved by April 13th, and the finished paper submitted by May 11th. Non-approved submissions will not be considered. Refer to the ‘Homeworks’ section for rules acknowledging reference sources and direct quotations.
The paper will be scored 0-25, with 25 points corresponding to 5 additional percent added to your final grade, subject to the 100% limit. The scoring is as follows, 0-5 for choice of subject matter, including originality, 0-15 for content, and 0-5 for style, including language and presentation; for a total possible 25. After adding up the score, I will divide by 5 and round to the nearest (higher or lower) percentage point to determine what to add to your exam grade. I.e., a score of 13 adds 3%, but so does 17.
Copying and Cheating: Copying and cheating, both in exams and in homework assignments will not be tolerated, and cases will be immediately referred to the appropriate University body, including the Student Honor Council. See the website of the Student Honor Council for guidelines on academic honesty. Students will be required to write the Honor Pledge on all work.
Back to the ASTR 330 Spring 04 homepage.
Last updated 02/01/04.