Physics 171
Fall 2019

Planetary and Stellar Astronomy 

Course Materials:

• Week 0: 8/28-30                  Intro to Astronomy [Ch. 1, 2]
  Physics 171 syllabus
  Wednesday, August 28: Overhead Slides
  Friday, August 30: Overhead Slides
  Problem Set 1, due Friday, September 6, 2019
  
  
• Week 1: 9/2-6            Basic Physics I: Motion and Orbits [Ch. 3]
  Monday, September 2: Overhead Slides
  Wednesday, September 4: Overhead Slides
  No class on Friday, September 6 due to Hurricane Dorian.
  Problem Set 2, due Friday, September 13, 2019
  
  
• Week 2: 9/9-9/13          Basic Physics II: Newton and Gravity [Ch. 3]
  Monday, September 9: Overhead Slides
  Wednesday, September 11: Overhead Slides
  Friday, September 13: Overhead Slides
  Problem Set 3, due Friday, September 20, 2019
  
  
  
• Week 3: 9/19-9/21          Basic Physics III: Light and Matter [Ch. 5, 16.1-2]
  Monday, September 16: Overhead Slides
  Wednesday, September 18: Overhead Slides
  Friday, September 20: Overhead Slides
  Problem Set 4, due Friday, September 27, 2019
  
  
• Week 4: 9/23-9/27          Astronomy Instruments [Ch. 6]
  Midterm #1 on Monday, September 23, 2019.
  Formula sheet for midterm #1
  Wednesday, September 25: Overhead Slides
  Friday, September 27: Overhead Slides
  Problem Set 5, due Friday, October 4, 2019
  
  
• Week 5: 9/30-10/4          Solar System I: Overview [Chpt 7]
  Monday, September 30: Overhead Slides
  Wednesday, October 2: Overhead Slides
  Friday, October 4: Overhead Slides
  Problem Set 6, due Friday, October 11, 2019
  
  Instructions for Interludes
  Team presentation form
  Please turn in team presentation form on Monday, October 7, in class.
  
  
• Week 6: 10/7-11          Solar System II: Earth & Rocky Planets [Chpt 8]
  Monday, October 7: Overhead Slides
  Wednesday, October 9: Overhead Slides
  Friday, October 11: Overhead Slides
  Problem Set 7, due Friday, October 18, 2019
  
  
• Week 7: 10/16-18          Solar System III: Rocky Planets & Gas Giants [Chpt 9, 10, 11]
  Fall Break: no class on Monday, October 14, 2019.
  Wednesday, October 16: Overhead Slides
  Friday, October 18: Overhead Slides
  
  
• Week 8: 10/21-25      Gas Giants & Moons
  Midterm #2 on Monday, October 21, 2019.
  Formula sheet for midterm 2
  
  Wednesday, October 23: Overhead Slides
  Friday, October 25: Overhead Slides
  
  
• Week 9: 10/31-11/2      Dwarf Planets, Comets, Exoplanets, and Life
  Monday, October 28: Overhead Slides
  Wednesday, October 30: Overhead Slides
  Friday, November 1: Overhead Slides
  
  
• Week 10: 11/4-8      Interlude I: Humanity in the Solar System
  Student presentations.
  Paper due on Friday, November 8.
  
  
• Week 11: 11/11-15        Our Sun and Main Sequence Stars
  Monday, November 11: Overhead Slides
  Wednesday, November 13: Overhead Slides
  European Southern Observatory's Milky Way image (zoomable) [LINK]
  Friday, November 15: Overhead Slides
  
  
• Week 12: 11/21       Stellar Evolution
  Midterm on Monday, November 18
  Formula sheet for midterm 3
  Wednesday, November 20: Overhead Slides
  Friday, November 22: Overhead Slides
  
  
• Week 13: 11/25             Einstein's Relativity
  Monday, November 25: Overhead Slides
  
  
• Week 14: 12/5-7          Relativistic Stars & Interlude II: Space Art
  Monday, December 2: Overhead Slides
  Student presentations on Wednesday, December 4, 2019.
  Friday, December 6: Overhead Slides
  Paper due on Friday, December 6, 2019.
  
  
• Tuesday, December 17, 2019:       Final Exam, 9 am-noon, Small Hall 110 (normal room)
  Review session for final exam: Monday, December 16 in Small Hall 233, 4-6 pm
  Formula sheet for Final Exam