Notes
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Outline
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Astronomy 1050
Survey of Astronomy
  • Michael Brotherton
    • Office:  Physical Sciences 217
    • Phone:  766-5402
    • E-Mail:  mbrother@uwyo.edu
    • Course Webpage: http://physics.uwyo.edu/~mbrother
    • Office Hours:
      • MW 10:00 AM – Noon
      • Also by Appointment
  • Lab Instructor
    • Jim Verley Physical Sciences Rm 117
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The Difference Between Astronomy and Astrology
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The Difference Between Astronomy and Astrology
  • lots and lots of math
  • (and when is the course drop date anyway?)
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Highlights of the Syllabus
  • Course Content: the What and How of Astronomy


  • Lectures:  Reading done in advance, notes on the web


  • Laboratory:  Starts NEXT week, Attendance Required!


  • Homework: on WebCT (don’t wait to sign up, please!), Typically Assigned/Due on Mondays


  • Exams: 4 in-class exams, need bubble-sheets


  • Grading


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Feedback Questionnaire

  • Anonymous (if you wish)


  • Help me help you – I do make adjustments!


  • Your Expectations


  • Math/Science Background
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The Scale of the Cosmos
    •   “Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.”
    • -- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 1979
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Powers of Ten
  • Original “Powers of Ten” Movie


  • “Cosmic Voyages” video, narrated by Morgan Freeman (Imax version at Smithsonian Institute)


  • First five minutes of the 1997 film Contact (end of class today!)
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Units or “Dimensions”
  • Distance meters, miles, etc.
  • Time seconds, hours, days, years


  • Combined quantities
    • velocity miles/hour meters/second


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Reading (in Seeds)
    • By Friday
      • Chapter 1  The Scale of the Cosmos   (pg. 1-   8)
      • Chapter 2  The Sky                                    (pg.   9 - 19)
      • Appendix A  Units and Astronomical Data   (pg. 454-463)


    • By Monday
      • Chapter 3  Cycles of the Sky  (pg. 21 – 40)


    • Pay special attention to the Review: Critical Inquiry and By the Numbers boxes.  Also, make sure you understand the diagrams shown in the various figures.


    • At the end of each chapter study the Summary, New Terms, and Review Questions


    • 3…2…1…CONTACT!