Astronomy Daily Schedule Term 5
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Note: Unless otherwise noted, page numbers, equation numbers, and problem numbers refer to the 5th edition of The Cosmos by Pasachoff and Filippenko.
See also Daily Schedule Term 6
Week 1 — Chapters 1 and 2 — Units, Scientific Notation, Light, Temperature, Atoms, Atomic Spectra
- Tuesday, March 16 — Reading: Sections 1.1 to 1.4 (we’ll be skipping 1.5 to 1.7) — Study Figure it Out Box 1.1 and Figure it Out Box 1.2 on units and scientific notation — In-Class Problems: Chapter 1, Problems 2, 8, and 24
- Friday, March 19 — Reading: Sections 2.1 to 2.4 including all four Figure it Out Boxes in Chapter 2 — In-Class Problems: Chapter 2, Problems 21, 22, and 24.
Week 2 — Chapter 4 — The Daily, Monthly, and Annual Motions of the Heavens
- Tuesday, March 23 — The Cosmos: Section 4.1 (on the synodic and sidereal motion of Sun and Moon, moon phases) — The Friendly Stars: Chapters I and II — Venus in Transit: Chapter 3
- Friday, March 26 — The Cosmos: Sections 4.2 to 4.5, including Figure it Out Boxes 4.1 and Box 4.2 (eclipses, atmospheric effects of reddening and twinkling, daily motion of the stars, apparent magnitude) — The Friendly Stars: Chapters III and IV (on Capella and Arcturus) — Venus in Transit: Chapters 1 and 2 (Copernicus and Kepler) — 2017 Eclipse Animation — 2024 Eclipse Animation — The Ecliptic — Problem Set 1: Chapter 2, Problems 25, 26, 29, 30, Repeat problem 25 for 2.45 GHz microwave oven radiation — Problem Set 1 Solution
Week 3 — Chapter 4 — The Daily, Monthly, and Annual Motions of the Heavens
- Tuesday, March 30 — Finish Chapter 4 of The Cosmos. — Read Chapters XI, XII, XIII, and XIV from The Friendly Stars (the winter stars, which are now setting in the west) — Observe the stars in the west (compare with the star chart for the west that I handed out) and add your observing notes for those stars to Friendly Stars - 15 Brightest worksheet — Read Chapter 4 from Venus in Transit (but not the appendix on parallax)
- Friday, April 2 — Read The Cosmos Sections 5.1-5.4 — Read Chapter 5 of Venus In Transit — Problem Set 2: Aristarchus Measures the Size and Distance of the Moon — Problem Set 2 Solution
Week 4 — Start Chapter 5 — Gravitation and Motion
- Tuesday, April 6 — Read The Cosmos Section 5.5 and 5.6 (Kepler’s Laws) — Read Chapters V, VI, and XV from The Friendly Stars (Spica, Vega, and Regulus) — Read Chapter 6 of Venus In Transit — Problem Set 3: Mars Retrograde Construction — Problem Set 3 Solution — Problem Set 4: Chapter 4, Problems 1, 11, 12, 30, 31, 46, and Chapter 5, Problems 35 and 39 — Problem Set 4 Solution — 9pm Star Party with readings from Ian Ridpath’s Star Tales on Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, and Orion (the spectacular display setting in the west right now)
- Friday, April 9 — First Midterm — In-Class: rounding out our understanding of Kepler’s Laws — Finish Reading Chapter 5 of The Cosmos (Newton’s Laws)
Week 5 — Chapters 6 and 7 — The Rocky Planets and the Gas Giants
- Tuesday, April 20 — The class is rescheduled to be an observing night and telescope operation night starting at 9pm on Sunday evening — Problem Set 6: Solar System Densities Worksheet](./problem_sets/SolarSystemDensitiesWorksheet.pdf) (put in my box on Tuesday since we are not actually meeting on Tuesday)
- Friday, April 23 — Reading The Cosmos Chapter 8 and Section 9.1: Our Solar System and Solar System Formation
Week 7 — Astrology in Shakespeare
