Syllabus for Astronomy 127: Naked-Eye Astronomy --

Syllabus for Astronomy 127: Naked-Eye Astronomy --- University of Michigan
Semester: Fall 2014 (second 7 weeks)
Section: Astro 127.004 (lecture)
Dates: October 27, 2014 through December 10, 2014 (a total of 14 in-class sessions)
Times: Monday and Wednesday, 2:00-3:00 PM (lecture begins at 2:10 PM, “Michigan time”)
Location: Angell Hall Planetarium, room 3118 (Angell Hall is located at 435 S. State St.)
Credit: 1 credit (has NS and BS designations)
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Dr. Ian U. Roederer
Office: West Hall 306D (West Hall is located at 1085 S. University Ave.)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 734-615-7374
Office hours: Tuesday 2:15-3:30 PM, Wednesday 10:15-11:30 AM, or by appointment
Recommended text: NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe by Terence
Dickinson. Firefly Books, 4th edition (2006). ISBN-13: 978-1-55407-147-0. A copy of this
book is kept on reserve in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library.
Recommended text: National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky by Mark
Chartrand. Alfred A. Knopf, any edition. ISBN-13: 978-0-679-40852-9. (The text has changed
little, and page numbers have not changed at all, so any edition from 1991 to 2013 is fine.) A
copy of this book is kept on reserve in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library.
Optional items: a red flashlight (or red filter for a flashlight). You may find this helpful when
reading instructions or star charts at night. Alternatively, any phone app that tints your screen red
may work in place of a red-filter flashlight.
Basic philosophy of this class: When you observe the night sky, you are participating in a
tradition that spans uncounted generations across millennia. This course will help you develop
the skills and experience to join that tradition, assign a physical understanding to your
observations, and equip you with the language to communicate your observations to one another.
You need to be able to visualize models of the systems you are observing and be able to interpret
them correctly. The lectures, in-class labs, reading assignments, and exams are designed to help
develop your intuition about these models. If the goal is to be able to make observations of the
night sky, then practice you must: that’s why more than half of the course grade is based on you
making observations of the night sky. Some of us have better spatial reasoning skills than others.
Being able to visualize in three dimensions is, admittedly, a huge advantage in this class. Those
of you who know your spatial reasoning skills are inherently weak (there’s nothing wrong with
that, or you!) will have to work extra hard to internalize these models. Simply noticing the
changes in the sky from night to night and season to season will go a long way. The best advice I
can give you is to practice, work together, and try to have fun.
Astronomy 127 schedule (subject to change)
Class
Date
Topic
Reading to have completed before
class today
1
Mon., Oct. 27
Introduction
2
Wed., Oct. 29
The Earth-Sun system,
part 1
NW: p. 8-11, 26-34
3
Mon., Nov. 03
The Earth-Sun system,
part 2
FGNS: p. 47-51
CTools: Download and play with the
Stellarium software
4
Wed., Nov. 05
The celestial sphere
FGNS: p. 59-72
5
Mon., Nov. 10
Stars and the night
sky, part 1
FGNS: p. 73-80
CTools: Peterson-constellations.pdf
6
Wed., Nov. 12
Stars and the night
sky, part 2
NW: p. 36-59
7
Mon., Nov. 17
8
Wed., Nov. 19
The Earth-Moon
system, part 1
NW: p. 136-142, 145
FGNS: p. 634-640
9
Mon., Nov. 24
The Earth-Moon
system, part 2
NW: p. 146-153
FGNS: p. 55-58
10
Wed., Nov. 26
Planets
NW: p. 120-135
FGNS: p. 641-669
11
Mon., Dec. 01
Nearby shiny things in
the night sky
NW: p. 35, 128-129, 154-163
FGNS: p. 630-631, 669-680
12
Wed., Dec. 03
Stars
NW: p. 32, 82-92
FGNS: p. 24-34
CTools: Peterson-magnitudes.pdf
13
Mon., Dec. 08
The deep sky
NW: p. 12-25
FGNS: p. 427-428 (“M31”)
14
Wed., Dec. 10
Assignments
TED talk reflection essay
assigned
Night-sky observations assigned
Sky scavenger hunt assigned
TED talk reflection essay due
Exam 1 in class
Guide to abbreviations in the readings list:
NW = NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
FGNS = National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky
CTools = Resources posted on the CTools course website
Night-sky observation 1 due
Night-sky observation 2 due
Night-sky observation 3 due
Sky scavenger hunt due
Exam 2 in class
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on the CTools website and distributed in class. All
assignments must be returned to me in hard-copy form (i.e., paper) at the beginning of the lecture
section on the due date unless specified otherwise in the instructions for a particular assignment
or approved by me in advance. No late assignments will be accepted without prior approval by
me for exceptions as permitted by the LSA’s attendance policy (see comments on “attendance”
below). You will always have at least two weeks to complete each assignment. If you wish to
contest a grade on an assignment, you must register your intent to contest this grade with me
within 120 hours of the assignment being returned to you.
Attendance: We will use the unique projection capabilities of this planetarium on a daily basis,
and your participation in class discussions and activities provides an opportunity to engage with
the material that cannot be duplicated out of class time. That said, class attendance is not
mandatory. You are adults capable of making your own decisions. Short reading-comprehension
quizzes and group lab exercises will be given during most class sessions. These do not count for
grades and will be used to spark discussion. In principle it is possible to earn an A in this course
without attending class (except for the days with exams), though I do not recommend trying.
I will follow the established LSA attendance policy (http://www.lsa.umich.edu/facstaff/saa/
studentclassattendance) regarding religious holidays, illnesses, off-campus representation of the
University, etc. Other personal reasons not covered explicitly by this policy should be discussed
with me well in advance (one week or more) of the absence. Please note that documentation
(e.g., doctor’s note from U.H.S.) may be requested in accordance with this policy to count as an
excused absence.
Drop/add: Note that this is a half-term class, so the LSA rules stipulate that only the first *two*
weeks of the term qualify for the “free” drop/add period.
Night-sky observations: Your assignments will consist of making observations of celestial
objects outside of class time. This course is, by design, an observational one, and the goal of
these assignments is to guide you in making observations of the night sky. Notice that it is there.
That it changes. That it can be spectacular. That we have done ourselves an unforgivable
disservice by hiding it with lights installed to make us feel comfortable, persuade us to save 3
cents on a gallon of gas, or illuminate the faux creekrock siding on the suburban office complex.
Detailed instructions for these assignments will be provided elsewhere. Collaboration with
classmates is allowed and even encouraged, including collaborations with students enrolled in
other sections of Astro 127, but each student must complete and submit a log of observations to
receive credit. In general, the fraction of days that are cloudy in Ann Arbor increases throughout
the fall, so do not procrastinate making these observations. Also, if you are not from the
Midwest and have not spent much time here, you may not yet know that clear evenings and
mornings in late fall can get cold. Climb-in-the-refrigerator-to-warm-up cold. The-lawyers-arekeeping-their-hands-in-their-own-pockets cold. Poor weather will not be accepted as an excuse
for not completing these assignments.
Exams: Two in-class exams will be given. The goal of these exams is to reinforce material
covered during the lectures and observations of the night sky and to provide an opportunity for
you to demonstrate your understanding of this material. No collaboration is allowed on these
exams. Both exams are closed-book, closed-note, closed-devices, and do not require use of a
calculator. If you anticipate being absent on either of those days, please let me know at least
*two* weeks in advance (in accordance with LSA policy) to make alternate arrangements. Our
final exam will be held during the last class session on Wednesday, December 10. There will be
no exam during the scheduled exam period on Friday, December 19.
TED talk reflection essay: One assignment will consist of watching an astronomy-themed TED
talk (available online) and writing a response. The goal of this assignment is to provide you the
opportunity to practice and demonstrate vital skills (i.e., reflection and writing) in the context of
modern astronomical ideas. No collaboration is allowed on the reflection essay, but you may
collaborate to watch the talks and discuss them. Detailed instructions will be provided.
Grades: Grades will be calculated by summing scores on naked-eye observations (three worth
10 points each, three worth 7 points each, accounting for 51% of the total course grade), exams
(two exams worth 20 points each, accounting for 40%), and a TED talk response essay (worth 9
points, accounting for 9%). Grades will be assigned to the point score as follows:
99+: A+
87-90: B+
77-80: C+
67-70: D+
0-60: E
93-99: A
83-87: B
73-77: C
63-67: D
90-93: A80-83: B70-73: C60-63: DI reserve the right to lower the lower the cutoffs for each letter grade (e.g., the lower cutoff for an
A- could be 89 points rather than 90 points), but I will not raise the cutoff marks (e.g., under no
circumstances would 90 points receive a B+ or below).
Extra credit: No extra credit will be allowed except as specified on the “scavenger hunt”
observing assignments. In this case, the extra credit is given only for the observations explicitly
described therein.
In-class quizzes and labs: Short reading-comprehension quizzes will be given some most class
sessions. The goal of these quizzes is to serve as a jumping-off point for the lecture-discussions
and labs that follow. The labs are designed to simulate the observing experience and deepen
your understanding of the underlying concepts. They will be completed during the class
sessions. No extra materials are needed for these labs, and they will sometimes involve the use
of the planetarium projection system. These labs work most effectively when you have done the
reading ahead of time and work in groups to discuss your answers. The in-class quizzes and labs
will not be graded, but pieces of them may bear strong resemblance to some questions found on
the exams.
Academic integrity: The LSA community, like all communities, functions best when its
members treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust. The “LSA Community
Standards of Academic Integrity” statement (http://www.lsa.umich.edu/academicintegrity)
outlines the principles we will follow in this class, and the “LSA Procedures for Resolving
Academic Misconduct” (http://www.lsa.umich.edu/academicintegrity/procedures) will be used to
resolve any issues that arise. Graded material deemed, after due process, to be plagiarized will
receive a zero.
Devices in the classroom: Cell phones and other devices are allowed in my class if they are used
responsibly and do not pose a distraction to me, you, or your neighbor. These devices must
remain silent. In the interest of common curtesy, if you find yourself in need of your phone
(perhaps in the case of an emergency), please quietly excuse yourself from class and do what you
need to do in the hallway. Some of our labs and exercises in class will involve using a darkened
planetarium; the warm, alluring glow of these devices can be an impediment to achieving darkadapted eyesight by you or your neighbor. During these dark planetarium sessions I will request
that phones or other devices be turned off or put away. If these devices become a persistent
distraction, I reserve the right to ban them altogether. I will be the sole arbiter in determining
what constitutes a distraction.
Safety: Your education and safety are the highest priority in this course. Because the
planetarium will be dark at times, additional policies are in place to protect your safety here.
Please remain seated while the planetarium is in operation. The planetarium is delicate,
expensive, and time-consuming to repair. Please do not touch the planetarium equipment. To
avoid any costly or embarrassing situations, food, drinks, smoking, sex, and the wave are
prohibited in the planetarium. This is (mostly) university policy and not subject to my
discretion. Safety is also a concern for the night sky observations. As always, be aware of your
surroundings, and observe in small groups if possible.
Contacting me: Email is the best way to contact me. Please write “Astro 127” in the subject
line. Typically I will respond to email only during normal business hours. Please note that the
phone number given is a desk phone that cannot receive text messages, and it is only answered
during normal business hours. As a matter of policy, I decline facebook messages or friend
requests from students. I am happy to discuss any of the assignments with you during my office
hours, via email, or before or after class.
Office hours: Office hours will be held on Tuesdays from 2:15-3:30 PM and Wednesdays from
10:15-11:30 AM, or by appointment. My office is in room 306D in West Hall. Please note that
there will be no office hours on Wednesday, October 29, or Tuesday, November 18.
Other sections of Astro 127: There are two other sections of Astro 127 running parallel to this
one. Those sections are run independently by a different instructor. Some of the material
covered may be similar, but there is no guarantee that the assignments, exams, or grading
schemes will be identical. Enrollment in each section of Astro 127 is limited by the number of
seats in the Angell Hall Planetarium, so please only attend the section you are enrolled.

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