Instructor: Dr. Thomas Handler

Office: 226E Ayres Hall

Phone: 974-7820

Email: thandler@utk.edu

Class Hours: MWF 02:30 - 03:20

Office Hours: 01:00 - 02:00 Mon/Wed and by appointment

Textbook:

Required: Chaisson & McMillan, Astronomy Today, 6th Edition

General Course Description;

This course is intended to provide an overview of the history of astronomy, its methods. We then take a tour of our own Solar System.

Grading Policy

The semester grade will be determined from the following:

Hour Examinations

There will be four 1 Hour Tests, counting for 100%. No hour exam score will be dropped and ordinarily no make-up hour exams will be given. However, if there are documentable circumstances, a makeup will be considered. Hour exams will be closed book, but a list of useful equations and constants will be provided.

Extra Credit

Day and Night telescope observation sessions are available from the roof of the Physics building (conducted by Mr. Paul Lewis). For day sessions Mr. Lewis will talk to you and show you features of the solar atmosphere such as sunspots, prominences, plages, etc.  You can prepare for thess sessions by browsing the chapter in your book on the Sun as well as the study guide for the Sun. For evening sessions Mr. Lewis will discuss the various objects that are in the night sky. You meet on the roof of the Physics building. [through the door at the very top of the East stairwell (near the elevator doors)]. You may do one of each type session

The worth of the extra credit session is dependent upon when it is done.

The extra credit points will be added directly to the sum of the test scores

Grading Scale

Your grade will be determined using the number determined from the above description. The grade boundaries are:

Problem Solving

If you have difficulty in solving problems, you can find some problem solving tips at http://cpt.phys.utk.edu/~th/tips.html

Examination Schedule:

Dates for hour exams are provisional and are subject to change as situations may warrant. Date changes will be announced in class. It is the student’s responsibility to verify exam dates.

Examination Grading:

If you have any questions concerning the grading of a particular examination, you have one week from the time that the examination is returned in class. After one week, the grade is final!

Academic Honesty

All work submitted by a student is expected to represent their own work. Students are expected to enter their own homework on the CAPA system without assistance from others. Students are expected to perform all work in conformance with the University policies regarding Academic Honesty.

Class Schedule

The class will meet formally 42 times with 39 lectures and 4 hour exams.

Course Notes:

Lecture slides will be posted as PDF files as the lectures and the semester progresses.