Astronomy 161: Introduction to Astronomy

Dr. Yost's Lectures, Fall 2002

Instructor: Dr. Scott A. Yost
Office: 307 Nielsen Physics Building
Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
          1 PM to 2 PM or by appointment
Phone: 974-7852
E-Mail: syost@utk.edu
Course Web Site: http://homework.phys.utk.edu/astr161
Textbook: Pasachoff, Astronomy: From the Earth to the Universe, 6th ed.

LABORATORIES

Section Instructor email Time
19781Leonard Nugent leonugent2001@yahoo.com Monday 12:20 - 2:15
19736Kevin Williams kwilli10@utk.edu Tuesday 8:00 - 9:55
19765Scott Yost syost@utk.edu Tuesday 10:10 - 12:05
19778James Rasnake jrasnake@utk.edu Tuesday 2:30 - 4:25
19752Phil Evans pevans3@utk.edu Tuesday 4:40 - 6:35
19812James Rasnake jrasnake@utk.edu Wednesday 8:00 - 9:55
19825Eric Chapman echapman@utk.edu Thursday 10:10 - 12:05
19794Eric Chapman echapman@utk.edu Thursday 12:20 - 2:15
19749Phil Evans pevans3@utk.edu Thursday 2:30 - 4:25
19809Stephanie Steffens steffens@utk.edu Thursday 4:40 - 6:35

Laboratories are held in room 507, one floor up from the lecture hall. The laboratory comprises 25% of the final course grade. A passing grade in the laboratory is required to pass the course. Attendance at every laboratory is required. Excused absenses will be permitted only with advance notice and approval by the lab TA . Absences may also be approved in the event of an unforseen emergency, subject to approval. Arrangements must be made with the TA to make up any missed laboratory. An unexcused absence will result in a score of 0 for that lab. Two unexcused absences will result in failure of the course. All other policies concerning grading and the operation of the laboratories is determined by the individual lab instructors.

The laboratory manual is "A Laboratory Textbook For Introductory Astronomy", 5th Edition, by Kermit E. Duckett. The manual contains three sections: Experiments (Exercises), TheSky, and Contemporary Laboratory Experiences in Astronomy (CLEA). TheSky labs make use of sky simulation software on the laboratory computers. The UT web site shown in the book for the CLEA labs no longer exists. Links to PDF files containing the student manuals can be found in the schedule below. More information can be found on the CLEA Home Page at Gettysburg College, for those interested.

Dates Laboratory
Aug. 26 - 30 Ex. 2: Measurements and Unit Conversions
Sept. 2-6 No Laboratory
Sept. 9-13 Ex. 1: Sky Maps, Fall Constellations
Sept. 16-20 TheSky 1: Stars and Constellations
Sept. 23-27 Ex. 5: Angles and Coordinates
Sept. 30 - Oct. 4 Ex. 8: Acceleration of Gravity
Oct. 7-11 No Laboratory
Oct. 14-18 Ex. 10: The Telescope
Oct. 21-25 Ex. 6: Sundial Construction and Apparent Solar Time
Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 CLEA-1: Revolution of the Moons of Jupiter
Nov. 4-8 Ex. 9: Lunar and Planetary Phases
Nov. 11-15 Laboratory Final Exam
Nov. 18-22 CLEA-2: Rotation of Mercury using Doppler Radar, or Makeup


Astronomy 161 Department of Physics University of Tennessee