Here are two interesting websites to check out. Your classmate Stephanie found SpaceSounds, which converts a number of astronomical observations to sounds (e.g., the microwave background radiation, pulsars, etc. I'd also recommend chekcing out Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy page that features good and bad astronomy in movies and TV.
Here's the link to my blog entry on the image of the extra-solar planet. Check it out. A milestone.
Here's a good webpage about the solar system. It has some great explanations and multimedia support.
Here is a new practice exam (doc file) from Spring 2004 that covers questions from chapters 16-19. Answers are here. Note that the final exam covers chapters 14-19, and you can find some questions covering chapters 14 and 15 on the previous practice exam below.
Answer Key to spring 2005 exam 3. Note, the answer to question 13 is c, not d, as on the key. The curve has been increased by one point to correct for this. Sorry.
The previous practice exam (doc file) from Spring 2004 includes questions from chapters 10 and 11 (these are 26-31, 37, 39, and 40). Additional review materials will appear soon.
Here is a new practice exam (doc file) from Spring 2004 that includes questions from chapters 12 and 13 (these are 1-14, 28, 30, 35-39). The answer key is here.
Here's a website where you can listen to Eric Idle's "Galaxy Song" and read the lyrics. I met Eric Idle once at an observatory -- he really does like astronomy!
A really nifty photo from space that Diego and Amber sent me.
Stellar Evolution on the HR Diagram on your PC. Check it out!
Online Version of Course Syllabus (html).
Online Version of the Lab Syllabus (doc).
Answer Key to spring 2005 exam 2. If you took the exam early, the filled circles are all the right answers. If you took the exam as scheduled on Friday, then the answers are the filled circles EXCEPT when a green slash is present -- then that is the right answer.
Practice exam (doc file): Spring 2004. Note that this one covered chapters 10 and 11, which our exam will not. That was too many chapters all at once. Our exam 2 this semester will cover chapters 5-9 only. Also, I goofed on it and it had two number 28s. Everything is okay on the asnwer key except number 29 is not graded (the second no. 28 is in its place). Questions that you can ignore, since they pertain to chapters 10 and 11 or were topical, include: 26-31, 37, 39, and 40.
Answer Key to spring 2004 exam 2 (the practice exam).
Online version of the observing lab assignment (doc). The write-up is due to your lab instructor the next class week after your observing session. We'll be having make up labs after spring break for many of you.
Your classmate, Justin Wolffing, has pointed out an old computer game called Frontier: First Encounters Space Simulator. He's set up a webpage with downloading and installation instructions here. Apparently the game has a lot of realistic and accurate astronomy in it (e.g., stellar classifications for the stars you can visit). Justin has recently updated the site to be clearer and with screen shots. Check it out!
In honor of the doomed Hubble Space Telescope...very cool tribute video! I may show this in class later in the semester.
Answer key to the first exam is here. (Note answer 33 should be e, not a. Instead of regrading, we decided in class to increase the curve from 5 points to 6.
I've posted scans from last year's first exam in this directory.
A nice webpage about Kepler's Laws and Newtonian Gravity.
Here are some nice mosaic color images of the surface of Titan. Check it out! (Note: May be slow loading.)
Your professor makes the news.
Astronomy Picture of the Day is a great webpage to visit every day.
This is good how to study physics guide. While this is a non-majors astronomy class, the part of the class that many struggle with is the part solving astrophysics-type problems. We won't have a lot of this, but we will have some (none as complex or difficult as the calculus-based examples in the guide, so don't get hung up on them!). Also, students who have not taken college-level science classes sometimes complain that they don't know how to study for this class. This guide has some good suggestions for how to approach such a class. I hope you find it useful.
