| Instructor | Teaching Assistant | Teaching Assistant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Dr. Yuk Tung Liu | Di Wen | Ko-Yun Huang |
| Office | 125 Astronomy | 133 Astronomy | 132 Astronomy |
| ytliu@illinois.edu | diwen2@illinois.edu | khuang33@illinois.edu | |
| Office Hours | Mon. 3:30—4:30pm and Wed. 10—11am or by appointment | Tue. & Wed. 1—2pm | Mon. & Wed. 11am—12(noon) |
ASTR 122 is an introduction to celestial objects and phenomena beyond our solar system. The questions we will explore include: What are stars? How do the Sun and other stars generate energy? What is the fate of the Sun? Could it become a black hole? What are galaxies? What is the Big Bang theory? What are dark matter and dark energy? What is the ultimate fate of the Universe?
The complementary course ASTR 121 (which is not a prerequisite for ASTR 122) explores our understanding of the solar system, including the natures and characteristics of the planets and small solar system bodies, and its origin and evolution.
Lectures: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00am—11:50am, 151 Everitt (Electrical and Computer Engineering Laboratory).
Discussion Sections:
Prerequisites: Algebra and some trigonometry is required. Previous astronomy courses are not required.
Course Webpage: Located on Illinois Compass2G
| Textbook (required): | Discovering the Universe, N.F. Comins & W.J. Kaufmann III, 10th ed., W.H. Freeman, 2014 (ISBN-10: 1464140863). |
| i>clicker (required): | Participation in lectures requires the use of an i>clicker (i>clicker, i>clicker2, or i>clicker+) remote. Please make sure you register your i>clicker (see i>clicker link on course webpage). |
The basic philosophy of Astronomy 122 can be summarized as follows:
The first exposure you will have to any material will be when you, on your own and prior to lecture, read about it in the textbook (1). Before every lecture you will be required to work through a brief "preflight" on the web. The lecture (2) will not simply regurgitate what you have read, rather it will focus on resolving conceptual difficulties with preflight questions. Student questions and comments in class are expected and encouraged. The discussion section (3) will go over key concepts from the week's material and practice problem solving skills. A web-based homework (4) covering each week's material is due on the Thursday of the following week. Homework problems are designed to test your understanding of the concepts as well as problem-solving skills. The weekly discussion section will also take the opportunity to review frequently missed homework problems from the assignment due the previous week.
| Components | Points |
| Online Homework Assignments (best 10 of 12) | 200 = 10×20 |
| Observing & Planetarium Reports (best 2 of 3) | 50 = 2×25 |
| Three (3) Process of Science Projects | 150 = 3×50 |
| Lecture Participation (Preflights + i>clicker) | 50 = 25 + 25 |
| Discussion Section Activities | 50 |
| Hour Exams (2) | 250 = 2×125 |
| Final Exam | 250 |
| Total | 1000 |
Grading Scale:
A+: 980—1000; A: 930—979; A-: 900—929
B+: 870—899; B: 830—869; B-: 800—829
C+: 770—799; C: 730—769; C-: 700—729
D+: 670—699; D: 630—669; D-: 600—629
F: 599 and below
I reserve the right to make the grading slightly easier, but will not raise these thresholds. Since the grade "cutoffs" are tentatively set at the beginning of the semester, you are not competing with your fellow students for a high position on a "final curve." It is in principle possible for everyone to get an "A" grade in this class.
Homework Assignments: There will be 12 homework assignments over the semester, approximately one every week (except exam weeks). These will consist of a combination of multiple-choice and problem-solving questions. Homework assignments will be submitted online via the class website. Your lowest 2 homework grades will be dropped.
Observing and Planetarium Sessions: You are required to attend and complete reports for three observing activities for this course (your lowest grade will be dropped):
Detail instructions of the observing and planetarium sessions will be posted on the course webpage.
Note: Every semester many students put these activities off until the last day and then find the planetarium is sold out or the weather is cloudy. GO EARLY. If you are unavailable for an activity due to unavoidable circumstances, see the instructor immediately.
Process of Science Projects: To experience part of the "process of science," you will complete three short projects, The Sun and Seasons, Properties of Stars, and the Galaxy Zoo. These may be completed in groups of up to three students with a single report turned in.
Preflights: Before every lecture you will be required to work through a brief "preflight" on the web. The preflight will probe your understanding of the reading material assigned for that lecture, and must be completed before 8am on the day of the lecture. I will use your answers to these questions in preparation of the material for that day's lecture. No late credit.
i>clickers: In order to provide an environment more conducive to participation and interaction, each student will have an i>clicker remote with which to respond to "concept-check" questions during lecture. Each question is worth 1 point, 0.5 point for attempting the question and 0.5 point for a correct answer, up to a 25 point maximum total for the semester. There will be about 60 assessed i>clicker questions over the semester (i.e., about 60 available points ). Therefore, you can be absent or forget your i>clicker a few days without negatively affecting your grade.
To receive i>clicker credit, your i>clicker must be registered to your NetID. Information on registering your i>clicker to your NetID can be found on the course webpage.
Discussion Sections: Each week you will attend a discussion section conducted by a TA. In the section, you will participate in activities designed to enhance your understanding of topics covered in class. Participation in and completion of discussion section activities will form part of your overall class grade.
There will be two in-class midterm exams: Tuesday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Nov. 11. Exam questions will be similar to homework questions, and will consist of a mixture of multiple-choice and problem-solving questions. The final exam for this class is scheduled for 1:30—4:30 PM, Monday, December 15. It will be an all-semester comprehensive exam, and the format will be similar to the midterm exams. You may bring one (1) note sheet to each exam. The note sheet must be on an 8.5"×11" (letter-sized) piece of paper, and you may use both sides of the sheet. Also bring: pencils, a calculator, and your official university identification card (to show upon request).
General: This course will follow all policies in the Student Code.
Attendance: You are expected to attend lectures. I will cover material in class that will not always be in the readings, and the lecture material will be included on the exams. Class time is the most valuable for you if you come prepared, ready to actively engage the material.
Late Work: Late homework assignments will not be accepted. Observing/planetarium session and online lab reports turned in after 5pm on the due date will be assessed a 10% penalty per day (excepting weekends and University holidays). For a well-documented excuse (such as illness) the penalty may be waived at the instructor's discretion.
Exam Absences: Make-up exams will only be offered if the student has good reason, in accordance with sections 1-501, 1-502, and 3-201—3-204 of the Student Code. Advance notice and documentation are required for approved school events (e.g., athletic competition), religious observances, and other planned absences. In case of unforeseen circumstances (e.g., illness), contact the Emergency Dean and request an Absence Letter to document the exam absence.
Personal Issues: To insure that concerns are properly addressed from the beginning, students who require reasonable accommodations to participate in this class are asked to see the instructor as soon as possible. All accommodations will follow the procedures as stated in sections 1-107 and 1-110 of the Student Code.
Working with others: Discussing course material with your classmates is encouraged, but each student is expected to do his/her own work.
Academic Integrity: Any instance of academic dishonesty (including cheating and plagiarism) will be handled in accordance with sections 1-401—1-406 of the Student Code.
Rules of Etiquette: For the benefit of your fellow students and your instructors, you are expected to follow these basic rules of decorum.
| Week | Date | Topics | Reading | Assignment Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug. 26 | Introduction | ||
| Aug. 28 | Motions of the Sky | 1-2 — 1-6 | Preflight 1 | |
| Aug. 29 | Discussion | |||
| 2 | Sep. 2 | Seasons | 1-7 — 1-10 | Preflight 2 |
| Sep. 4 | Moon Phases and Eclipses | 1-11 — 1-15 | Preflight 3, HW 1 | |
| Sep. 5 | Discussion | |||
| 3 | Sep. 9 | Motions of the Planets | 2-1 — 2-3 | Preflight 4 |
| Sep. 11 | Kepler's Law | 2-4 — 2-6 | Preflight 5, HW 2 | |
| Sep. 12 | Discussion | |||
| 4 | Sep. 16 | Newton's Gravity | 2-7 — 2-9 | Preflight 6 |
| Sep. 18 | The Nature of Light | 3-1 — 3-4, 4-1, 4-2 | Preflight 7, HW 3 | |
| Sep. 19 | Discussion | The Sun and Season Lab | ||
| 5 | Sep. 23 | Atoms and Spectra | 4-3 — 4-7 | Preflight 8 |
| Sep. 25 | Optics and Telescope | 3-5 — 3-12 | Preflight 9, HW 4 | |
| Sep. 26 | Discussion | Planetarium Report | ||
| 6 | Sep. 30 | The Solar System | Wikipedia | Preflight 10 |
| Oct. 2 | The Sun | 10-1 — 10-3, 10-7 — 10-10 | Preflight 11, HW 5 | |
| Oct. 3 | Discussion | |||
| 7 | Oct. 7 | Hour Exam 1 (covers Weeks 1—5) | ||
| Oct. 9 | Solar Activity | 10-4 — 10-6 | Preflight 12 | |
| Oct. 10 | Discussion | |||
| 8 | Oct. 14 | Stellar Properties | 11-1 — 11-5 | Preflight 13 |
| Oct. 16 | Stellar Classification | 11-6 — 11-13 | Preflight 14, HW 6 | |
| Oct. 17 | Discussion | |||
| 9 | Oct. 21 | Stellar Lives | 12-1 — 12-7 | Preflight 15 |
| Oct. 23 | Deaths of Low-Mass Stars | 12-8 — 12-11, 13-1 — 13-2 | Preflight 16, HW 7 | |
| Oct. 24 | Discussion | Properties of Stars Lab | ||
| 10 | Oct. 28 | Deaths of High-Mass Stars | 13-5 — 13-14 | Preflight 17 |
| Oct. 30 | Black Holes | Ch. 14 | Preflight 18, HW 8 | |
| Oct. 31 | Discussion | Night Observing Report | ||
| 11 | Nov. 4 | Milky Way Galaxy | 15-1 — 15-4 | Preflight 19 |
| Nov. 6 | Mysteries of the Galaxy | 15-5 — 15-8 | Preflight 20, HW 9 | |
| Nov. 7 | Discussion | |||
| 12 | Nov. 11 | Hour Exam 2 (cover Weeks 6—10) | ||
| Nov. 13 | Other Galaxies | 16-1 — 16-7 | Preflight 21 | |
| Nov. 14 | Discussion | Solar Observing Report | ||
| 13 | Nov. 18 | Galaxies Clusters and Superclusters | 16-8 — 16-14 | Preflight 22 |
| Nov. 20 | Active Galaxies | Ch. 17 | Preflight 23, HW 10 | |
| Nov. 21 | Discussion | |||
| — | Nov. 22—30 | Thanksgiving break | ||
| 14 | Dec. 2 | Expansion of the Universe | 18-1 — 18-5 | Preflight 24 |
| Dec. 4 | The Early Universe | 18-6 — 18-12 | Preflight 25, HW 11 | |
| Dec. 5 | Discussion | Galaxy Zoo Lab | ||
| 15 | Dec. 9 | Fate of the Universe | 18-13 — 18-16 | Preflight 26, HW 12 |
| Dec. 15 | Final Exam (1:30—4:30pm, comprehensive) | |||
Note: Lecture schedule subject to change depending on class progress.