Astronomy 101 (Basic Astronomy), Fall 2020

A philosophical perspective

Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences. Before there were towns and cities, when there was no light pollution or air pollution, most ancient people were familiar with the sky at night. They understood very little of what they saw, but they were familiar with the phases of the Moon and knew that different constellations were visible at different times of the year. They used observations of the Sun and stars to formulate calendars, by which they could plant, harvest, and survive.

A basic astronomy course is a survey of the entire universe. As a result, one can cover very little in any depth over the course of an academic semester. Still, we're going to do our best!

Astronomy is a natural science (as opposed to a social science) meaning that many aspects of the objects of study (celestial bodies) can be described numerically. Thus, it is a quantitative science. But when all is said and done, the most important things to understand about astronomy are qualitative . How do we know that the Earth is not the center of the solar system? How do we know that the Sun is not at the center of the Galaxy? What will be the eventual fate of the universe? In your university education, perhaps the most important question you can ask is: "How do I know what I know?" Do I accept at face value what some person has said, what some other person has written, or have I determined it independently, on my own?

The study of astronomy is not just the study of planets, stars, and galaxies. It is also the study of the people who were motivated to investigate the universe. Some of these curious people formulated questions that were "impossible" to answer, yet a few decades (or centuries) later other people came up with definitive answers. As the poet Robert Browning said, "... a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"

Five basic themes of basic astronomy

As Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit point out in their text The Essential Cosmic Perspective , it makes sense to built a one semester course on beginning astronomy around five basic themes:

I. We are a part of the universe and thus can learn about our origins by studying the universe.

II. The universe is comprehensible through scientific principles that anyone can understand.

III. Science is not a body of facts but rather a process through which we seek to understand the world around us.

IV. A course in astronomy is the beginning of a lifelong learning experience.

V. Astronomy affects each of us personally with the new perspectives it offers.

For example, the Apollo 8 astronauts took the following picture of the Earth rising over the Moon's horizon on December 24, 1968.

Each day you can see something interesting at the Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Our textbook is The Essential Cosmic Perspective , 8th edition, by Jeff Bennett and coauthors. Buying a new book gets you an access code number that allows you to create an online account to access their website. (There will be web-graded homework.) If you throw away the code that comes with your book, it costs something like 60 dollars to buy access to the website. If you have a used copy of the previous edition, you will need to buy access to the online homework for the 8th edition.

The website for the book is www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com. The Pearson course ID for online homework is "krisciunas66672" for section 501 (the 09:20 class). The course ID is "krisciunas72984" for section 502 (the 12:00 pm class).

Notes from Pearson relating to registering for online homework (09:20 am class).

Notes from Pearson relating to registering for online homework (12:00 pm class).

Supplementary reading is A Guide to Wider Horizons , 2nd edition, ISBN 978-1-5249-0115-8, by Krisciunas. There were three copies of the 2nd edition available on reserve at the Evans Library Annex. Three copies of the 1st edition can be checked out from the regular stacks at the Evans Library; the call number is Q162.K75 2014.

To order a hard copy or e-book of the Supplementary Reading directly from the publisher, click here.

Here is the opening chapter:

1. Introduction

A review of this book can be read here.

Syllabus for fall 2020.

These URLs for live Zoom sessions may have to be changed later in the semester, but here they are for now:

To arrange to see me at my office (MPHY 312) send me an email message using kevinkrisciunas@tamu.edu

The montillation of traxoline.

Some facts and concepts to have at your fingertips.

Downloadable Powerpoint talks:

Week 1: Introduction and some basic concepts

Weeks 1/2: Introduction to the sky