Syllabus
Course:
Astronomy
and Cosmology
Instructor:
Norman
Derby
Instructor
Homepage (course website): faculty.bennington.edu
Schedule:
Monday and Thursday, 4:00-5:20 PM,
Dickinson 209
Textbook:
Discovering
the Universe
by
Comins & Kaufmann, W.H. Freeman, 6th Edition.
Goals:
To help you become familiar with the concepts and jargon of modern astrophysics
and to develop an appreciation for data and critical view of deductions, speculations
and nonsense in astronomical literature. To help you learn to identify at
least a dozen constellations in the sky. To provide you with a chance to observe
through a telescope some examples of nebulae, galactic clusters, globular clusters
and distant galaxies. A generous portion of the course will be devoted to ideas
of modern cosmology.
Evaluation:
The basis for comments will be written assignments, in-class small-group activities
and presentations, spot quizzes, one brief opinion paper and one somewhat larger
scale assignment or project. Completion of the written work is required in
order to pass this course. Although
some of the assignments will involve reading and interpreting graphs, making
measurements, or solving problems, the mathematical requirements should be
well within reach of anyone
interested
in this subject.
PLEASE NOTE the following. In your homework, I am interested in seeing
your thoughts
and methods on paper than in seeing the "correct" answer. If you have
difficulties
with a homework question, describe what you have tried and what
happened. Don't write " I can't do this assignment. " or its
equivalent. You need to try to explain
what seems to be missing for you to complete the question. You can
always re-submit
work until it is acceptable.
Attendance
is
expected at class; more than 4 absences may result in a not-passing final report.
Reading
assignments:
As
you read the text, use a blank sheet of paper as a bookmark. Note down anything that
is poorly phrased with text page number. If you cannot understand a passage
at all, mark that too. If another paragraph later clears things up, just add
that to the comments. Do not erase anything or obliterate it: both entries
are useful. At the end of each chapter, note down general difficulties you
have and questions you would like answered. Do not bother to revise or recopy
your notes. If
you cannot understand something, assume that it is the book's fault. Bring
in the notes on each chapter on the day the reading assignment is to be completed.
They will help form the basis for some of the day's discussion. If your question
is not answered in class, I will provide you with a written response if you
turn in the sheet.
Observing:
I
try to have a constellation identification session before using the observatory.
If the weather is clear Monday at 9 pm, I will meet you in front of the observatory.
Bring your star chart, a flashlight, a blanket or tarp to lie on, and VERY
WARM clothing:
dress
for January. You will be amazed how cold a late summer night in Vermont can
feel. (Every year I have a bunch of shivering, complaining people. Doesn't
anyone ever listen to me?) I
will try to help get you oriented so you can continue working on the constellation
identification process on your own. It does NOT take long to get acquainted
with the sky but it does require several attempts of about 10 to 20 minutes
each. At the middle of the semester, I will ask you to certify that you have
learned how to step out at night without a star chart and to find and recognize
at least 10 constellations.I
will open the observatory for viewing at 10 pm. Since only a small number of
people can gather around the main telescope, there will be binoculars and a
small telescope outside as well. Soon I will organize an observing group (10
or fewer students) of those people who really want to learn the technical side of using
the telescope and other equipment in the observatory.
Plagiarism:
Read
the student handbook about this subject. The availability of the internet has
tempted a few students to cut and paste large sections of text directly from
the web into papers submitted to me. It is usually easy for me to spot this and easy
for me to find out the source. Anyone who attempts this will automatically
be referred to the Deans office. Treat the web like any other source of information.
If you quote someone exactly, put it within quotation marks and cite the author
and the URL of the website.
Tentative
Schedule:
(Chapter
numbers refer to our textbook DTU.)
|
|
09/08/05 |
First
class,Sky
from Earth - 1 |
| 09/12/05 |
Sky
- 1 |
09/15/05 |
Solar
System - 2 |
| 09/19/05 |
Gravitation
- 2 |
09/22/05 |
SEPC
elect - 2 |
| 09/26/05 |
Light
- 3 |
09/29/05 |
Light
- 3 |
| 10/03/05 |
Earth
and Moon (5) |
10/06/05 |
Light
- 4 |
| 10/10/05 |
Survey
of Solar System & Sun - parts of 8, 9 |
10/13/05 |
Sun
- 9 |
| 10/17/05 |
Stars
- 10 |
10/20/05 |
Stars
- 10, 11
|
| 10/24/05 |
Long
Weekend
|
10/27/05 |
Star
Evolution - 11 |
| 10/31/05 |
Star
Evolution - 11 |
11/03/05 |
Star
Death 11, 12 |
| 11/07/05 |
Relativity |
11/10/05 |
Relativity |
| 11/14/05 |
Black
Holes - 13 |
11/17/05 |
MWG
- 14 |
| 11/21/05 |
Galaxies
- 15 |
11/24/05 |
Thanksgiving
|
| 11/28/05 |
Galaxies
& Cosmology - 17 |
12/01/05 |
Plan
day until 4pm. Cosmology
|
| 12/05/05 |
Cosmology |
12/08/05 |
Cosmology |
| 12/12/05 |
Presentations
|
12/15/05 |
Presentations
|
REFERENCES
General
descriptive astronomy-
-
Pasachoff:
Contemporary
Astronomy.
One
of the more comprehensive books available at this level.
-
Snow:
The
Dynamic Universe
.
Similar
to Pasachoff,
perhaps
a bit less detail.
-
Karl
F. Kuhn: In
Quest of the Universe
(1991)
-
Jastrow
and Thompson: Astronomy:
Fundamentals and Frontiers
(1977).
Well
illustrated, more elementary level than our text.
-
Hoyle:
Astronomy
and Cosmology
(1975).
A
very different approach to astrophysics.
-
Berendzen:
Man
Discovers the Galaxies
(1971).
A
delightful history (despite the author's disgraceful fall).
-
Hoyle:
Frontiers
in Astronomy
(1955).
A
bit dated but still full of interest. This famous book lured many a scientist
into astronomy.
-
Asimov:
The
Universe
(1966).
Inimitable
style. A newer edition is available.
-
Shipman:
Quasars,
Black Holes and the Universe
(1980).
Lively,
and more quantitative.
-
Friedman:
The
Amazing Universe
(1975).
Terrific
photos; story by a major participant in the research.
-
Field,
Verschur, Ponnamperuma: Cosmic
Evolution: An Introduction to Astronomy
(1978).
Unique
attempt at chronological ordering of topics.
-
Kutter:
Origin
and Evolution of the Universe
(1987).
Includes
both physical & biological evolution.
-
Verschur:
Cosmic
Catastrophes
(1978)
-
Bok
& Bok: The
Milky Way
(1981)
-
Ferris:
The
Red Limit
(1983)
-
Jeffries
and Robbins: Discovering
Astronomy
(1980)
Web
textbooks on general astronomy:
Slightly
more advanced general astronomy books
-
Karttunen,
et al.: Fundamental
Astronomy.
Comprehensive introduction for science majors.
-
Smith,
Zeilik: Introductory
Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Textbook
for sophomore astronomy majors. (Poorly written in places.)
-
Motz
and Duveen: Essentials
of Astronomy
(1977).
Excellent
introductory book for astronomy majors, though sadly out of date now.
Cosmology
There
is an enormous glut of books on cosmology. Check out
amazon.com
to see just how many! It is hard to keep up-to-date. Here are a few that suit
our course.
-
Guth,
Alan H., The
Inflationary Universe: The Quest for a New Theory of Cosmic Origins(Addison-Wesley,
Reading, MA, 1997). QB991.I54
G88 1997
- Steven
Weinberg:
The
First Three Minutes
(1988,
updated)
-
George
Smoot:
Wrinkles
in the Fabric of Time
(1993?)
-
Joseph
Silk:
The
Big Bang
(1980),
now in a 2nd Edition
-
G.
S. Kutter:
Origin
and Evolution of the Universe
(1989)
-
Malcolm
Longair:
Our
Evolving Universe
-
A book with beautiful pictures and a good non-technical introduction to cosmology.
-
Osserman,
Robert: The
Poetry of the Universe
-
Donald
Goldsmith:
Einstein's
Greatest Blunder?: The Cosmological Constant and Other Fudge Factors in the
Physics of the Universe
(Harvard
U.P., Cambridge, MA, 1995).
-
Michael
Rowan-Robinson:
Ripples
in the Cosmos
-
Abbott,
Edwin A.: Flatland;
a romance of many dimensions,
with illus. by the author, A Square. (1952) QA699.B38 F5 1952
Popular
Cosmology Books
- John Gribbin: In Search of the Big Bang
- Sternglass,
Ernest J.: Before
the big bang : the origins of the universe
(1997) QC171.2 .S84 1997
-
Lerner,
Eric J.: The
big bang never happened;
[with a new preface by the author]. (1992) QB991.B54 L47 1992
-
Gonick,
Larry: The
cartoon history of the universe. Volumes 1-7, From the BIG BANG to Alexander
the Great! .
(1990) D21.1 .G66 1990
-
Hawking,
Stephen W.: A
brief history of time : from the big bang to black holes;
introduction by Carl Sagan ; illustrations by Ron Miller. (1988) QB981 .H377
1988
-
Silk,
Joseph: A
short history of the universe.
(1997) QB981 .S54 1997
-
Ferris,
Timothy: The
Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-Universe(s) Report (Simon
& Schuster, New York, 1997). Review
in Perturbation
-
Livio,
Mario: The
Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the
Beauty of the Cosmos (Wiley,
NY, 2000). Review
in Physics Today
-
Cornell,
James, ed.: Bubbles,
Voids and Bumps in Time: The New Cosmology (Cambridge
U. P., Cambridge, UK, 1989).
-
Croswell,
Ken: The
Universe at Midnight: Observations Illuminating the Cosmos (Free
Press, 2001).
-
Dressler,
Alan: Voyage
to the Great Attractor : Exploring Intergalactic Space (Alfred
A. Knopf, 1994).
-
Greene,
Brian: The
Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate
Theory
-
Kandrup,
Henry E.: Conversational
Cosmology
(You can download this book (in postscript format) for free.)
-
Smoot,
George & Davidson, Keay: Wrinkles
in Time (Wm.
Morrow & Co., NY, 1993; Avon ).
-
Thorne,
K.S.: Black
Holes and Time Warps (Norton,
NY, 1994).
-
Krauss,
Lawrence: Atom:
An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on Earth...and Beyond (Little,
Brown, 2001).
-
Krauss,
Lawrence: Quintessence:
The Mystery of Missing Mass in the Universe (Basic
Books, NY, 2000).
-
Turner,
Michael S. & J. Anthony Tyson: Cosmology
at the Millenium,
Reviews of Modern Physics (1999). Read it online
or
download and print a preprint.
-
Coble,
Kim & Duncan, Todd L.: The
Big Bang Happened Here: An Introduction to Modern Cosmology. This book is under construction and is available on-line at: http://web.pdx.edu/~duncant/bbhh/bbhh_home.html
(To
access the web site, you'll need the following information, login name: PSUstudents,
password: galaxy)
-
George
Bilgere: Big
bang : poems
(1999) PS3552.I425 B54 1999 (Norton,
NY, 1999).
College
Textbooks (Slightly more advanced than our course)
-
Roos,
Matts: Introduction
to Cosmology,
Wiley, 1994,97
-
Barrow,
J.D. & F.J. Tipler, The
Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Clarendon
Press, Oxford, 1986).
-
Linder,
Eric: First
Principles of Cosmology,
Addison-Wesley, 1997 - for upperlevel undergrads
-
Michael
Rowan-Robinson: Cosmology, 3rd
edition. A recently updated classic.
-
Hawley
and Holcomb: Foundations
of Modern Cosmology, 1998 (QB981 .H378 1998). For upper division, non-science
majors. Most of the book is available electronically on the internet.
-
Edward
Harrison: Cosmology
: the science of the universe, 2001 (QB981 .H32 2001) The very best introduction to cosmology!
Articles:
-
Brush,
Stephen: How
Cosmology Became a Science.
Scientific
American.
267:62 (August)
-
Geller,
M. & J.P. Huchra: Mapping
the Universe.
Sky
& Telescope.
86:24 (August).
Internet:
Cosmology
courses at other universities:
-
Complexity
and the Universe 2: Cosmology SCI
319U by Todd L. Duncan
-
Astronomy
350 at
Sonoma State by J. S. Tenn
-
Adler
planetarium courseweb
page: http://astro.uchicago.edu/~coble/adlercosmocourse/index.html