Astronomy 105G, Section 1
THE PLANETS
Spring 2004
Instructor: Dr. Nancy Chanover ("sha-no-VAIR")
Astronomy Building, Room 210
646-2567, email: nchanove@nmsu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays 2:00-3:00 pm or by appointment
Teaching Assistants:
- Sarah Bates - Room 112; 646-6399; batessa@nmsu.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Wednesdays 11:30 am - 12:30 pm or by appointment
- Jim Norwood - Room 108; 646-6328; jnorwood@nmsu.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 2:15 - 3:15 pm, Thursdays 1:25 - 2:25 pm
Class Times & Location: MWF 10:30 - 11:20 am, Biology
Annex Room 102
Lab Sections:
Section 01A: Monday 1:30 - 3:30 pm, Science Hall Room 114
Section 01B: Monday 3:30 - 5:30 pm, Science Hall Room 114
Section 01C: Tuesday 1:30 - 3:30 pm, O'Donnell Hall Room 316
Required Textbook: Voyages to the Planets, 3rd Edition,
Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff
Lab Manual: The lab packet will be available for you to purchase from Kinkos the week of Jan. 19. Details will be announced in class.
Class Web Page:
http://astro.nmsu.edu/~nchanove/astr105g_s04.html
The class web page contains links to: course syllabus, detailed
information about topics and assignments given in class, attendance records, homework assignments, student grade sheets, and current events in planetary science. Check it often!
Grades:
| Lab | 25% |
| Homework and quizzes | 20% |
| Exam 1 | 14% |
| Exam 2 | 14% |
| Final Exam | 21% |
| Attendance | 6% |
Class Policies:
1) You must enroll in one of the laboratory sections for this
course. They meet on Mondays at 1:30 pm (Section 01A) or 3:30 pm (Section 01B), or Tuesdays at 1:30 pm (Section 01C). If you are not currently
enrolled in one of these sections, you must do so IMMEDIATELY. Attendance at
the labs is mandatory. The first lab will be held on January 26.
2) Attendance and participation in class counts as a portion of your grade and is strongly encouraged. A sign-in sheet will be made available at each class to monitor attendance. You have two "free" absences during the semester; after that you will lose a point for each absence.
3) All cell phones, pagers, and other ringing devices must be turned off before the start of class. If your device rings, beeps, or makes any other distracting noise during class, you will be asked to leave the room for the rest of the period.
4) Homework is due AT THE START OF CLASS (10:30 am) on the due date. Late homework will be accepted, but will be marked down 25% of the total point value per late day.
5) All work that you turn in must be your own. While you are encouraged to work together both on labs and on homeworks, you may not copy each other's work word-for-word! This is considered cheating; any instances of cheating will result in a grade of 0 and disciplinary action according to the
Student Handbook.
6) The two midterms will be given on February 20 and April 2 (dates
subject to change) and the final exam will be on Monday May 10 at 10:30
am (date/time NOT subject to change). With prior consent of the instructor, the midterms - but not the final - may be made up if you have a valid medical excuse.
7) Students who do not take the first midterm will be dropped from the
course. The last day to drop with a "W" is March 11.
8) Students must earn a C in the course to
receive a Satisfactory rating if they have opted for the S/U option.
9)If you have or believe you have a disability and would benefit from any accommodations, you may wish to self-identify by contacting the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office located at Garcia Annex (phone: 646-6840). If you have already registered, please make sure that your instructor receives a copy of the accommodation memorandum from SSD within the first two weeks of classes. It is your responsibility to inform either your instructor or SSD representative in a timely manner if services/accommodations provided are not meeting your needs.
If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss any concerns with the instructor and/or Mr. Michael Armendariz, SSD Coordinator. Feel free to call Ms. Elva Telles (EEO/ADA and Employee Relations Director) at 646-3333 with any questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All medical information will be treated confidentially.
10) If you detect a miscalculation in points received on an exam or quiz,
please report this matter immediately so that I may adjust your grade. If
you disagree with your scores prior to the final exam, you must present
your reasons for the disagreement in writing within ONE WEEK of your receipt
of this graded material. Your opportunity to appeal the grade on the assignment
expires after that week has passed.
11) An incomplete in this class is given only when the student has at
least a C or better at the time the incomplete is requested
and cannot complete the class due to circumstances beyond her/his
control. These circumstances must have developed after the last day to withdraw
from the class. Appropriate circumstances include documented illness, documented
death or crisis in the student's immediate family, and similar circumstances.
Job-related problems are NOT appropriate grounds for an "I."
Approximate Course Schedule
This is meant to be a rough schedule, and is subject to change. Check the
class web page often for updates!
| Week | Dates | Subject Covered in Class |
Corresponding Lab |
| 1 | 01/14-01/16 | Intellectual Tools for Astronomy |
no lab - first week of school |
| 2 | 01/21-01/23 | Orbits and Gravity |
no lab - Martin Luther King Day on Monday 01/19 |
| 3 | 01/26-01/30 | Earth, Moon, and Sky |
Density Lab |
| 4 | 02/02-02/06 | Radiation | Building a Scale Model of the Solar System |
| 5 | 02/09-02/13 | Telescopes | Reflectance
Spectroscopy |
| 6 | 02/16-02/20 | Exam 1; The Earth as a Planet |
Earthquake Lab |
| 7 | 02/23-02/27 | The Inner Planets |
Moon Lab |
| 8 | 03/01-03/05 | Mars | Heating and Cooling Lab |
| 9 | 03/08-03/12 | The Giant Planets |
Mars Channel Lab |
| 10 | 03/15-03/19 | Moons in the Outer Solar System |
Terrestrial Planet Geology Lab |
| - | 03/22-03/26 | no class - Spring Break |
no lab - Spring Break |
| 11 | 03/29-04/02 | Rings and Pluto; Exam 2 | Io Lab |
| 12 | 04/05-04/07 | Comets and Asteroids | Comet Lab |
| 13 | 04/12-04/16 | The Sun | Sun Lab |
| 14 | 04/19-04/23 | The Origin of the Solar System |
Daytime Telescopic Observations |
| 15 | 04/26-04/30 | Life in the Solar System |
no lab |
| 16 | 05/03-05/07 | Extrasolar Planets |
Review for Final Exam |