Astronomy 1 (Lecture Class) Information
Spring 2010 Astronomy 1 (Lecture Class) Syllabus I have partially retired, and will only teach the lab classes for the foreseeable future
As a result, this page and the pages it links to may be deleted in late 2010
I strongly recommend that the first time you read this, you read the whole syllabus. Later on, you can use the link table immediately below to refer to any particular topic.
Introduction The material below assumes that you are taking this class because you need to fulfill a Physical Science requirement, and/or need to receive a passing grade (and credit) for the class. If you are only taking the class because you would like to learn more about astronomy, and don't care whether you pass the exams, you can ignore much of what follows, but you will get more out of the class if you pay attention to the study suggestions on this website.
My Fiction I have recently started writing fiction, and have published one short story, the science-fiction/fantasy Well Met, and one novel, the historical romance Two Pigs and a Chicken. Neither of these, nor any of the other novels and short stories I am working on, have anything to do with astronomy, so I will not discuss them in class (save during a break, when I am willing to answer questions about almost any topic); but when there is news about one of my works, it is noted on this site for the benefit of those who are interested in such news. If you enjoy reading fiction, you may find such notes interesting, but if you do not, you can safely ignore them, as they will not affect this class or your grade in any way.
Business Cards Magnetic and regular business cards are available to help you find my website. Magnetic cards are "posted" on the portholes at the entry to D326. Regular cards are in business card holders at either end of the operator console in D326, and at the bottom of the astronomy bulletin board, opposite D326. You are welcome to take cards for yourself, or for acquaintances you think might be interested in either of my sites. The magnetic cards are one-sided, but the regular cards are two-sided, as shown below.
The astronomy (left) and fiction (right) sides of my business card.