ASTRONOMY 101 -- Exploring the Night Sky
Lecture Sections A01=CRN 31284: May 2010
Lab sections B01-B04 = CRN 31285 to 31289

Russell Robb
Phone: 721-7750 (Office)
http://www.astro.uvic.ca/~robb/
Room: A115 Bob Wright Center = SCI
e-mail: robb(at)uvic.ca

Text: 
Foundations of Astronomy by Michael A. Seeds ( 11th, 10th    or   9th edition) 
(Earlier editions can be used but with somewhat less convenience.)
Purchase the July 2009 Astro 101/102 lab manual from the bookstore.

Course Outline:
Introduction
The Sun-Earth and Earth-Moon systems
The Origin of Modern Astronomy
Light and Telescopes
The Solar System (Planets, their Moons, Asteroids, Comets)
Extrasolar Planets and SETI

This course has no prerequisites beyond high school graduation and is taught at a minimal level of mathematics. Students with first-year college or university physics and mathematics backgrounds may wish to consider taking Astronomy 150/250.

Other Useful References:
Sky and Telescope Magazine
Sky News Magazine
Astronomy Magazine and many others

Marking Guideline:
The standard university scale (e.g., 90-100% A+, 85-90% A, 80-85% A-, 75-80% B+, 70-75% B, 65-70% B-, 60-65% C+, 55-60% C, 50-55% D) will be used to convert percentages to letter grades. (Some amount of scaling may occur, if necessary.)
Grades may be posted outside my office (A115 Bob Wright Center) with student identification numbers but not names.
The breakdown of the marks will be:

Assignments (5, on alternate weeks)                                8%
Term quizzes (5, on alternate weeks)                              32%
Laboratory Work (5, on alternate weeks)                      20%
End-of-Term Exam                                                       40%

(The last quiz will occur during the last two weeks of the term.)

Labs:
Note that a passing grade MUST be obtained in BOTH the laboratory and lecture components in order to obtain a passing grade in the course.

Russ Robb