Syllabus AST 102 Sky I: TIME

Fall 2007

Week		Tuesday Afternoon (3-4:50)	Wednesday Evening (7:30 PM)
1	Sep 11	Clocks and Calendars
	Sep 12		Constellations
2	Sep 18	Sun Clocks I
	Sep 19		Constellations & North Sky
3	Sep 25	Sun Clocks II
	Sep 26		Constellations & North Sky
4	Oct 2	Sun Calendars
	Oct 3		Constellations
5	Oct 9	FALL BREAK
	Oct 10		Constellations
6	Oct 16	Star Clocks
	Oct 17		Sky Quiz
7	Oct 23	Star Calendars
	Oct 24		Sky Quiz
8	Oct 30	The Zodiac and the Ecliptic
	Oct 31		Sky Quiz
9	Nov 6	Celestial Equator and the Equinoxes
	Nov 7		Sun Dagger
10	Nov 13	Different Skies
	Nov 14		The Moon
11*	Nov 20	no class
	Nov 21		THANKSGIVING
12	Nov 27	Modern Perspective
	Nov 28		Observing
13	Dec 4	Lunar and Solar Calendars
	Dec 5		Observing
14	Dec 11	Calendar Presentations
	Dec 12	No Class

Class Homepage on WWW: http://ast.smith.edu/time/time.html

Professors: Suzan Edwards, McConnell 408; Email: sedwards@science.smith.edu

Office hours: Tuesday 1-2 PM or by appointment

Meg Thacher, McConnell 409, Email: mthacher@science.smith.edu

Office hours: by appointment

Format: In-class group projects and some independent observing projects.

Grades: Evaluation of Project Worksheets, Sky Journal, completion of 5 independent observing projects. One final 5-8 page paper, no exams

TIME

AST 102 Sky I

Class Projects

In this class we will explore the concept of time, with particular emphasis on the astronomical roots of clocks and calendars. Each week we will have a new project to familiarize you with the daily and seasonal cycles of the sun, the moon and the stars. If you must miss a class, schedule a make-up session with Ms. Thacher immediately. Any project must be completed within 2 weeks of the missed class and only two make-ups are allowed, any further missed classes will yield a grade of 0 for that project.

Sky Journals

You will keep a written record of your learnings about the motions of objects in the sky in a single spiral or bound notebook. These will be examined in class each Tuesday and turned in for grading every 2-3 weeks. The Sky Journal, written as though you are a village priestess living several thousand years ago, will include your own discoveries and announcements to your villagers.

Sky Observing Projects

In addition to the in-class projects, there will be 5 self-scheduled observing projects, each with different due dates. The sunset observations must be carried out from a specified location; the night-time observations can be done anywhere you can find a good view of the sky. The McConnell Rooftop Observatory will be open on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7:30-9:00 pm staffed with AST 102 Lab Assistants available to help you study for and to administer the Sky Quiz.

· North Sky I: Sketch northern stars (Polaris, Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia) relative to the north horizon multiple times during the course of a night. Due Oct 3.

· North Sky II: Supplement your North Sky I sketch of the northern stars (Polaris, Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia) relative to the north horizon with one additional sketch, made at the same time of the evening (EST) as one of the earlier ones but at least a month later. Due Last Day of class.

· Sky Quiz: Identify constellations, bright stars in presence of instructor. Due Nov 7.

· Seasonal Sunsets: Observe sunset placement on the horizon from the College Lane bench 4 times. At least one must be before break, and each observation should be separated by at least 3 weeks. Due Last Day of Class.

· Lunar Motions: Measure the position and record the phase of the moon on at least 2 days several times during the day. The 2 days should be separated by at least 1 week but not more than 3 weeks. Due Nov 14.

Final Project: The culmination of the semester will be a research project on any calendar system in the world other than our modern Gregorian Calendar. A short (5-8 page) paper and a short (5 minute) oral presentation on your calendar system will be due on the last day class. Further directions will be given later in the semester.