Astro 4-1 Stars, Galaxies, and the Origin of the Universe

Spring '26 Schedule

Note below the last day of finals - last day to withdraw and receive a "W", and last day to request a P/NP. After this, you receive a grade no matter what: I have no choice.

It is your responsibility to log in to Canvas and note the unlock/relock times for all video exams on Canvas!

This semester, all quizzes will be on Canvas. The final exam will all be in the classroom


Mon Jan 26:
Introduction, Syllabus, bits of Ch 1, Chapter 0 - Principles of Clear Thinking and Scientific Method , On Teaching ,

Wed Jan 28: Ch 3.5,4: Astrology as example of pseudoscience, Finish Chapter 0, On Teaching

Mon Feb 2: Ch 3 - Historical Astronomy (brief), Ch 4 - Kepler's Laws, Forces, angular momentum, and deriving the Law of Gravity from Galileo's observations

Sat Feb 7: deadline to drop/add a full term course, and get refund for drops, and deadline to drop w/o getting a "W" on your record.
Sun Feb 8: last day to drop w/o a "W" on your record

Wed Feb 4:
Ch 4 - Ch 4 - Kepler's Laws, Forces, angular momentum, and deriving the Law of Gravity from Galileo's observations, Tides, properties of gravity
 

Mon Feb 9: Ch S1,2 - finish properties of gravity, Einstein and modern gravity. 
Mon Feb 9: Census day. Faculty submit their official Census for classes

Wed Feb 11: Ch 5 - Light and Matter

Mon Feb 16- President's Day Holiday; no class

Wed Feb 18: Ch 5 - Light and Matter

Mon Feb 23: "Light and Matter", spectroscope demo

Wed Feb 25:
Ch 6 - Telescopes and Detectors.

Mon Mar 2: Ch 14 - The Sun, Structure, Solar Wind.

Wed Mar 4: Ch 14 - The Sun, Fusion, Structure

Mon Mar 9:
The Birth of Stars  

Wed Mar 11: Sun's effect on Earth, sunspots, climate.

Mon Mar 16: Start Ch 15 - Surveying the Stars.and Ch 16 - Stellar Evolution of low mass stars 

Wed Mar 18:
Ch 15 - Surveying the Stars, Ch 16 - Stellar Evolution of low mass stars 

Mon/Wed Mar 23 and Mar 25: Spring Break - no classes

Mon Mar 30:
Evolution of medium mass stars and red giants. Evolution of binary stars and red giants

Wed Apr 1: Ch 17, 18 - High Mass Stars, Supernovae, Binary Star Evolution

Mon Apr 6: Ch 17,18 - Black Holes and stellar degeneracy

Wed Apr 8:
Ch 19 - Our Milky Way Galaxy,

Thur Apr 9 - last day for Spring graduates to petition to graduate

Mon Apr 13: Ch 20 - Galaxies in general

Wed Apr 15: Ch 20,21 - Galaxy types, Galaxy evolution;

Wed Apr 23 - last day for faculty to drop a student
Wed Apr 23 - Last day to submit a W withdrawl. After this, student must take a grade

Mon Apr 20:
Quasars and Active Galaxies

Wed Apr 22: Ch 21; Quasars, Ch 22 - Dark Matter; Evidence for Dark Matter

Fri Apr 24 - last day to drop a course, receive "W". After this you receive a grade no matter what.

Mon Apr 27: Dark Matter candidates and possibilities

Wed Apr 29: Dark Matter candidates and possibilities, Ch 23 - Large Scale Structure, cosmological simulations

Mon May 4: Ch 23, Large Scale Structure, Cosmological simulations

Wed May 6: Ch 23, Large Scale Structure, Dark Energy

Mon May 11: Ch 23, 24 - Inflation, the Multi-verse, the Anthropic Principle, Life and Quantum uncertainty

Wed May 13: Life and Implications for the Nature of the Universe.

May 18-22: Finals Week: Final exam Wed May 28 8-11am  Graduation Ceremony May 22