Last update January 2018. This information is subject to change. The official syllabus distributed in class supersedes the information on this page.
COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE
Course Number: ASTR 1013 Course Title: The Solar System
FACULTY
Name: Dr. Peter Shull
Office Number: PS 150
Office Hours: See syllabus
Telephone Number: 744-5796
Teaching Assistants: One or two
E-Mail Address: pos@okstate.edu
PREREQUISITES AND SUPPORT COURSES
None, but students should be comfortable with the HS math and science required for admission to OSU.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Survey of current knowledge about the Solar System and its contents.
BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE
The Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets; formation and future of the Solar System; interplanetary travel, colonizing and terraforming Mars, and the search for extraterrestrial life.
STYLE/MODE OF TEACHING
Two weekly lectures, and one weekly computer project (done independently; allow about two hours of your own choosing per week).
EXAMS AND MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
Three exams and one final.
FIELD TRIPS
Optional sky viewings at OSU's observatory and elsewhere.
GRADING PROCEDURES
Semester grade is based on the exams (75%) and projects (25%).
POLICY ON ATTENDANCE
OSU policy.
TEXT MATERIALS (see syllabus for details)
Astronomy, FREE downloadable textbook, by OpenStax. Also used for ASTR 1023.
Exploring the Universe with Voyager 4, 3rd edition, by B. Monson and P. Shull. Also used for ASTR 1023.
DROP AND ADD POLICY
OSU policy.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ASTR 1013 is offered every Fall, and ASTR 1023 (Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe) every Spring.