Prerequisites None. An introduction to astronomy; covering Earth-Sky relationships, an overview of the Solar System, the Sun, the stars, our Galaxy, other galaxies, the large-scale structure of the Universe, and cosmology. This course is not intended for physics majors.

Class - Section 1 meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 12:00 to 1:15 PM, in Room 105, Innovation Hall, GMU Campus.

Textbook - J. Bennett, M. Donahue, N. Schneider, and M. Voit, The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 3rd Edition, Addison Wesley, 2005. ISBN 0-8053-8933-4

In Class Examinations - Please note the inclass examination schedule given below (see Syllabus, Assignments, and Examinations).

• Exam 1: Thursday, February 15, (see Assignments)
       Section 1, 12:00 to 1:15 PM, Room 105, Innovation Hall.
• Exam 2: Thursday, March 8, (see Assignments)
       Section 1, 12:00 to 1:15 PM, Room 105, Innovation Hall.
• Exam 3: Thursday, April 5, (see Assignments)
       Section 1, 12:00 to 1:15 PM, Room 105, Innovation Hall.
• Exam 4: Thursday, April 26, (see Assignments)
       Section 1, 12:00 to 1:15 PM, Room 105, Innovation Hall.
• Final Exam (see Assignments):
       Section 1, Tuesday, May 15, 10:30 AM to 1:15 PM, Room 105, Innovation Hall.

• Sample Exam - Sample Exam.
• Scantron Form - Please bring a Scantron Form No. 882-E to each of the examinations and a Number 2 pencil (no ink pens). It must have fifty (50) responses on the front and fifty (50) on the back. Since the final exam contains 180 questions, you will need two (2) Scantron forms.
• Class Performance - Class average and median along with a histogram of scores can be found on the following web page. Section 1 Performance.

The Physics and Astronomy Department has a tutor this semester for the introductory astronomy courses, ASTR 103, ASTR 111, and ASTR 113. The tutoring sessions are held in the CAS Testing and Tutoring Center in Room 2002, Student Union II, 703-993-4237, Web Site. The days and times for the tutoring sessions can be found on the following web page Tutoring Hours. Astronomy tutoring is done during the times marked for physics tutoring. Students should bring their textbooks with them to the tutoring center.

During the semester the Physics and Astronomy Department offers observing sessions for the introductory astronomy courses and anyone who is interested. The observing utilizes a twelve-inch, computer-controlled, Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope configured for naked-eye observations. The schedule and additional information can be found at the following website Observing Sessions. Highlights of what is visible in the night sky, particularly the planets, during the course of the year can be found on the site Geller’s Night Sky Highlights.

• Astronomy Picture of the Day. Each day a different picture and caption having to do with astronomy is displayed on this NASA site. There is also an archive of past pictures.
• Chandra X-Ray Observatory – Supermassive Black Holes. Supermassive black holes containing millions of solar masses of matter are thought to occupy the centers of most large galaxies, if not all large galaxies.
• Introduction to Neutron Stars. Professor M. Coleman Miller’s web site on neutron stars. A very good introduction to the subject.
• Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan. NASA web site for the Cassini-Hugyens mission containing the latest information and pictures from the ongoing mission to Saturn and its largest satellite Titan. Another site devoted to Titan is Sights and Sounds of Titan.
• Heavenly Errors: Common Astronomical Misconceptions. Misconceptions about science are deep-seated beliefs that are inconsistent with accepted scientific beliefs. On this web site the author, a well-known textbook author, explores several varieties of misconceptions in detail, as well as their origins, why we develop them, how to avoid them in the future, and how to get rid of old ones (which according to the author is the hard part).
• The Universe Today. This site collects and posts space exploration news from around the internet.
• SpaceRef.com. This site like the one above collects and posts space exploration news. Many articles deal with astronomy.
• NASA Space Science. The site and its contents are provided by NASA, and the site is considered to be the agency's main site for astronomy, planetary, and solar science missions and programs.
• Space Environment Center. NOAA site for space environment, space weather alerts and forecasts.
• SpaceWeather.Com. Science news and information about the Sun-Earth environment.
• Solar Data Analysis Center, Goddard Space Flight Center. Current multi-spectral images of the full solar disk from ground-based observatories and orbiting observatories.
• National Solar Observatory. National Solar Observatory (NSO) web site with links to the Kitt Peak Solar Observatory and the Sacramento Peak Solar Observatory.
• An Astronomy Course for Students Using the Internet This site is provided by Jack C. Troeger and has some interesting information on astronomy for beginning students.
• Introduction to Astronomy. Course notes for introductory course offered by the Physics Department, University of California, San Diego.
• Virtual Solar System . Provided by National Geographic, this site provides a virtual trip to discover the wonders of our Solar System in a spectacular 3-D environment. Take a flyby tour of the Sun and each planet in its orbit, observe planets and extraterrestrial weather patterns up close, and more.
• An Atlas of the Universe. This web site is designed to give everyone an idea of what our universe actually looks like. There are nine main maps on this web site, each one approximately ten times the scale of the previous one. The first map shows the nearest stars and then the other maps slowly expand out until we have reached the scale of the entire visible universe.
• Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial. This site is provided by Professor Edward L. Wright, Astronomy Department, UCLA. The site contains a wide and varied discussion of modern cosmology with some interesting pictures and Java Applets.
• The Elegant Universe. The host and writer is Brian Green, Physics Department faculty member at Columbia University, and author of the popular science book by the same name. He discusses modern cosmology, string theory, and multi-dimensional universes.
• Superstring Theory and M-Theory. This site provides a brief introduction to the evolution of field theories in physics. Beginning with Newton's gravitation, the site traces developments through Maxwell's unification of electricity and magnetism, Einstein's theory of relativity, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. The site describes scientists' continuing efforts to combine the theories into what was originally termed the Grand Unification Theory. Focusing on relativity and quantum theory, the site ends with the recent Superstring theory (and M-theory).
• The Particle Adventure. The Particle Data Group of Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory presents an award-winning interactive tour of quarks, neutrinos, antimatter, extra dimensions, dark matter, accelerators, and particle detectors.
• Perspectives in Astrobiology. NASA Science News for March 30, 2001. NATO and NASA are joining forces to host an Advanced Study Institute for astrobiology in Crete, Sept 29-Oct 10, 2001. A diverse group of the world's most prominent scientists will share with students what they have learned lately about life in the Universe.
• Echo Research Center. Echo's research center catalogues, annotates, and reviews sites on the history of science, technology, and industry. You can browse our database of over 5,000 sites by topic, time period, publisher or content. Echo Research Center is located at George Mason University.
• Eternal Egypt. Eternal Egypt brings to light over five thousand years of Egyptian civilization. It presents a living record of a land rich in art and history, people and places, myths and religions. The stories of Eternal Egypt are told using the latest interactive technologies, high-resolution imagery, animations, virtual environments, remote cameras, three-dimensional models and more. Search on astronomy among the topics.
• Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion. If you are interested in the interface between science, ethics, and religion, you might want to visit this site sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Be sure and visit the pages on Cosmic Questions.