Physics & Astronomy 195
(and possibly 595 with shared lectures), Spring 2024, U.
Louisville
Special Topics: The Great North American Eclipse of 2024
-- online solar eclipse course for college credit
Eclipses: Science and the Human Experience, from
Stonehenge to Satellites
What do the writers Homer, Shakespeare
& Stephen King, the painters Rubens & Diego
Rivera,
the explorer Capt. Cook and the films "Barrabas", "Little
Shop of Horrors" & "Avatar: The Way of Water"
ALL have in common? Eclipses! Come find out
more than just the nuts and bolts of eclipses
with this interdisciplinary course, and see how eclipses
have affected people and society for the
past 5000 years!
Check this website frequently for
course announcements and information.
LINK:
Demonstration slides
(18 Mb: 1st, last from lectures 1-14)
See the U. Louisville press release
and
WDRB broadcast, Nov 30, 2023
WFPL
broadcast, Dec 31, 2023
WAVE3
broadcast, Jan 3, 2024
WLKY
broadcast, Jan 4, 2024
Lou Today article, by Jeff Milby, Jan 4, 2024
Link to a flier and "billboard"
for this course.
Letters
to current students from students from the autumn 2023
course.
My 2024 eclipse website is HERE
FOR UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS:
I am happy to share/give away teaching
materials (editable slides, quizzes and pre-recorded
lectures).
Contact me by e-mail (below) if you would like access.
This course is ideal for a short winter term,
a regular semester course or a "second half of the semester"
course, in the run-up to the eclipse.
Instructor: Dr. Gerard Williger, Natural
Science Bldg (NS) 206
Contact:
tel 852-0821, e-mail gmwill06* where *=@louisville.edu
Here are links for my homepage and
my teaching
page
Office
hours: By
appointment; some regular hours will also be set up soon.
As a general policy, I do not
answer questions about an assignment or
test/quiz on the day it's
due/given.
Meets: online/asynchronous
Class number: 195-50, 1
credit, all courses webcast on BlackBoard and also recorded for
flexible access.
If a graduate course number (e.g. 595, "Special Topics") is
required for attendance, please contact me immediately.
This Spring 2024 course is for everyone
(general public, all university and high school students,
retirees).
There are no equations to know. All 7 quizzes are online,
multiple choice, unlimited tries, no monitoring.
If you are not currently enrolled at U. Louisville, SIGN UP
HERE for "Continuing Studies."
Applications to the University cannot be made after Jan. 12,
2024.
However, for students who are enrolled at U. Louisville, late
adds to the class can be made by petition.
You can activate your student accounts following the
instructions here:
https://louisville.edu/admissions/activate
If you need assistance activating your accounts after you have
been admitted, please contact our IT Help Desk at
502/852-7997.
If you are having trouble registering for the class after you
have been admitted, please contact the Registrar's
Office at 502/852-6522 or at regoff@louisville.edu .
NOTE: The
course is "self-paced", with pre-recorded lectures. It is
possible to enroll from outside
the University until the close of business on Friday, Jan. 12,
2024. Any student who wishes to add the course
after this date must submit a Late Add request through the
College of Arts & Sciences.
REGISTRATION AND TUITION:
This course can be taken for a grade, pass/fail or
audited (meaning not for credit).
If you would like to enroll as an auditor, you
must contact the Registrar's Office after you are
admitted to enroll.
If
you have trouble registering for the course after admission
to the University, contact the Registrar's Office at
502/852-6522 or regoff@louisville.edu .
Syllabus
(subject to
revision):
sky
motions, lunar
eclipses,
solar
eclipses, the
formation of
the solar
system,
the Sun, how
to
observe/photograph
an eclipse,
eclipses in
history,
science
discoveries
from eclipses,
The Great
American
Eclipse of
2017, eclipses
in
literature/film,
cameras &
photography,
eclipse
hunters
including Jay
Pasachoff,
future
eclipses,
transits,
exoplanet
studies via
transits
The 2 page
summary will
be posted on
BlackBoard.
In case of
ambiguity or
conflict, the
class website
is the final
authority for
class policy.
NOTE: 9 out of
9 students who
took the
course in Fall
2023 got an
A+!
This course is
100% online.
In addition to the instructor and
your classmates, these people can help you.
It is your responsibility
to get help when you need it.
Graders/Tutors:
Teaching
Assistant: Rafee Adnan (s0adna02@) (where @ =
@louisville.edu)
REACH tutor (book appointments
via the REACH
Center): Brady
Smith (btsmit20)
Volunteer
tutors: Emily-Eden Belle (eabell01@), Christine Newton
(chris.newton@), Evey Peplowski (edpepl01@)
Physics Learning Center tutor (Nat Sci 304): Jean Gorce
Please contact the REACH
Center, the Physics Learning
Center or an A-Star if you need help.
A-Stars:
See the A-Star page for a
list of current A-stars.
Tutoring:
REACH Center,
including math tutoring in Strickler 226, tel 852-8114
This course uses very little math. It uses a little
geometry and no algebra.
If you need help, come to
the REACH center (Strickler Hall) or PLC (Nat Sci 304), the
tutors or Dr. Williger.
This course does not require
knowing or using any equations.
OBJECTIVES:
As usual with college courses,
you are expected to spend 2-3 hours reading, doing homework,
studying,
etc. for each credit hour of the class. If
you need help, please come in person or
online to the instructor, tutors, your fellow classmates,
the Physics Learning
Center and/or the REACH (tutoring)
Center.
We're
all here to help. But, you need to take responsibility for
yourself to seek help if you need it.
LINKS
FROM ASTRO 107: Useful
but not required background material for Phys & Astro
195,
in-depth explanations and student questions.
SUPPLEMENTAL
MATERIAL FROM ASTRO 107: In-depth
explanations beyond the course material, plus
simulators and other fun things.
EXTRA LINKS FOR
ECLIPSES:
Eclipse
notes, Astronomy 161, Ohio State, Dr. Rick Pogge
Phases
and Eclipses, astronomynotes.com, Nick
Strobel
Schedule (subject to
revision; lectures will be pre-recorded each
week and viewable on BlackBoard)
Monday of Week
(solely for a
calendar
reference,
whether or not
there is class
that day)
Week01
- 01/08 - Sky Motions, Sky
Coordinate Systems and the Celestial Sphere,
do Diagnostic Survey, Lecture 1, Discussion
#1
Week02 - 01/15 - Lunar Eclipses, do
Lecture 2, Quiz #1 (Lec 1-2)
Week03 - 01/22 - Solar Eclipses, do
Lecture 3, Discussion #2
Week04 - 01/29 - The Formation of the
Solar System,
do Lecture 4, Quiz #2 (Lec 3-4)
Week05 - 02/05 - The Sun,
do Lecture 5, Discussion #3
Week06 - 02/13 - Science from Eclipses,
Past and Present, do Lecture 6, Quiz #3 (Lec
5-6)
Week07 - 02/19 - How to Observe/Photograph
an Eclipse, do Lecture 7, Discussion #4
Week08 - 02/26 - Notable Eclipses in
History, do Lecture 8, Quiz #4 (Lec 7-8)
Week09 - 03/04 - Eclipses in Art, do
Lecture 9, Discussion #5
Week10
- 03/11 - SPRING
BREAK
Week11 -
03/18 - Eclipses in Literature,
do Lecture 10, Quiz #5 (Lec 9-10)
Week12 -
03/25 - Eclipses in Folklore,
Music, Film and TV ;
do Lecture 11,
Discussion #6
; note Partial
Lunar Eclipse
(96%), Mon Mar
25, start
12:53am EDT,
max 3:13am,
end 5:32am
Week13 -
04/01 - Eclipse Scholars, do
Lecture 12, Quiz #6 (Lec 11-12)
Week14 -
04/08 - Transits, do Lecture 13,
Assignment #1, note TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE APR
8, 3PM EDT, INDIANA
(NOT Louisville, only
partial there)
Week15 -
04/15 - Exoplanets, do Lecture
14, Quiz #7 (Lec 13-14), Assignment #2
Here is a link
to the videos. Caution: they are 300-400
Mb!
Here are future links to the slides
(PDF) and audio
files (mp3). I must still build an index
file for each - be patient.
Here is a future link to video
greetings from eclipse scholar and author David
Baron (also needs index file).
GRADING
POLICY, SUBJECT TO REVISION:
70% quizzes (7 during the semester)
30% participation/discussions + assignments (can include
photographic assignments or written work)
Discussions (typically 100-150 words):
1) Introduce yourself, why you're taking the course
2) Your experience with the Aug. 21, 2017 eclipse
3) Misconceptions about eclipses, or new things you have
learned about eclipses so far
4) Plans for the Apr. 8, 2024 eclipse
5) Observations/thoughts about an event or piece
concerning eclipses in history, art, literature or film
6) Observations of the lunar eclipse of Mar 25, 2024 (or
another lunar eclipse), can be a video in case of clouds
Assignments:
1) observe the Apr. 8, 2024 eclipse. Write up to a
page about the experience for you and those around you,
and include one photo.
2) write a letter to the future for Aug. 12, 2045, the
next coast-to-coast eclipse in the US (closest point to
Louisville: Memphis TN)
The grading scale will be curved.
I reserve the right to change the weighting formula in
case of substantial missed work for medical or other
excused absences, or other unforeseen circumstances.
Note: In the autumn 2023 (in-person)
course, all 9 students got a grade of A+. Some
were non-science majors,
and one was >60 years old. These results are
not guaranteed for the spring 2024 online course.
But, it is an indication that students who put in effort
can do well.
1) SURVEYS:
1a) Do the pre-course diagnostic survey, due on [date TO BE
ANNOUNCED] on BlackBoard.
You have one hour and one try with BlackBoard. Since
BlackBoard often times out when one is logged in from off-campus,
I strongly
urge you to do the survey WITH A GOOD INTERNET CONNECTION. Let me
know if it "hangs". I may be able
to fix it in that case, but it is not guaranteed. Please do
not look up answers from any source. Your diagnostic survey
grade is only based on
participation. It will help me to teach the course better if
your answers are given honestly, without looking up answers.
Let me know if you have a technical problem with the survey.
1b) Do the official UL online course survey at the end of the
course. Upload a screenshot which shows that you did
it. To get the credit,
i) DO the survey by Reading Day, and
ii) UPLOAD your screenshot to the BlackBoard assignment by that
date.
Effective Studying:
See "Close the Book. Recall.
Write It Down." in the
article links section at the
bottom of
my teaching
page.
Announcements:
If you are interested in more looking
through telescopes and learning about
astronomy, check out the
Louisville Astronomical Society at www.louisville-astro.org.
There are often students in the
organization.
ASTRO-POETRY: A class member
from Autumn 2008 Astro 107 Morghan
Tyler wrote some inspired poetry:
In
Stars Tonight
Astronomy
Lab Sestina
During the
semester, I
reserve the
right to relax
any grading
scale. A
grade of
A-,A,A+ or
"benefit of
the doubt"
when a student
is near a
grade
boundary also
depends on
conduct: no
cheating,
knowingly
letting
someone copy
off your work
or anti-social
behavior.
If you
want to talk
about your
grade, please
make an
appointment to
speak in real
time (not just
e-mail).
UL regulations
state that
BlackBoard is
the preferred
method of
distributing
information
about grades.