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Dr. Philhour

"There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago." — J. Robert Oppenheimer

"Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? // Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt! // Über Sternen muß er wohnen." — Friedrich Schiller (used in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony) Translation: "Do you sense the Creator's presence? Seek him beyond the stars! He must dwell beyond the stars."

Grade update for 6° (updated May 30, 2005 with 2nd semester grades)

Astronomy (6°) 4th Quarter 2004-05

Most recent update August 10, 2005 10:30 PM

  • Week of Tuesday, March 15: The Solar System (short week due to inservice on Monday)
    • Day 1
      • Warmup: Observing party on Thursday! Check out the Nine Planets
      • BJP out sick
      • Objective 1: Use Cartes du Ciel to plan an observing party for this Thursday evening. (Work individually.)
        • Write a 1-page summary (bullet points Ok) of what we will observe
        • Include as targets at least two planets, two moons, one galaxy, one nebula, and one double-star system
        • For each object include rise time, transit time, set time, RA, Dec, apparent sky position
        • Include a description of the Meade LX-90 telescope (you can find information about it online)
        • Include a description of what we should look for when viewing Jupiter and Saturn
      • Objective 2: find a moon of Jupiter or Saturn in the Nine Planets and write a half-page summary and description in your own words (Work individually.)
      • Print out objectives 1 and 2 and turn them in to the proctor by the end of the class period
      • HW: read Ch 7-1, 7-2 and 7-3 (for the next 5 weeks, you will mostly have reading homework; keep up on it -- nothing's worse than a lot of last-minute reading to do. As assigned, your total amount of reading at any one time is small).
    • Day 2
    • Day 3
  • Week of Monday, March 21: Terrestrial Planets / Earth (short week due to spring break beginning on Friday)
    • Day 1
      • Warmup: Check out Map a Planet from the USGS -- amazing!
      • Short reading quiz
      • Check out these great Midterm Exams from Matt C. [1, 2], Katy M., Erika K., and Michelle S. [1, 2]
      • Begin BBC: The Planets: Terra Firma [20 min]
      • Q&A
      • In-class work: create a new document and write a 1-paragraph reflection on the video and Q&A session
      • HW: Read Ch 8-1 & 8-3
    • Day 2
      • Warmup: Play around with Map a Planet from the USGS -- amazing!
      • Continue BBC: The Planets: Terra Firma [15 min]
      • Q&A
      • In-class work: write a 1-paragraph reflection on the video and Q&A session (continue document from before)
      • HW: Read Ch 8-5 & 8-6 // discuss this reading with a member of your family and ask them to write a short (1 paragraph) response, due Day 3
    • Day 3
      • Warmup: Check out this article, then play around with Map a Planet from the USGS -- amazing!
      • Finish BBC: The Planets: Terra Firma [15 min]
      • Q&A
      • In-class work: write a 1-paragraph reflection on the video and Q&A session (continue document from before)
      • Submit your video reflection document to me by e-mail
      • HW over spring break: read Ch 9-1, 10-3, 11-1, 11-3, 11-4, 11-5, 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, 12-4 & 12-5; draw a scientific/artistic single-page sketch of the four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) due upon your return. It's not actually that much reading, lots of little sections.

**** Easter Break ****

  • Week of Monday, April 4: Terrestrial atmospheres
    • Day 1
      • Warmup: None (computers down)
      • Short reading quiz
      • Begin BBC: The Planets: Atmosphere [20 min]
      • Q&A
      • In-class work: create a new document and write a 1-paragraph reflection on the video and Q&A session
      • HW: read Ch 11-2 & 12-6
    • Day 2
      • Warmup: Read this article, and this article, then visit the APOD
      • Finish BBC: The Planets: Atmosphere [30 min]
      • Q&A
      • In-class work: write a 1-paragraph reflection on the video and Q&A session (continue document from before)
      • HW: Work on Practice Quiz below. Your quiz tomorrow will be based on these topics.
        • 1. Rank the Terrestrial planets according by distance from the Sun, diameter, and the amount of atmosphere it has
        • 2. Why do Mercury and Mars have no or little atmosphere, while Earth and Venus have thick atmospheres?
        • 3. Why does Mercury have so many visible craters, while Earth has relatively few?
        • 4. If all the planets formed at the same time, why are some still hot inside while others are cool?
        • 5. Describe how the Terrestrial planets formed.
        • 6. Why would we be surprised to find a Terrestrial planet out beyond the orbit of Saturn?
        • 7. Why would we be surprised to find a Jovian (gas giant) planet in near the orbit of Mercury?
        • 8. Describe some ways we would be able to tell whether Venus is still volcanically active.
        • 9. Describe the greenhouse effect and why the effect is so much stronger on Venus than on Earth.
        • 10. Describe what it would be like to stand on the surface of each of the four Terrestrial planets. (You can be wearing an appropriate space suit, if it would survive!)
    • Day 3
      • Warmup: check this out -- bummer!
      • Quiz: all material so far this quarter
      • HW: read Ch 14-1, 14-2 & 14-3
    • Day 4

**** BALLOON/ASTRONOMY event at the DANN RANCH has been POSTPONED until SATURDAY, APRIL 16 ****

 **** BALLOON/ASTRONOMY event at the DANN RANCH has been POSTPONED indefinitely ****

  • Week of Monday, April 18: Ice Giants & Extra-solar Planets
    • Day 1
      • Warmup: Visit the APOD and read this article
      • Poster due after school today on the wall in the hallway on the 3rd floor (like last time)
      • Short reading quiz
      • Begin BBC: The Planets: Life Beyond the Sun [20 min]
      • Q&A
      • In-class work: create a new document and write a 1-paragraph reflection on the video and Q&A session
      • HW: Read Ch 16-1, 16-2 & 16-3
      • Consider attending the talk "Estimating the Chances of Life Out There" by Prof. Frank Drake (UCSC) at Foothill College on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 PM. Look here for details. If you're wondering who Frank Drake is, check out the last chapter of your textbook...
    • Day 2
      • Warmup: Visit the AMISR website -- these folks will be speaking to us tomorrow (Thursday) so prepare a question!
      • If BJP is out sick:
        • Use the Solar System Simulator to generate images of bodies in the solar system. Right-click and save these images to a new folder in your My Documents folder. Then, create a PowerPoint tour of the solar system (or some important part of it). Your PowerPoint document should include and/or comment on the ideas we have used this quarter to unify our understanding of the solar system. Please feel free to use your book as a resource, for facts and figures, or to learn about specific moons or planets. Send this .ppt to me by e-mail at the end of class.
      • Finish BBC: The Planets: Life Beyond the Sun [30 min]
      • Q&A
      • In-class work: write a 1-paragraph reflection on the video and Q&A session (continue document from before)
      • HW: Read Ch 7-9
    • Day 3
      • Warmup: Visit the APOD
      • Visit from the AMISR project
      • HW: Read Ch 17-1, 17-6 & 17-7
    • Day 4
      • Warmup: Visit the APOD, check the Grade update for 6° (updated Apr 21, 2005), and read this article
      • Note: Exam moved to Day 1 of next week.
      • SI Astrophysics Journal Club: let's try this again! Remember: DO NOT download any .pdf files for now!! I will do it for you.
        • Explore astro-ph and choose a topic of interest within astrophysics (any topics except those from the first time we did this, so don't do black holes, pulsars, or dark matter ... it's ok to do something solar-system related)
        • Form a new group of four; each of you will be responsible for a paper within a common topic; each of you will give a presentation to the rest of your group next week; check your group's topic with me, as I am going to try to ensure diversity of topics among the different groups
        • By the end of the class period, decide upon (1) the order of your presentations and (2) a title for your talk (this cannot be the title of the paper you have chosen)
      • HW: Read Ch 17-8 & 17-9 (thus ending a nearly complete tour of this massive textbook. Well done!!!)
  • Week of Tuesday, April 26: Second Astrophysical Journal Club / Role-playing project begins
    • Day 1
      • Exam: all material so far this quarter (this will be a longer exam than we have done so far)
      • HW: fill out a paper analysis sheet for your paper, to turn in on Day 3
    • Day 2
    • Day 3
      • Astrophysics Journal Club: continue work on power-point presentation (in-class -- any type of presentation would work for me)
      • HW: read about last year's Role Playing project and continue work on your journal paper
  • Week of Monday, May 2: Second Astrophysical Journal Club continues / Role-playing project begins (AP Exam week)  
    • Each day this week will comprise a presentation (15 minutes), questions & discussion (20 minutes) and a reflection period (10 minutes); save your typed reflections in a file to be turned in by e-mail to me on Day 4. You are responsible for teaching your fellow students the material in your papers; each of you will be tested on this.
    • Day 1: Role-playing project: an introduction (please form a group of 5 and e-mail me your roles by the end of Day 2. I will assign you your institution. If you have a particular desire to play the journalist or crackpot, please contact me and I will consider it.)
    • Day 1 speakers: Leslie, Rob, Anabel, Kevin, Mike M., Charles
    • Day 2 speakers: Matt, Kat, Mike Y., Sean, Christianne, Ted                  (role-playing roles & groups e-mailed to me by today)
    • Day 3 speakers: Casey, Ginger, Allison, Michelle, Om, Sebouh
    • Day 4 speakers: Liz, Christian, Dante, Darren, Ian, Erika                       (Journal Club reflections due end of Day 4)
    • HW each day this week: work on data analysis for the role-playing project and/or work on your journal club paper
    • check out the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Science Day, coming soon!
  • Week of Monday, May 9: Role-playing project continues (AP Exam week)
    • Day 1
      • Short Quiz pased on your group's papers; if you happen to be absent for an AP exam, you can make up this quiz on Days 2, 3, or 4. Please be proactive about finding me to take the quiz (it'll be a crazy week!). The quiz will be organized as follows: I will give you the titles of the papers and ask 'What was this paper about?'
      • Role-playing project data analysis
      • HW each day this week: work on data analysis for the role-playing project
    • Day 2
      • Role-playing project data analysis
      • HW each day this week: work on data analysis for the role-playing project
    • Day 3
      • Role-playing project data analysis and presentation preparation
      • HW each day this week: work on data analysis for the role-playing project
    • Day 4
      • Role-playing project data analysis and presentation preparation
      • HW each day this week: work on data analysis for the role-playing project
      • HW: Submit candidates for SIAS Prizes for (1) Astrophysics and (2) Astronomy Education (two separate prizes). With your submission, please include a paragraph or so describing the candidate (this is an anonymous submission) and why the candidate should receive the award. Check out last year's prize-winners.
  • Week of Monday, May 16: Role-playing project (and course) ends (short week, inservice Friday)
    • Day 1: No class (some kind of senior day)
    • Day 2
      • 2nd Annual St. Ignatius Astronomical Society Conference
      • Keynote speaker: Dr. Philhour will wrap up the course and announce prize-winners of the SI Astronomical Society Prizes for Astrophysics and Astronomy Education (check out last year's prize-winners)
    • Day 3: No class (some other kind of senior day)
  • Final Exam Week
    • The final exam will be cumulative for the semester. Please check out the old quizzes page and be sure you understand the material, starting with Quiz 9. There will be no questions from either astrophysical journal project, so don't worry about studying those quizzes. The final will be short answer, and will finish the adventure begun in the Fall Semester final exam. You will be given this sheet of equations to use during the test, so don't worry about memorizing this material. Note that the first page is just stuff from last semester -- you'll mostly be using the second page.


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