ASTR 1P01/02: Introduction to Astronomy I/II
Brock University, Fall 2024 / Winter 2025
Prof. Barak Shoshany
Course Logo

Table of contents

Course overview ^

ASTR 1P01 and ASTR 1P02 are two parts of a comprehensive introduction to astronomy at the undergraduate level. In these courses we will learn about many fascinating and exciting topics in astronomy, including:

  • The history of astronomy,
  • The night sky,
  • Light and telescopes,
  • Orbits and gravity,
  • The Earth, the Moon, and the Sun,
  • The Solar System,
  • Stars and galaxies,
  • Black holes, curved spacetime, and general relativity,
  • Dark matter and dark energy,
  • Cosmology and the Big Bang, and
  • Life beyond Earth.

The courses are offered twice a year:

  • Fall/Winter term:
    • Fall (D2): ASTR 1P01, two sections: LEC (in-person lectures) and ASO (asynchronous online with on-campus exams).
    • Winter (D3): ASTR 1P02, two sections: LEC (in-person lectures) and ASO (asynchronous online with on-campus exams).
  • Spring term:
    • First Half (D2): ASTR 1P01, ASO (asynchronous online with on-campus exams) section only.
    • Second Half (D3): ASTR 1P02, ASO (asynchronous online with on-campus exams) section only.

IMPORTANT: The exams in ASTR 1P01/02 are all given IN PERSON, even for the online sections. To be perfectly clear, being in the online section does not mean you can take exams online under any circumstances. There will be absolutely no exceptions to this rule.

Both ASTR 1P01 and 1P02 are intended as science credits for students of all majors, and as such, they do not have any physics or math prerequisites. We will learn all relevant physics and math concepts as needed throughout the term, with emphasis on conceptual rather than technical understanding. Students who did not take physics or math in high school might need to work a little bit harder, but not harder than in any other course. Students are usually able to get good grades regardless of their background knowledge.

ASTR 1P02 is a direct continuation of ASTR 1P01, and relies on it for crucial background knowledge of many important concepts in astronomy. Therefore, students must take ASTR 1P01 before taking ASTR 1P02. However, they do not have to be taken consecutively in the same term. No exceptions will be made; if you did not take ASTR 1P01, you will not be able to take ASTR 1P02.

Please note that the online (ASO) sections are asynchronous, meaning that there are no scheduled lectures. Students are expected to study the material on their own time, by watching the recorded lecture videos and reading the textbook. If you prefer to attend regularly scheduled lectures, please make sure to take the course in the Fall/Winter term and register for the in-person (LEC) section.

The two courses, ASTR 1P01 and ASTR 1P02, are combined into a single course website (but not Teams site) for convenience, because ASTR 1P02 is a continuation of ASTR 1P01, and most students tend to take both courses consecutively. However, please note that they are still two separate courses, and you need to register for each course separately!

Obviously, if you are only registered for one of the courses, then any information specific to the other course, such as lectures or exams, does not apply to you. If you are only enrolled in one of the courses, then you do not need to take the exams for the other course. Please make sure you know which course(s) you are enrolled in.

IMPORTANT: Announcements from the professor, containing crucial information and ongoing updates about the course, will be posted throughout the term on Microsoft Teams, in the "Announcements" channel. To make sure you get notified of these announcements, please go to the course Teams site, click on the three dots to the right of "Announcements", then go to "Channel notifications" and choose the option "All activity", as shown in this screenshot:

How to enable announcement notifications

Please also bookmark the course Teams site in your browser, install Teams on your phone, and enable notifications on the phone app!

It is your responsibility to follow the announcements and read all of them thoroughly on a regular basis. No accommodations will be made for students who fail to satisfy the course requirements due to not reading the professor's announcements!

The official textbook for both ASTR 1P01 and 1P02 is OpenStax Astronomy, 2nd edition. However, please note that the professor's lectures are the main source of material in both courses, and the exams will be based on the lectures, not the textbook. There may be some material that appears in the lectures but not in the textbook, and vice versa. The textbook is only meant to be a bonus study resource for students who want extra practice or to delve deeper into the material.

Please note that this course requires an $8 fee, which will be used for paper-based assessment and feedback.

Course syllabus ^

The course website also doubles as the course syllabus. If you need the syllabus in PDF format, simply click here to print it and choose "Save to PDF".

About the professor ^

The professor for this course is Dr. Barak Shoshany (ħe/ħim). I did my BSc in mathematics and physics at Tel Aviv University in Israel and my MSc and PhD at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario. I then taught at the University of Toronto for a short time. I joined Brock University as Assistant Professor in September 2020, and I also regularly teach scientific computing at McMaster University.

I am a theoretical, mathematical, and computational physicist. My research focuses on the nature of time and causality in general relativity and quantum mechanics, as well as symbolic and high-performance scientific computing. I'm always happy to talk about my research, and theoretical physics in general, so please feel free to ask me about it, both in and out of class!

I also love teaching. I developed 10 full-term undergraduate and graduate courses from scratch since 2020, including 5 physics courses, 3 astronomy courses, 1 scientific computing course, and 1 mathematics course. My devotion to teaching won me the Brock University Faculty of Mathematics & Science Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2023.

When I'm not teaching or doing research, I love composing music, playing video games, board games, and tabletop role-playing games, and reading or watching science fiction and fantasy. Please see my personal website for details on my research, teaching, talks, media interviews, music compositions, and more.

I love teaching astronomy to non-majors because it's a field of science that anyone can get excited about, and be amazed by, regardless of background. I hope I am able to make you as excited about astronomy as I am! :)

About the TA ^

The TA for this course is Alessandro Pisana. Alessandro received his BSc in Physics from the Università degli Studi di Padova in Italy, where he also obtained his MSc in Physics of the Fundamental Interactions. During his studies, he spent a year at Aix-Marseille University in France, studying Loop Quantum Gravity. Alessandro joined Prof. Shoshany's research group at Brock University as a PhD student in the fall of 2022. His interests include quantum entanglement, tensor networks, and loop quantum gravity. He is currently working on mathematical aspects of general relativity. Alessandro will be happy to answer any questions you may have on the course, and may be contacted at astr@brocku.ca.

Schedule and lectures ^

Both ASTR 1P01 and 1P02 have two sections: an in-person (LEC) section (~500 students) and an online (ASO) section (~1100 students). Please make sure you know which section you are in!

  • The in-person section will attend the lectures in person at the David S. Howes Theatre (DHOWES), according to the schedule below.
    • Students in the online section who wish to attend the in-person lectures may do so only if there are seats available, on a first-come-first-serve basis.
  • The online section will watch previously recorded lecture videos online on YouTube.
    • All lectures were recorded during the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 terms, and are posted on Prof. Shoshany's YouTube channel. Direct links to the videos, as well as the slides used in the lectures, are available below.
    • IMPORTANT: Although old lectures by another professor may be found on YouTube, only the new lectures recorded by Prof. Barak Shoshany are relevant for this course. Please make sure you only watch the correct lectures!
    • Online students should follow the progress of the in-person lectures. Every week, the professor will post an announcement on Teams to inform everyone which lectures (or parts of lectures) were covered that week. Online students should then watch the recordings of the same lectures.

Each course will have 12 weeks of 2 lectures each, for a total of 24 lectures and 36 hours. Note that classes at Brock end 10 minutes ahead of the hour or half hour. The lecture schedule is as follows:

ASTR 1P01

ASTR 1P01 will take place during the Fall (D2) 2024 term, from September 4 to December 3, 2024. The deadline for withdrawal without academic penalty is November 5. For the in-person section only, there will be two 1.5-hour lectures every week:

  • Mondays 19:00-20:30,
  • Wednesdays 19:00-20:30.

The following lectures will be canceled:

  • Monday, September 23 and Wednesday, September 25, due to the professor attending a conference abroad.
  • Monday, September 30, due to National Truth and Reconciliation Day. There will be a makeup lecture on Wednesday, December 4 at the usual time and place.
  • Monday, October 14 and Wednesday, October 16, due to Reading Week.

In total, we will have 22 lectures and 33 lecture hours. For your convenience, here is the full list of lecture days, times, and locations:

  • Lecture 1: Wednesday, September 4, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 2: Monday, September 9, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 3: Wednesday, September 11, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 4: Monday, September 16, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 5: Wednesday, September 18, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 6: Wednesday, October 2, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 7: Monday, October 7, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 8: Wednesday, October 9, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 9: Monday, October 21, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 10: Wednesday, October 23, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 11: Monday, October 28, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 12: Wednesday, October 30, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 13: Monday, November 4, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 14: Wednesday, November 6, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 15: Monday, November 11, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 16: Wednesday, November 13, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 17: Monday, November 18, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 18: Wednesday, November 20, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 19: Monday, November 25, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 20: Wednesday, November 27, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 21: Monday, December 2, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 22: Wednesday, December 4, 19:00-20:30, DHOWES

ASTR 1P02

ASTR 1P02 will take place during the Winter (D3) 2025 term, from January 6 to April 4, 2025. The deadline for withdrawal without academic penalty is March 6. For the in-person section only, there will be two 1.5-hour lectures every week:

  • Wednesdays 16:00-17:30,
  • Fridays 16:00-17:30.

The following lectures will be canceled:

  • Wednesday, February 19 and Friday, February 21, due to Reading Week.

In total, we will have 24 lectures and 36 lecture hours. For your convenience, here is the full list of lecture days, times, and locations:

  • Lecture 1: Wednesday, January 8, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 2: Friday, January 10, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 3: Wednesday, January 15, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 4: Friday, January 17, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 5: Wednesday, January 22, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 6: Friday, January 24, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 7: Wednesday, January 29, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 8: Friday, January 31, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 9: Wednesday, February 5, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 10: Friday, February 7, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 11: Wednesday, February 12, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 12: Friday, February 14, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 13: Wednesday, February 26, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 14: Friday, February 28, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 15: Wednesday, March 5, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 16: Friday, March 7, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 17: Wednesday, March 12, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 18: Friday, March 14, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 19: Wednesday, March 19, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 20: Friday, March 21, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 21: Wednesday, March 26, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 22: Friday, March 28, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 23: Wednesday, April 2, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES
  • Lecture 24: Friday, April 4, 16:00-17:30, DHOWES

Contact information ^

Unfortunately, as this is a very large class (up to 1,600 students each term!), the professor is unable to answer individual emails from students. Therefore, students are asked not to contact the professor directly. Instead, students should do as follows:

Non-personal questions

All non-personal questions related to the course, whether about the material, schedule, logistics, exams, or anything else, should be posted publicly on Microsoft Teams, in the General channel. I promise to answer your question as soon as possible.

There are several reasons for asking you to post your question on Teams:

  • Posting questions publicly on Teams allows other students to see the questions and benefit from the answers.
  • Creating new posts on Teams encourages other students to add their own followup questions and triggers valuable discussions about the subject matter that would not have happened otherwise.
  • There is a very large number of students in this course, and posting your non-personal questions publicly on Teams means the professor and the TA won't have to answer the same question multiple times.

IMPORTANT: In my experience, many of the questions asked by students throughout the term already have answers either on the course website or in Teams discussions and announcements. Therefore, before you ask a question, please check if perhaps it already has an answer on this website or on Teams - that way, you won't have to wait for a response.

Personal questions

All personal questions involving private information that cannot be posted publicly on Teams, such as grades, accommodations, missed exams, or medical issues, should be sent to the TA at astr@brocku.ca.

If you email the TA, please make sure to do so from your Brock email account, not from your personal account, since otherwise they have no way to verify your identity. The TA will not be able to communicate with you if you contact them from your non-Brock email.

The TA is in charge of all the logistics of the course, and this allows me to devote more time to answering your questions about the material on Teams and preparing the lectures, practice questions, and exams. If the TA decides that your email requires my attention, they will contact me on your behalf.

Online student interface ^

This course has an online student interface. You can log in with your student number and a password provided on Brightspace. The student interface currently has the following features:

  1. Missed exams: You can view whether you missed any exams due to legitimate medical or other issues that have been approved by the TA.
  2. Exam feedback: If you took an exam, you can see your grade and which questions you got wrong, along with the correct answers.
  3. AI chat: Chat with Albert AInstein, your trusty AI assistant! He can answer any questions you may have about the course material, and help you study for the exams.

You can access the online student interface at this link.

Lecture videos, slides, and practice questions ^

The following lectures were recorded during Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 terms, but they are the correct lectures to be watched by the online sections this term and in any future terms. For your convenience, the lectures are also available as a YouTube playlist.

The slides used in each lecture are also posted here. However, please note that some slides have been updated since then (e.g. typos were fixed) and may not exactly match the slides in the recordings.

Some of the videos are currently marked as drafts. They are complete lectures, containing all of the material, but will gradually be replaced with non-draft versions once I finish editing them and verifying them for accuracy. You may wish to subscribe to my YouTube channel and click on the notification bell to be notified as soon as a new video is uploaded.

Note: Each of the following "units" refers to a video recording and slides that encompass multiple in-person lecture sessions.

Tips for watching the lectures ^

Here are some tips for watching the video lectures efficiently:

  • You don't have to watch the lectures in real time. Take advantage of the fact that they are recorded, so if at any time you feel that you do not understand a portion of the lecture, you can rewind and re-watch that part, or even pause the lecture and look up additional information elsewhere.
  • You can change the playback speed in the video settings, which are accessible via the gear icon on the bottom right. Make it slower if I'm speaking too fast, or make it faster if I'm speaking too slow. You can also press < (Shift+,) or > (Shift+.) on the keyboard to slow down or speed up respectively.
  • The videos have subtitles. You can enable them in the video settings, or by pressing C.
  • Some other YouTube keyboard shortcuts you may find useful include: Spacebar to play/pause, ←/→ to seek backward/forward 5 seconds, F to activate full screen, and Shift+P or Shift+N to go to the previous or next video in the playlist. You can find a full list of keyboard shortcuts here.

Exams and practice exams ^

IMPORTANT: The exams in ASTR 1P01/02 are all given IN PERSON, even for the online sections. To be perfectly clear, being in the online section does not mean you can take exams online under any circumstances. There will be absolutely no exceptions to this rule.

There will be 3 in-person exams in each of the two courses. There are no assignments other than the exams. Both the online and in-person sections will take the same in-person exams, at the same day and time. To reiterate, there will not be any online exams.

Each exam will be given at a precise day and time, as indicated below, and you will not be able to retake it if you miss it, unless you have legitimate reasons.

IMPORTANT: The dates are posted here in advance so that you have plenty of time to free up your schedule to take the exams. If you have an exam conflict that legitimately cannot be moved, please email the TA ASAP with proof of your conflict. If sufficient proof is provided, and if the TA judges your conflict to be legitimately unmovable, you will be allowed to skip the exam as described under missed exams. Please make sure to add the exams to your calendar right now, so that you don't forget them and fail the course!

  • ASTR 1P01:
    • Exam 1:
      • Time: Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 14:00.
      • Location: The exam will take place in 4 different classrooms.
        • All students in the in-person section will take the exam at DHOWES (David S. Howes Theatre), where the lectures take place. You should sit in the same seat you use during the lectures.
        • All students in the online section will be distributed between 3 rooms in the Thistle Complex:
          • THSOS (Sean O'Sullivan Theatre) if your last name starts with A-H,
          • TH247 if your last name starts with I-P,
          • TH325 if your last name starts with Q-Z.
      • Material: Units 1-4.
      • Duration: 1 hour.
      • Number of questions: 25 multiple-choice, 4 choices per question.
      • Weight in final course grade: 1/3.
      • Practice exam: click here!
    • Exam 2:
      • Time: Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 14:00.
      • Location: Same as Exam 1.
      • Material: Units 5-7. You will not be tested again on the material of exam 1, but it will be assumed that you know that material as background knowledge.
      • Duration: 1 hour.
      • Number of questions: 25 multiple-choice, 4 choices per question.
      • Weight in final course grade: 1/3.
      • Practice exam: click here!
    • Exam 3:
      • Time: Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 19:00.
      • Location: Students in both sections will be distributed as follows:
        • WCIBDS (Ian Beddis Gym in the Walker Complex) if your last name starts with A-L,
        • WCDVIS (Bob Davis Gym in the Walker Complex) if your last name starts with M-R or W-Z,
        • DHOWES (David S. Howes Theatre) if your last name starts with S-V.
      • Material: Units 8-10. You will not be tested again on the material of exams 1 and 2, but it will be assumed that you know that material as background knowledge.
      • Duration: 1 hour.
      • Number of questions: 25 multiple-choice, 4 choices per question.
      • Weight in final course grade: 1/3.
      • Practice exam: click here!
  • ASTR 1P02:
    • Exam 1:
      • Time: Saturday, March 8 at 14:00 (rescheduled from February 15 due to weather).
      • Location: Students in both sections will be distributed as follows:
        • DHOWES (David S. Howes Theatre) if your last name starts with A-Hi,
        • THSOS (Sean O'Sullivan Theatre) if your last name starts with Ho-Po,
        • TH247 if your last name starts with Pr-Z.
      • Material: Units 11-13. You will not be tested again on the material of ASTR 1P01 exams 1-3, but it will be assumed that you know that material as background knowledge.
      • Duration: 1 hour.
      • Number of questions: 25 multiple-choice, 4 choices per question.
      • Weight in final course grade: 1/3.
      • Practice exam: click here!
    • Exam 2:
      • Time: Saturday, March 15 at 19:00.
      • Location: Same as Exam 1.
      • Material: Unit 14 in its entirety, and unit 15 up to slide 67 (i.e. all of unit 15 except for general relativity & black holes). You will not be tested again on the material of ASTR 1P01 exams 1-3 or ASTR 1P02 exam 1, but it will be assumed that you know that material as background knowledge.
      • Duration: 1 hour.
      • Number of questions: 25 multiple-choice, 4 choices per question.
      • Weight in final course grade: 1/3.
      • Practice exam: click here!
    • Exam 3:
      • Time: Saturday, April 12 at 19:00.
      • Location: Students in both sections will be distributed as follows:
        • WCIBDS (Ian Beddis Gym in the Walker Complex) if your last name starts with A-O,
        • WCDVIS (Bob Davis Gym in the Walker Complex) if your last name starts with P-Z.
      • Material: Unit 15 from slide 68 until the end (i.e. general relativity & black holes), and unit 16 in its entirety. You will not be tested again on the material of ASTR 1P01 exams 1-3 or ASTR 1P02 exams 1 and 2, but it will be assumed that you know that material as background knowledge.
      • Duration: 1 hour.
      • Number of questions: 25 multiple-choice, 4 choices per question.
      • Weight in final course grade: 1/3.
      • Practice exam: click here!

How to use the Crowdmark exam forms ^

All exams in this course are multiple-choice, and will be graded using Crowdmark. One sheet will contain the questions and answer choices, and another sheet will be a Crowdmark form where you will select the correct answers by filling in the rectangles. One side of the Crowdmark form contains a box where you will write your name and student ID (click for a larger image):

Crowdmark name box

The other side of the Crowdmark form contains rectangles, which you will use to indicate your answer to each question (click for a larger image):

Crowdmark rectangles

Please note that although there are 100 questions on the Crowdmark form, only questions 1-25 are relevant to the exam. This is a universal form that allows for exams with up to 100 questions, and there is no option to include fewer questions in the form.

The Crowdmark forms are scanned and uploaded to the Crowdmark website, which grades them automatically. In order to be graded correctly, the forms to be filled out in the appropriate way. Please make sure to follow these instructions:

  • The rectangles must be filled out in pencil or dark-colored erasable pen. Do not use a permanent pen, because then you won't be able to correct your answers later. Do not use a bright-colored pen or a marker, as your answer may not be read correctly by the system.
  • The rectangles must be completely filled in, exactly within the boundary, as illustrated on the form itself. If you only fill in part of the rectangles, or go outside the borders of the rectangles, or draw a circle/X/dash/etc. on or around the rectangles instead of filling them in, your answer may not be read correctly by the system.
  • Changes must be completely erased. Use a brand new, high-quality eraser. If you leave any markings behind, your answer may not be read correctly by the system.
  • Do not mark or write anywhere on the form except inside the rectangles. If you write anywhere else, your exam form may not be read correctly by the system.
  • The Crowdmark form must not be stapled to the exam form, and must not be folded or bent. If you staple, fold, or bend the form, your exam form may not be read correctly by the system.
  • Make sure to write your name and student number on both pages where indicated. Ensure that your handwriting is clear and legible. On the first page, write exactly one character (letter or digit) per box, and ensure that each character is fully contained within the boundaries of its box. For example: Crowdmark name example If you do not do this, your exam may not be matched to you by the system, and your grade will be zero.
  • The questions can be found on the separate question sheet. You may use the question sheet as a draft, and copy your answers to the Crowdmark form when you are done. However, the question sheet will not be graded. If you do not mark your answers on the answer sheet, your grade will be zero.

Please note that if you do not follow these instructions, you may lose points on some answers, or your grade might even be zero. If this happens because you did not follow these instructions, you will not be given any option to improve your grade. There will be no exceptions to this rule. It is your responsibility to understand these instructions and follow them.

Each page of the Crowdmark form will contain a unique QR code like this one:

Crowdmark QR code

The proctors will go between the students and use their phones to match your unique QR code to your name and student number. This will then allow the system to easily match your scanned Crowdmark form to you. Please make sure to have your Brock student card on your desk so the proctors can scan the QR code and assign it to you with minimum interruption.

If you have any questions, please ask them on Teams. Good luck in the test!

Exam preparation ^

The exams can only be taken once. Do not take any exam without proper preparation! The best way to prepare for each exam is to:

  • Attend or watch all of the professor's lectures. The exams will be based solely on the material taught in the lectures. Both the text on the slides and the information I add verbally during the lectures will be relevant.
  • If you attend the in-person lecture, you should actively participate in them. If something is unclear, ask for a clarification. If a topic inspires you to ask a followup question, ask it. If I ask the class (or you personally) a question, do your best to answer it. In my experience, the students who participate the most in class are also the students who get the highest grades in the exams!
  • Solve all the practice questions that are posted on the course website for each lecture. Figuring out the answers to the practice questions on your own, instead of just memorizing the solutions, is an extremely important part of the learning process, and will help you understand the material better.
  • Solve as many practice exams as you can from the course website, until you get a score of 100%. Note that each time you refresh the page or click "get new questions", a new test appears with randomized questions. As for the practice questions, make sure to figure out the answers on your own instead of just memorizing the solutions.
  • Participate in discussions of the material with other students and with the professor on Teams. Don't be shy to ask your own questions or answer other people's questions.
  • Thoroughly read the appropriate chapters of the textbook (OpenStax Astronomy, 2nd edition) and solve as many exercises from the textbook as possible. Note that the textbook is only for additional reading and practice; the exams will not be based on the textbook.
  • Take personal notes while reading the textbook. You can do this within the textbook itself - once you create an account on OpenStax, you can highlight any word or sentence and add your own notes in different colors.
  • Summarize what you learned from each lecture and textbook chapter in your own words, as if you're explaining it to someone else - or better yet, find someone to actually explain it to!
  • Connect with your fellow classmates on Teams and form study groups that will meet and review the material together. You can use the channel "Student Study Group" on Teams for this purpose.

Note that you can search the online textbook by typing in the text box which says "search this book" at the top of each page, and you can search the slides by pressing Ctrl-F (or Cmd-F on macOS) in your PDF reader. In the YouTube lectures, if you click the three dots to the right under the video and choose "Show Transcript", you will be able to search the video for specific terms.

There may be questions in the exams which are not directly related to the practice questions, but for which the answer can easily be found in or deduced from the lectures. There aren't going to be any trick questions or questions that rely on very obscure pieces of information.

You are encouraged to look up more information online on your own, however:

  • Please only use reliable sources such as Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, NASA, Astronomy Stack Exchange, and university websites.
  • Beware, there are many websites that contain incorrect and/or misleading information! If you're not sure if a particular website is reliable, please post a link on Teams and I will let you know whether it seems trustworthy.
  • In case of discrepancy between my lectures and another resource, my lectures should be considered the authoritative source. However, if you believe there is a mistake in my lectures, please let me know on Teams.

Warning: Both ASTR 1P01 and ASTR 1P02 have been completely rewritten from scratch in Spring 2022. Therefore, any material from previous years, such as lecture videos, lecture notes, or exams, will not be relevant for this year's course. In particular, exam questions from previous years will not appear in this year's exams. Students who rely on memorizing exams from previous years instead of properly studying the new course material will most likely fail the course.

Allowed material and academic integrity ^

During each in-person exam, you may use up to 42 normal-sized double-sided papers containing any material of your choice, handwritten and/or printed. This may include, for example, your own notes, other people's notes, printouts of the lecture slides, and/or any other material you wish to use. To be clear, there is no limit on what can be included in the notes, or in what format. The answer to the question "can my notes include this" is always yes.

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the printers in the Brock library and elsewhere on campus always get very busy before each exam. Therefore, it is highly recommended to print your notes ahead of time, or off-campus. If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to print your notes in time for the exam!

Computers, phones, tablets, smart watches, and other digital devices cannot be used, but you can use a calculator. Any students found in possession of a digital device of any kind (other than a calculator) during the exam will be considered as having used the device.

Cheating in any of the exams will result in a minimum penalty of zero grade in the course, even for first offenses. Students are expected to fully comply with Brock University's academic integrity policy. Please see this page for more information about academic integrity.

Missed exams ^

If you miss an exam due to medical issues, you must email the TA the Brock University Medical Verification Form within 7 days of the exam. The form must be filled out in its entirety and signed by both you and a health professional. Please note that the Medical Verification Form is the only form that will be accepted; the Student Absence Self Declaration Form cannot be used for any missed exams in this course, even if the duration of your illness was less than 72 hours.

If you miss an exam due to any other issues, please email the TA within 7 days of the exam. Your email should explain why you missed the exam and include any necessary proof.

If your Medical Verification Form or other proof is acceptable, the exam will be marked as "missed for legitimate reasons". At the end of the term, after the final exam (Exam 3), the missed exams will be handled as follows:

  • If you missed a total of one exam for legitimate reasons, you will take one makeup exam that will be scheduled at the end of the term. The TA will let you know the date and time of the makeup exam.
  • If you missed a total of two exams for legitimate reasons, you will be able to take two makeup exams that will be scheduled at the end of the term. The TA will let you know the dates and times of the makeup exams.
  • If you missed a total of three exams (that is, all of them) for legitimate reasons, the professor will devise an appropriate solution on a case-by-case basis.

If you do not email the TA within 7 days, or if you cannot prove that you had a valid reason for missing the exam, your grade in the exam will be zero. There will be absolutely no exceptions to this rule!

It's easy to forget exams, especially if you are in the online section, so please make sure to add reminders for each exam to your calendar. Forgetting to do an exam will not count as a valid reason for missing it, and your grade will be zero with no option of improving it!

If you are late to an exam, you will not get any extra time, so please make sure to be at the exam room at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the exam.

Useful software ^

Interested students may find the following applications useful. They are 100% free and available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. Using them is optional, but might help you understand the material better.

  • Stellarium: Shows you the sky as seen from any place on Earth at any point in time. You can zoom in or click on individual astronomical objects for more information. You can also highlight the constellations. If using it during the day, press "A" to turn off the atmosphere. Stellarium can also run directly in your web browser, but that version has fewer features. I often use Stellarium in my lectures.
  • Celestia: Allows you to travel to different objects in the solar system, such as planets, moons, and asteroids, and shows you their orbits and positions at different times. You can also find eclipses, and travel to other stars in the galaxy.

Universe Sandbox is an astronomical simulation game. It's not free, but it's quite cheap and definitely worth it. It works on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and has an optional VR mode.

The are also several apps that you can use in the field for astronomical observations. Sky Map is available for Android phones only, while SkyView is available both for Android and iPhone. Simply point your phone to the sky, and the app will tell you exactly what you're seeing in real time!

Accommodations ^

Brock University is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students and will adhere to the Human Rights principles that ensure respect for dignity, individualized accommodation, inclusion, and full participation. The University provides a wide range of resources to assist students, as follows:

  • If you need any accommodations related to exams, such as extra time, because of a disability or an ongoing health or mental health condition, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at askSAS@brocku.ca or (905) 688-5550 ext. 3240 as soon as possible to arrange your accommodations.
  • If you require academic accommodation on religious grounds, you should make a formal written request to the TA during the first two weeks of the term, or as soon as possible after a need for accommodation is known to exist. Religious accommodations are not granted automatically, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • If you are experiencing mental health concerns, contact the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre. Good2Talk is a service specifically for post-secondary students, available 24/7, 365 days a year, and provides anonymous assistance: visit the website or call 1 866 925-5454. For information on wellness, coping, and resiliency, click here.
  • If you have been affected by sexual violence, the Human Rights & Equity Office offers support, information, reasonable accommodations, and resources through the Sexual Violence Support & Education Coordinator. For information on sexual violence, visit Brock's Sexual Assault and Harassment Policy or contact the Sexual Violence Support & Response Coordinator at humanrights@brocku.ca or (905) 688-5550 ext. 4387.
  • If you have experienced discrimination or harassment on any of the above grounds, including racial, gender or other forms of discrimination, contact the Human Rights and Equity Office at humanrights@brocku.ca.

Intellectual property notice ^

Any and all course materials created by the instructor in this course, including but not limited to notes, slides, homework problems, homework solutions, exams, exam solutions, and photo, audio, and/or video recordings, are the intellectual property of the instructor.

Any student who, without the instructor's express consent, publicly posts or sells the instructor's work, or takes a photo, audio, and/or video recording of the instructor's lectures, will be charged with misconduct under the university's Academic Integrity Policy and/or Code of Conduct, and may also face adverse legal consequences for infringement of intellectual property rights.

What's next? ^

If you enjoyed this course, you may also be interested in my 2nd-year astronomy course, ASTR 2P42: Astrophysics & Cosmology. This is a more advanced course, which delves much deeper into the material, including all the relevant math and physics. It therefore requires first-year physics and calculus as mandatory prerequisites. The course is open to students from all majors, as long as they have the proper background. Please see the course website for more information. I hope to see you there! :)

© 2025 Barak Shoshany