Astronomy 129: Introductory Astronomy I

Sections 9, 10, Fall 2026

Lecture: Tuesday and Thursday

Location: RITA room 387

Time: TR 12:15 -1:30 pm

Instructor: Dr. George Chartas

Office: RITA 307

Office hours: TR 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Phone: (843) 953-3609

Email: chartasg@cofc.edu

Schedule

We will cover chapters 1-4 and 7-16 of the book by Bennett, J., Donahue, M., Schneider, N., and Voit, M., titled The Cosmic Perspective 10/e. Please let me know if you have any conflicts with the test and final exam dates.

DATE	CHAPTER	ASSIGNMENTS	Lecture
18 Aug	Ch. 1, A Modern View of the Universe	astronews.pdf	ch1.pdf
20 Aug	Ch. 2, Discovering the Universe for Yourself
25 Aug	Ch. 2, Discovering the Universe for Yourself		ch2.pdf
27 Aug	Ch. 2, Discovering the Universe for Yourself
1 Sep	Ch. 3, The Science of Astronomy		ch3.pdf
3 Sep	Ch. 3, The Science of Astronomy
8 Sep	Ch. 4, Making Sense of the Universe
10 Sep	Test 1, chapters 1, 2, 3
15 Sep	Ch. 4, Making Sense of the Universe		ch4.pdf
17 Sep	Ch. 4, Making Sense of the Universe
22 Sep	Ch. 7, Our Planetary System		ch7.pdf
24 Sep	Ch. 7, Our Planetary System
29 Sep	Ch. 8, Formation of the Solar System		ch8.pdf
1 Oct	Ch. 8, Formation of the Solar System
6 Oct	Ch. 9, Planetary Geology
8 Oct	Test 2, chapters 4, 7, 8		ch9.pdf
13 Oct	Fall Break, no classes
15 Oct	Ch. 9, Planetary Geology		ch10.pdf
20 Oct	Ch. 10, Planetary Atmospheres
22 Oct	Ch. 10, Planetary Atmospheres		ch11.pdf
27 Oct	Ch. 11, Jovian Planet Systems
29 Oct	Ch. 11, Jovian Planet Systems		ch12.pdf
3 Nov	Election Day. No Classes. College Closed.
5 Nov	Test 3, chapters 8, 9, 10, 11
10 Nov	Ch. 12, Asteroids, Comets and Dwarf Planets
12 Nov	Ch. 12, Asteroids, Comets and Dwarf Planets		ch13.pdf
17 Nov	Ch. 13, Other Planetary Systems
19 Nov	Ch. 14, Our Star
24 Nov	Ch. 14, Our Star
26 Nov	Thanksgiving Break!
1 Dec	Ch. 14, Our Star / Review
2 Dec	Reading Day
7 Dec	FINAL, room RITA 387, 1:00–3:00 pm