Outline of "Exoplanets in 2024"

Course material can be found online:

http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/exo2024/exo2024.html

Instructors

Michael Richmond
Science Building 1, Office 1111
E-mail: mwrsps@rit.edu

Class hours

   Monday      10:25 - 12:10     Oct 7, 21, 28, Nov 18, 25
   Wednesday   10:25 - 12:10     Oct 16, Nov 13

Office Hours

You are welcome to visit my office to talk about the class, or homework, or interesting news in astronomy, or video games, or anything else you like. You may make an appointment by E-mail, or just visit the office.

Homework

Homework problems may be printed on paper or written in PDF format, and given to the instructor by the assigned due date. You are welcome to work together on the problems, but you must write all the steps yourself on the work you submit.

Answers to the homework problems will appear after the due date. Because the answers will be visible to everyone at that time, I will accept no late homework.

Grading

There are several components to the final score in this course. The list below is a rough guide to the importance of each component.

   30  percent  in-class quizzes 
   60  percent  homework 
   10  percent  final poster (optional)
   -----------
  100  percent

Note that it is necessary for students to submit a poster in order to earn an "A" for the course. Students who choose not to create a poster may still pass the class.

If you know in advance that you will have to miss an assignment, please contact the instructors.

Textbook

There is no official textbook for this course. However, there are books which we recommend that you read. These books may clarify material covered in class, and they may also give you a second view which makes more sense to you than our explanations.

Exoplanets edited by Sara Seager.

Exoplanet Atmospheres by Sara Seager.

Transiting Exoplanets by Carole Haswell.

Exoplanets: Finding, Exploring, and Understanding Alien Worlds by Chris Kitchin.

Extrasolar Planets and Astrobiology by Caleb Scharf.

Planets for Man by Stephen H. Dole and Isaac Asimov.
Despite being published in 1964, this book presents lots of useful and still relevant information in an easy-to-digest form. You can download a free PDF copy of the book at the website above; thanks, RAND Corporation!