AST 201 - Stars and Galaxies
University of Toronto Mississauga
Winter Term 2007-2008

Because I have had several questions about seeing the marked final exam, here is the general answer.

When the final exam had been marked, I entered those marks and then double checked my entry (but I did not double check the individual exam papers), and then all the marks were combined with the weightings stated in the course description. My course marks were then reviewed by my departmental chairman who forwarded them to the registrar's office for insertion into ROSI. I then returned all the final exam papers to the registrar's office. I do not have any way to review any of the final exams or to modify any of the course marks. If you want to look through your final exam you have to work through the registrar's office, who holds the final exams and is the only organization on campus with the authority to permit a change to a course mark.

Printable Course Description

Course Marks (30 Apr)

Distribution of Course Marks

Chapter Summaries

Previous Final and Solution

University of Toronto Marking Guideline

Welcome to AST 201, Stars and Galaxies

This course is about science, but it is NOT for science students. This course is designed for students studying commerce, the humanities or the social sciences who are required to complete UTM's science distribution requirement for graduation. Students who have completed a university course in chemistry or physics (except PHY205 or PHY206) are excluded from taking this course because they would have an unfair advantage over the other students.

Stars and Galaxies tries to answer questions such as these:

  • What is our Sun like? How did it form and how will it change?
  • How does our Sun compare with other stars?
  • What is the Milky Way?
  • Are there other Milky Ways?
  • How did the Milky Way form?
  • Has the Universe existed forever?
To answer questions such as these we develop general methods that connect the distant objects that we can only observe with our direct experience on Earth.

Because Stars and Galaxies is for the science distribution requirement, its primary goal is to present the general methods of science. Therefore, the many facts that will be presented in this course, such as the direct answers to the questions raised above, are not the primary focus. The goal of this course is to show how we have learned the answers about objects we can never examine directly. We concentrate on the logical connection between the physical cause, which is often familiar from our experience on Earth, and the observed astronomical effect.

WARNING: For some reason, it is widely believed that astronomy is a very easy subject. This is not true. The course surveys done at the end of every term show that previous classes have found this course to be about as difficulty as their other courses, but that it was harder than they expected. To do well, it is important to study as much for this course as for any other course.

TEXT - The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 3rd Edition, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider and Voit. This is the same book used for AST101H.

J. B. Lester - Professor

  • Office: 4035, South Building
  • Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9 to 11.
    I am in my office many other hours. I am happy to talk to you at any time. Please come by if you have any questions.
  • Telephone: 905 828 3818
  • email: john.lester AT the University of Toronto mail server.
    I am happy to respond to email questions about the course material, with the understanding that I might also post your question (without your name) and my reply on the course web page under Frequently Asked Questions if I feel they are of general interest. My response will usually be within the working day, but I am unlikely to respond at night or over the weekend. Also, please consult the course web page for the information you want before sending me an email. If your question requires a lengthy response, I will suggest you see me in my office or after lecture. Please include the course number and your name as given on the class list in the email. Note that some commercial service providers can be unreliable in both sending and receiving messages. You are encouraged to use your University of Toronto email account when contacting me.