ESC 116F - Astronomy Description Advisory: MATH 020 F. 54 hours lecture per term. This course is an introduction to the universe and the techniques used to study it.
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This course: (1) connects the observed properties of stars (including our Sun) to their physical structure and evolution, up to their final endpoints as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes; (2) surveys the properties of galaxies (including our Milky Way), their baryonic and dark matter content, their dynamics and evolution (star formation history, feedback, secular processes, mergers ...
Department of Physics & Astronomy The University of Alabama Box 870324 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0324 (205) 348-5050 206 Gallalee Hall
Harvard Astronomy Department 60 Garden Street, MS 46 Cambridge, MA 02138. Phone: 617-495-3752 Fax: 617-495-7008
An immersive research experience in observational astrophysics for students who have completed ASTR 337. Students begin the semester with a January trip to the WIYN 0.9m telescope on Kitt Peak, AZ, where they collect data that they will use to design and carry out independent research projects.
Courses being considered for the Natural Science (N) designation should include a hands-on laboratory or field experience that emphasizes the scientific method and analysis of data and does not primarily consist of watching demonstrations.
Description: We will discuss the big questions of astronomy that have engaged scientists and the general public alike for centuries: How did the universe begin? What is the ultimate fate of the Sun? How do planets form? Is there life outside the Solar system? Students will use telescopes to study the night sky and examine how the combination of astronomical observations and physical theory have led to an understanding of the vast and dynamic cosmos we inhabit.
We will cover a wide range of topics from nearby galaxies to quasars to the Big Bang.The goals of the course are 1) to introduce you to the broad sweep of extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, including major concepts and common jargon, 2) to develop detailed applications of physics, particularly mechanics, to galaxies and cosmology, 3) to gain exploratory experience in observational astronomy.
Students design and undertake two projects from a selection including: observational studies of the cosmic microwave background radiation, molecules in interstellar clouds, the rotation of the galaxy, galactic molecular sources with the submillimeter array (SMA), stars and clusters with the Clay Telescope; and laboratory experiments including super-conducting submillimeter detectors, x-ray CCDs, and hard x-ray imaging detectors and telescopes.
Topics include: review of special relativity, physics in curved spacetimes, the Einstein field equations, gravitational lensing, black holes, gravitational waves and cosmology. Mathematics used in general relativity will be introduced along the way
Description: The 1960s were the early glory days of space exploration, driven by the space race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., the Apollo program , and the successful Moon landings. After this heroic decade, space exploration lost a great deal of its impetus. Yet, very recently, there are clear signs of a reemerging dynamic in space exploration, now characterized by both the emergence of new players and new fields of exploration. This course introduces the students to a comprehensive array of diverse topics. These range from the history and sociology of space exploration to space law and space policy, from the space economy to the physical, astronomical, and engineering basics of space exploration.
Description: The physical model describing the initial conditions, evolution, and ultimate fate of the Universe. Topics include cosmic dynamics; the Robertson-Walker Metric; curvature; estimating cosmological parameters; the accelerating universe; dark matter; gravitational lensing; the cosmic microwave background; nucleosynthesis; inflation and the very early universe; formation of structure. Note: Offered in alternate years.
Course Profile: This course provides (1) an introduction to the physical processes in stars and the evolution of stars that leads to the observed properties of stars; (2) a study of the final endpoints of stellar evolution including the nature and production of white dwarf stars, neutron stars, and black holes; (3) an introduction to the properties of galaxies, galactic dynamics, and star formation in galaxies, and (4) the cosmological model that accounts for the presently observed chemical composition of galaxies and stars, and for the presently observed dynamical structures of the Universe. Throughout this course, students will analyze, synthesize, and evaluate astronomical data and concepts.
Course Profile: Astronomy 102 is the laboratory associated with Astronomy 101 – Introductory Astronomy.#N#Laboratory exercises include observations of the sun, moon, and daytime astronomical activity. Indoor exercises#N#include analyzing stellar spectra, exploring the celestial sphere, and astronomical photographic analysis. More#N#specifically, the laboratory activities in AY 102 are designed to explore the following subjects: 1 The appearance of the sky and the yearly path of the Sun 2 Properties of lenses and telescopes 3 Measuring distances to stars using parallax 4 Lunar surface features 5 Light spectra; analyzing the Sun’s spectrum 6 The Sun and solar activity 7 The orbital motions of planets in our Solar System 8 Stellar brightness and stellar spectral types 9 The distribution of globular star clusters in our galaxy 10 Observations of our Milky Way galaxy 11 Galaxies and clusters of galaxies 12 Galaxy motions and the expansion of the Universe
AY 204 and AY 206 take 2 semesters to cover the same topics as AY 101 does in 1 semester. AY 204. and AY 206 also use more math (algebra and trigonometry) to enrich the subject further. AY 204 can also be. combined with AY 203 (Observational Astronomy) to satisfy the N requirement of the University Core Curriculum.
Course Profile: “Life in the Universe” is a survey of the new and rapidly developing interdisciplinary science of Astrobiology for the non-science major. This science brings the tools of astronomy and biology, as well as geology and chemistry, to attempt to answer questions like: How did life start on the Earth? Did life start elsewhere in our Galaxy? If there is life on other planets, how would we recognize it?
What is astrobiology? Astrobiology is an exciting, new, interdisciplinary field studying life in the Universe, covering the broad topics of origin, distribution, and evolution (both past and future) of life throughout our universe. Astrobiology seeks to answer the questions:
While there is currently no formally listed undergraduate prerequisite, preparation at the equivalent of MATH 238, Applied Differential Equations 1 , is expected for undergraduates. It would also help undergraduates to have taken at least AY 101, Introductory Astronomy for non-science majors, or, preferably, AY 204 and 206, Introductory Astronomy for science majors. For graduate students, no prior astronomy courses are expected.
Course Profile: This course is intended to facilitate a fairly complete understanding of stars, including their structure, evolution (formation, stages of burning, end states), synthesis of elements, and the physical processes involved in each of these, as well as introduce the modern computational modeling techniques used to apply stellar physics to stars. For astronomy students, this course will provide the background necessary to understand the underlying principles of stellar processes and modeling as they are used both in ongoing research into stellar physics and phenomena and in support of other areas of astronomical research where stellar populations, products and processes are important. In a broader context, relevant for any physics student, this course will discuss how understanding the physical principles in fluids dynamics, high-density materials, heat transfer, plasma physics, nuclear structure, and nuclear processes are assembled into our modern understanding of how stellar objects behave, and how the study of stars pushes the frontier of understanding in these areas of physics.
Course Profile: This course provides (1) an introduction to the physical processes in stars and the evolution of stars that leads to the observed properties of stars; (2) a study of the final endpoints of stellar evolution including the nature and production of white dwarf stars, neutron stars, and black holes; (3) an introduction to the properties of galaxies, galactic dynamics, and star formation in galaxies, and (4) the cosmological model that accounts for the presently observed chemical composition of galaxies and stars, and for the presently observed dynamical structures of the Universe. Throughout this course, students will analyze, synthesize, and evaluate astronomical data and concepts.
Course Profile: Astronomy 102 is the laboratory associated with Astronomy 101 – Introductory Astronomy.#N#Laboratory exercises include observations of the sun, moon, and daytime astronomical activity. Indoor exercises#N#include analyzing stellar spectra, exploring the celestial sphere, and astronomical photographic analysis. More#N#specifically, the laboratory activities in AY 102 are designed to explore the following subjects: 1 The appearance of the sky and the yearly path of the Sun 2 Properties of lenses and telescopes 3 Measuring distances to stars using parallax 4 Lunar surface features 5 Light spectra; analyzing the Sun’s spectrum 6 The Sun and solar activity 7 The orbital motions of planets in our Solar System 8 Stellar brightness and stellar spectral types 9 The distribution of globular star clusters in our galaxy 10 Observations of our Milky Way galaxy 11 Galaxies and clusters of galaxies 12 Galaxy motions and the expansion of the Universe
AY 204 and AY 206 take 2 semesters to cover the same topics as AY 101 does in 1 semester. AY 204. and AY 206 also use more math (algebra and trigonometry) to enrich the subject further. AY 204 can also be. combined with AY 203 (Observational Astronomy) to satisfy the N requirement of the University Core Curriculum.
Course Profile: “Life in the Universe” is a survey of the new and rapidly developing interdisciplinary science of Astrobiology for the non-science major. This science brings the tools of astronomy and biology, as well as geology and chemistry, to attempt to answer questions like: How did life start on the Earth? Did life start elsewhere in our Galaxy? If there is life on other planets, how would we recognize it?
What is astrobiology? Astrobiology is an exciting, new, interdisciplinary field studying life in the Universe, covering the broad topics of origin, distribution, and evolution (both past and future) of life throughout our universe. Astrobiology seeks to answer the questions:
While there is currently no formally listed undergraduate prerequisite, preparation at the equivalent of MATH 238, Applied Differential Equations 1 , is expected for undergraduates. It would also help undergraduates to have taken at least AY 101, Introductory Astronomy for non-science majors, or, preferably, AY 204 and 206, Introductory Astronomy for science majors. For graduate students, no prior astronomy courses are expected.
Course Profile: This course is intended to facilitate a fairly complete understanding of stars, including their structure, evolution (formation, stages of burning, end states), synthesis of elements, and the physical processes involved in each of these, as well as introduce the modern computational modeling techniques used to apply stellar physics to stars. For astronomy students, this course will provide the background necessary to understand the underlying principles of stellar processes and modeling as they are used both in ongoing research into stellar physics and phenomena and in support of other areas of astronomical research where stellar populations, products and processes are important. In a broader context, relevant for any physics student, this course will discuss how understanding the physical principles in fluids dynamics, high-density materials, heat transfer, plasma physics, nuclear structure, and nuclear processes are assembled into our modern understanding of how stellar objects behave, and how the study of stars pushes the frontier of understanding in these areas of physics.