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Astronomy 1001 Stars and Galaxies (Introductory Astronomy Part 2)

Astronomy 1001 Stars and Galaxies (Introductory Astronomy Part 2).

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Astronomy 1001 Stars and Galaxies (Introductory Astronomy Part 2)

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  1. Astronomy 1001Stars and Galaxies(Introductory Astronomy Part 2) An introduction to astronomy beyond the solar system for non-science students. Topics include: the Sun as a star, stars and star clusters, stellar evolution, nebulae, the Milky Way, galaxies and galaxy clusters, active galaxies, cosmology. Homework consists of bi-weekly assignments and labs, some of which require the use of the Burke-Gaffney Observatory.

  2. Lecture 1. Key Points 1. Layout of the course. 2. Astronomy as a science. 3. Examples of astronomy in everyday life. 4. The scale of the universe. Distance = Time. 5. Science versus pseudoscience. Is the concept testable? 6. Getting started. Learn your way around the night sky. http://www.ap.smu.ca/~turner/A1001.html

  3. 1. Layout Course textbook: 21st Century Astronomy Hester, Smith, Blumenthal, Kay, Voss Read… read… read… read… read… Assignments/Lab Exercises (biweekly) 25% Mid-term Test (February) 25% Final Examination (April) 50% Observing Projects* 20% Total Grade 100% * Can replace portion of grade from any other component of final grade.

  4. 2. Astronomy as a Science Science versus pseudoscience: is the concept testable: falsifiable? E.g. astrology, Van Daniken, Velikovsky… Much of what is depicted in the Star Trek and Star Wars shows is actually unrealistic and contradicts basic laws of physics, but so is a lot of what is displayed in most action movies.

  5. 3. Examples of Astronomy in Everyday Life Van Gogh’s Starry Night Over Rhone 1888

  6. The beginnings…Perfect Numbers? The beginnings…Perfect Numbers?

  7. A perfect number is the sum of its proper positive divisors, e.g.6 = 1 + 2 + 3 = 1  2  328 = 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14= 1  2  14= 1  4  7Very few perfect numbers exist.6, 28, 496, 8128, 33,550,336, 8,589,869,056

  8. 28 is close to the length in days of the Moon’s phases (29½ days).6 is the basis for many different numbers we use every day: 24 hour day, 6-sided die, 360° circle, etc.

  9. Ordering the Planets Outwards Object Motion relative to the Stars Stars infinite Saturn 29.30 years Jupiter 11.86 years Mars 1.88 years Sun 365¼ days Venus 225 days Mercury 88 days Moon 27½ days

  10. Saturn governs the 1st hour of the 1st day, Jupiter the 2nd hour, Mars the 3rd hour, etc., and Mars the 24th hour. The Sun then governs the 1st hour of the 2nd day, the Moon the 1st hour of the 3rd day, Mars the 1st hour of the 4th day, Mercury the 1st hour of the 5th day, Jupiter the 1st hour of the 6th day, and Venus the 1st hour of the 7th day. The days of the week are therefore: Saturn-day Sun-day Moon-day Mars-day Mercury-day Jupiter-day Venus-day

  11. What examples can you think of?

  12. 4. The Scale of the Universe The speed of light in a vacuum is a constant speed of ~300,000 km/s. The speed of light is the maximum speed that anything can travel. The distance that light travels in one year is referred to as a light year, and it is a measure of distancenot time. Earth – Moon = 1¼ light second Earth – Sun = 8½ light minutes Earth – Neptune = 8¼ light hours Earth – Proxima Centauri = 4 light years Earth – Milky Way Centre = 26½ thousand l.y. Earth – Andromeda Galaxy = 2½ million l.y. Earth – UGC 3378 (SN 2010LT) = 250 million l.y.

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