Outline

Phy 305 – Introduction to Astrophysics – Spring 2013

  • Celestial Mechanics (R&P Chapters 1–4)
    • Earth, Moon, Sun
    • Precession, Phases, Eclipses
    • Solar time, Analemma
    • Coordinate Systems, Celestial Sphere
    • History
    • Orbital Mechanics, Kepler's Laws
  • Radiation and Matter (R&P Chapters 5–6)
    • EM waves, Photons, Atoms
    • Emission, Absorption, Line Profile
    • Thermodynamic Equilibrium
    • Blackbody Radiation
    • Observation and Telescopes
  • The Solar System (R&P Chapters 8–12)
    • The Sun
    • The Planets, Moons, Asteroids, TNO
    • Exoplanets
  • Stars (R&P Chapters 13–15, 17–18)
    • Properties of Stars, Classification
    • Stellar Interiors
    • Stellar Evolution
    • White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, Black Holes
  • Galaxies (R&P Chapters 19–20, 22)
    • Properties of Galaxies, Classification, Distances
    • Dynamics of Galaxies
    • Dark Matter
    • Evolution of Galaxies
  • Cosmology (R&P Chapters 23–24)
    • Hubble Law
    • The Evolution of the Universe
    • The Big Bang