ASTRONOMY 3500: Fundamentals of Astronomy

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ASTRONOMY 3500Fundamentals ofAstronomy
Astrophysics
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Introductions

• 1. Who are you?
• 2. Why are you here?
• 3. What is your background?
• 4. What do you hope to learn?

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Setting up the Course

• 1. syllabus
• 2. equation sheet
• 3. book
• 4. www.chara.gsu.edu/thenry/ASTR3500

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Possible Topics

• dynamics / astrometry
• amounts of light / photometry
• flavors of light / spectroscopy
• sizes of astronomical objects
• cosmic distance scale

• Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
• stellar evolution
• extreme stars
• baryonic composition of the Universe
• stellar embers (WD/NS/BH)

• our Milky Way
• galaxies
• Big Bang
• history/future of the Universe
• dark matter/energy

• our Solar System
• terrestrial planets
• gas/ice giant planets
• asteroids/KBOs/comets
• other solar systems

• life on Earth
• life in the Solar System
• life in the Universe
• SETI
• Planet Earth

• telescopes
• astronomical instrumentation
• past/current spacecraft
• future spacecraft
• human space flight

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Solar System Inventory

• stars
• planets
• moons
• ring systems
• minor planets
• Kuiper Belt Objects
• comets
• and

• 1
• 8
• 165 (as of 2009 JAN 11)
• 41
• 436,000a (as of 2008 DEC 12)
• 1,300 (as of 2009 JAN 11)
• 152,000b (as of 2008 DEC 15)
• dust
• a with orbits
• b periodic and numbered

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Nomenclature

• terrestrials
• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
• many moons
• jovians
• gas giants
• Jupiter, Saturn
• ice giants
• Uranus, Neptune
• minor planets
• asteroids
• Centaurs
• Kuiper Belt Objects
• Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs)
• Plutinos
• Scattered Disk Objects (SDOs)
• comets

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Solar Family
How are they different?
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Planet Orbits
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The 4 Giants
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The 7 Dwarfs ( interlopers)
X
X
X
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Homework 1
How many Solar Systems placed end-to-end would it
take to stretch to the nearest star (other than
our Sun)? a. What is meant by Solar
System? b. What is the nearest star? c.
Where can I find the best distance to it? DUE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15