Astronomy 2: Overview of the Universe

Fall 2013



Lectures:

You will be able to download some of my lecture notes and outlines from here.  Do not expect to use these as a substitute for coming to class.   They are my own lecture notes and do not contain most of the details you will get by coming to class.  They may be useful to you as an outline of what was/will be covered in lecture.  


Week 1 (Sept 26), Introduction (Our Place in the Cosmos) - Chapter 1 (1.1-1.4): wk1.pptx
Week 2 (Oct 1, 3), Motion of the Earth, Celestial Sphere - Chapter 2 (2.2, 2.3, and part of 2.4), Chapter S1 (S1.1, S1.2): wk2.pdf and wk2 iclicker quizzes with the correct answers marked.
Week 3 (Oct 8, 10), Moon Phases, Eclipses; Kepler's Laws, Planetary Motion; Light; Atoms - Chapter 2 (2.3-2.4), Chapter 3 (3.3), parts of Chapters 4 and 5: wk3.ppt
Week 4 (Oct 15, 17), Special and General Relativity; Quasars and AGNs; Black Holes, Hawking Radiation - Chapter S2, Chapter S3, Chapter 18.3, Chapter 21.3: wk4.ppt
Week 5 (Oct 22, 24; Midterm #1 exam on Oct 24), Review of weeks 1-4: wk5.ppt
Week 6 (Oct 29, 31), Cosmology: Expansion, History and Fate of the Universe; Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation - Chapters 20.3, 22.4, 23: wk6.ppt
Week 7 (Nov 5, 7), Early Universe; Milky Way galaxy; Galaxy Morphological Types - Chapter 19.1, Chapter 20.1: wk7.ppt
Week 8 (Nov 12, 14; Midterm #2 exam on Nov 14), SEE WEEK 7 NOTES ABOVE!
Week 9 (Nov 19, 21), Large-Scale Distribution of Galaxies; Birth, Evolution, and Death of Stars - Chapter 22.3, Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 18: wk9.ppt (part 1) and wk9.ppt (part 2)
Week 10 (Nov 26; No class on Nov 28 - Thanksgiving holiday), Review of weeks 1-9 (no new lecture notes and no i>clickers quizzes this week)
Week 11 (Dec 3, 5), Interstellar Medium; Dark Matter - Chapter 19.2, Chapters 22: wk11.ppt


I>clicker Quizzes (*** TO BE POSTED AT THE END OF CLASSES, JUST BEFORE FINALS ***):
 
Click here for the full set of i>clicker quizzes that we have done in class through the term, with the correct answer indicated in each case.