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Lecture
1: Overview
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| Astronomy
101/103 |
Terry
Herter, Cornell University
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Astronomy
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The
search unity of knowledge in our universe.
Some
of the topics to be examined include:
- Protostars
& normal stars
- Galaxies
& quasars
- The
possibility of life on other worlds
- White
dwarfs, neutron stars & black holes
- The
origin and fate of universe
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Course
Structure
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| Lecture: |
MWF
11:15 - 12:05 |
| Section: |
Once
per week |
| Lab
(A103) |
Every
other week (5 labs total) |
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Lecture
Notes on
Web
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http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/sources/astro101/astro101.htm
You
will also find there:
- Section
and lab locations
- TA
contact information and office hours
- Weekly
reading assignments
- Class
announcements
Most
lecture info will be found on the we, but not all! Come
to class for additional examples, exam hints, etc.
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Course
Objectives
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The
objectives of this course are:
- To
learn astronomy
- To
understand and apply the scientific method
- To
practice critical thinking
- To
learn physics
- To
gain perspective about ourselves and planet eart
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Scientific
Thinking
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Scientific
investigation is requires you to:
| Critical
thinking involves revising your assumptions
if they are wrong. The objective is not to
prove a hypothesis, but to test the
hypothesis. |
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Course
Philosopy
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Our
objective is to teach you astronomy not just about astronomy.
| "Tell
me and I will forget; show me and I may remember;
involve me and I will understand." |
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-
Chinese Proverb
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Motivation
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Why
are you taking this course?
- You
are really interested in astronomy.
- You
need to fulfil a science distribution requirement -- and
this course looked the easiet.
- ...We
want to motivate you and get you interested if you happen
to be in the 2nd category.
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A101
vs.
A103
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Either
A101 or A103 will count as a science distribution in the
College of Arts and Sciences
Last
day to change from A101 to A103 is September 17th.
| To
change you must drop A101 and add
A103 (or visa versa) with an add/drop form. |
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Add/Drop
Procedures
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Adding
and/or dropping the course is now done online. Please
follow the instructions carefully and note the college
deadlines for these actions.
To
change from A101 to A103 or visa versa, you must drop
the course then add the new one.
Any
questions regarding registration for A101/A103 lecture,
sections, or labs should be directed to:
Sherry
Falletta
610 Space Sciences Building
Phone: 255-6920
Hours: 8:30 - 11:00, 1:00 - 3:30
Office
is closed Labor day.
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Student
Performance
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You
will be rewarded with a better grade if you take the time
to study and understand the material.
The
homework assignments and practice exams are designed to
help you prepare for the prelims and final exam.
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Getting
Around
in Space
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The
velocity of light is the ultimate speed limit.
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Velocity
of Light =
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186,000
miles/sec |
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300,000
km/sec |
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It
is the fastest way for information to get to us.
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Light
Travel
Times
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Light
can be a guage of how large space is. Let's look at the
time it take for light to travel over different distances.
| Earth-Moon |
1
second |
| Sun-Earth |
8
minutes |
| Sun-Pluto |
6.5
hours |
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| Sun-Alpha
Centauri |
4.3
years |
| Sun-Galactic
Center |
35,000
years |
| Sun-Andromeda
Galaxy |
2,200,000
years |
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The Light
Year
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A
light year is the distance travel in one year.
- One
light year (ly) = 9.5x1012 km
Traveling
at 65 mph, it would take 10 million years to go 1 LY.
To
travel to Alpha Centauri at this rate would take 44 million
years!
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Scientific
Notation
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Scientific
notation allow representation of very small and very large
numbers.
Examples
of scientific notation are given below
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0.001
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=
10-3 |
0.005
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=
5x10-3 |
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0.1
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=
10-1 |
0.5
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=
5x10-1 |
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1.0
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=
100 |
5.0
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=
5x100 |
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100.0
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=
102 |
500.0
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=
5x102 |
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What's
Out
There
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The
universe contains many types of objects. To name a few that
we will discuss over the semester
- Planets
(and us)
- "Stars"
- Protostars,
normal starts, red giants, white dwarfs, black holes,
etc.
- Interstellar
clouds of gas and dust
- "Galaxies"
- Quasars
and ultraluminous galaxies
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Slide Show
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If
time we will have a brief slide show
From
the Milky Way ... to distant galaxies.
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