Physics 2151: Stellar Astronomy & Astrophysics

Physics 2151 will be offered in the Winter Term of 2012. This course and its sister course, Earth Science 2150: The Solar System, are usually offered in alternate years.   

Physics 2151 is an introductory astronomy course with no physics prerequisites. A knowledge of high school-level algebra is assumed.

Topics covered include: the Sun, stars and stellar evolution, white dwarfs, black holes, supernovae, the interstellar medium, the Milky Way galaxy, clusters of galaxies, and Big Bang cosmology. Other discussions may include astronomy vs. astrology and extraterrestrial life.

With the planned opening of the Grenfell Observatory, it is expected that there will be chances to use its 60 cm telescope. More information will be given in class.

Instructor:

Dr. Douglas Forbes

Office: AS 376

Phone: 637-6295

E-Mail: dforbes at grenfell dot mun dot ca

Text:

Stars and Galaxies (8th Edition, 2012), by Backman & Seeds

Other Resources:

Check out the Astronomy links on this website.

Find out about the new Grenfell Campus Observatory!

Here is a link to a free planetarium program:

• Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors.

Course Outline:

Marking Scheme winter 2012: 

The Observing Project:

As a significant portion of your class grade (20 %), you will be asigned to a group of three or four students. Together you will choose an object from a list to observe with the new Grenfell telescope and analyse the images using image processing software to highlight a particular scientific aspect of the object. Your results will be presented in a poster that you and your group will design and display towards the end of the term.  More details will be given in an early lecture.

Policy on late assignments and missed tests:

Please be aware that all assignments are due on the date given. Any assignment received after the due date will be returned with a mark of zero (0). Missed quizzes will also receive a mark of zero. Anyone who is prevented by illness or bereavement or other acceptable cause, duly authenticated, from completing an assignment or writing a test, may request an exemption from this policy.

Your attention is drawn to University regulations governing academic offences, particularly plagiarism. Anyone found guilty of an academic offence can expect, at the very least, to receive a mark of zero for the work in question.

Outside Reading:

You will find a reasonably good selection of books on astronomy and related topics in the Ferriss Hodgett Library on campus. The main astronomy titles are to be found in the QB section. Some related titles will be found in the neighbouring physics and earth sciences stacks. There are also some astronomy titles in the QB section of the reference stacks - most of the star atlases are kept there. The Campus library also carries periodicals like Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Scientific American, New Scientist, among others, which often feature articles and up-to-date- reports on astronomy. Also, there are nearly an infinite number of astronomy-related sites on the Internet.

Also see The Bookshelf page, elsewhere in the Physics site.

Astronomy on the Web:

A short list of astronomy links can be found within this web site. A good starting place is Portal to the Universe.

Below are some Canadian observatories and research centres. Check them out and find out what Canadian astronomers are doing to explore the universe !

Burke-Gaffney Observatory, Halifax, NS

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), Hawaii

Canadian Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), Toronto

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO), Victoria, BC

Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, Penticton, BC

The Gemini 8m Telescopes Project

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

Mont Mégantic Observatory, Quebec