Astro 150: Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology

Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology

Astro 150: Spring 2013

Prof. Steve Kawaler

In Astro 150, an introductory course in modern astronomy for non-scientists, we begin by understanding the motions, distances, sizes, and spectra of stars. We explore how they are born, and the changes they go through as they run out of fuel and die. This brings us to supernovae, neutron stars, and black holes. We then step outwards and explore the structure and evolution of our own Milky Way Galaxy, and the billions and billions of other galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and bizarre active galaxies and quasars. We investigate current theories of cosmology, the origin and structure of the Universe, and the Big Bang, and finish with a brief discussion of the possiblities of intelligent life in the Universe beyond Earth.

A poem...

Announcements

Exam 3 (Final): Friday, May 10, 2013. 9:45-11:45 in this room
Projects: were due in class on Thursday, May 2.
Ames Area Amateur Astronomers (i.e. AAAA) has a monthly star party at McFarland Park. Click for details.

"Everyday" things from class...

Electronic versions of the lecture notes
Course Info
Course outline
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Reading Assignments
Useful links...
Help Room Hours for Astro 150 have been set
Prof. Kawaler is available during office hours from 3:00-5:00 on most Thursdays, in A323 Zaffarano Hall.
Bert Pablo and Frank Krennrich are also available - feel free to contact them directly to set up a time.

Older items

Click here for information on the term project option available to Astro 150 students to add up to an additional 15 points on your lowest exam score.
Project topics needed to be approved by Prof. Kawaler by Tuesday, April 16.
- Projects are due by the last day of class: May 2
- Projects are OPTIONAL - even if you've had a topic approved, there is not penalty for not handing it in
- Once your topic is approved, check Blackboard to confirm that the topic is entered in your grade record.
- Projects on topics that have not been approved will not get any credit.
Reading prior to recitation on 4/3 on dark matter in galaxies.
Outdoor Observing Session: Thursday, April 4, 9PM. The star party on the rooftop had a nice, clear night! Here's what we looked at:
- Castor - bright double star in Gemini
- Jupiter and three moons, with Europa emerging from eclipse at 9:45
- M42 - the Great Nebula in Orion
- some UFOs against which our lasers were ineffective
- M35 - an open cluster in Gemini
- M81 and M82 - two interacting galaxies in Ursa Major
- M51 - the Whirlpool Galaxy - toughest target of the night. I saw it at least...
A quick fly-through of the Local Group of galaxies
New simulation of spiral arm formation/evolution in galaxies
A very blue nebula on Astronomy Picture of the Day
Exam 2: Thursday, March 28:
- Here is the essay for Exam 2
- Here are the topics to be covered in the exam
- Here's a sample set of multiple choice questions... and here are the answers
OBAFGKM Contest: A new mnemonic for the spectral sequence O,B,A,F,G,K,M (or M,K,G,F,A,B,O)! Entries were due by end of the day on Thursday, March 7. Here are the winners from this and previous years
Homework 5: is due in recitation Wednesday, March 13. Please read this article on the development of the idea of stellar nucelosynthesis. Answer questions number 2 and 3 in 1 page or less, and hand in at recitation on 3/13.
A radio interview I did with Iowa Public Radio on a tiny planet orbiting another star - latest Kepler results
Danger from space! Early this morning (Feb 15) a meteorite strike in Russa produced the first large--scale set of injuries and property damage from a falling space rock in modern history. This is just a tiny fall compared to what the Earth has experienced in the geologically recent past. And, it is entirely unrelated to the passage this afternoon of a 150-foot asteroid within 17,500 miles of the Earth's surface.
EXAM 1 was Thursday, February 14, in class
- here is a sample set of multiple choice questions
  and here are the answers
- topics for Exam 1
- Here is the essay question
Homework 2: You should have read this article before recitation last week. Note the questions at the end - these were due in Lecture on Tuesday, February 12.
A solar flare on February 6, 2013
I claim this sun for GYAAHHH
A New Zealand moonrise
The Ballad of Tycho Brahe: Original sung to the theme of Underdog (the cartoon).
- A hip-hop version done as a final project a few years ago can be heard here as an mp3; thanks to Eric Cesar and John Askew.
Here are a few links capturing some of the main themes for the class...
- The Most Astounding Fact explained by Neil de Grasse Tyson
- Pale Blue Dot
and a few just for fun:
- So why is the sky blue?
- Getting it right...
A timeline for the Earth. (1/15)
Another way to view the scales of the Universe via XKCD.com

Other things of note for the course

A word about the textbook for this class:

The text boof for this class is Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology, which is Volume 2 of The Cosmic Perspective.
click for a bigger version

You may instaead want to buy the complete The Cosmic Perspective, as the complete version includes the contents of Volume 1 - on the Solar System.
click for a bigger version

Playlist of songs

Back to Steve Kawaler's page

Back to ISU Astronomy