Physics  427       INTRODUCTION  TO  aSTROPHYSICS       Course Outline

       V.  SEMESTER SCHEDULE    (HW assignments still under revision)                                    

                Class meets at 12:00-12:50 pm in C261 ESC

WK#

DATE
(2008)

 TOPIC Figures,
 Tables,
 Images		 SUPPL RDG (pp.) HW ASSGN DUE*
1  W Sep  3

 Nomenclature, Data Sources, Catalogs, Astronomical Literature, Simbad

 0-7

-

      
 F Sep  5

 Simbad, Astronomical Literature, Coordinate Systems

 8-12

3-21

      
2  M Sep  8

 Spherical Trigonometry

 13

1
 W Sep 10

 No Class 

      
 F Sep 12 Stellar Positions

 Time Systems and Seasons

 14-23  

2
3  M Sep 15

 Coordinate Precession:  Exact Method and
 Approximate Methods

 24-29

15-16

3
 W Sep 17  
 F Sep 19  
4  M Sep 22

 Chandler Wobble, Refraction

 30-35  

3½
 W Sep 24

 Stellar Aberration

 36  

4
 F Sep 26

 Trigonometric Parallaxes, Parallactic and Proper Motion

 37-43

63-65

  
5  M Sep 29  Stellar Motions: Radial, Transverse & Space Velocities, Moving-Cluster π

39-44

18-21, 126-130, 960-964

  
 W Oct  1  Statistical Parallaxes, Luminosities:  Apparent & Absolute Magnitudes

45-51

65-69

5
 F Oct  3  Magnitudes, Flux Densities, Luminosities, Color Indices

52-53

82-87

6
6  M Oct  6  Effects of Interstellar Absorption:  Extinction and Reddening

54-55

265-268, 437-442

  
 W Oct  8  Stellar Spectral Classification

56-65

223-240

 
 F Oct 10   The H-R Diagram, Measures of Stellar Temperature

66-75

223-250

7
7  M Oct 13

 
 W Oct 15

 The Stellar Luminosity Function

 76-81

1044-1046

  
 F Oct 17  
8  M Oct 20

 
 W Oct 22

 Telescopes

  Primary Functions, Light-Gathering Power

82-84

  

8
 Θ Oct 23

M I D T E R M   E X A M I N A T I O N ( in Testing Center)

Midterm
 F Oct 24

 Telescopes
 (continued)

  Image and Apparent Surface Brightness, Plate Scale   159-197  
9  M Oct 27

 Angular Resolution, Seeing

85-86

  
 W Oct 29

 Magnification, Refractors, Aberrations

87-91

  
 F Oct 31  Reflector Designs, Aberrations, Observatory Sites

92-108

  
10  M Nov  3  Schmidt Telescopes, Radio Telescopes

109-117

  
 W Nov  5  Spectrographs  Basic Designs, Performance Characteristics

118-121

129

 
 F Nov  7  Speed

122-124

  
11  M Nov 10  Diffraction Gratings

125-128

9
 W Nov 12
 F Nov 14  
12  M Nov 17

 Detectors  

  The Eye, Photographic Emulsions

129-135

  

10
 W Nov 19  Photon-Counting Statistics

136-138

  
 F Nov 21  CCDs

139

  

11
13  M Nov 24

 Basic Equations of
 Astrophysics

  Introduction, Black-body Radiation

140

 223-240

 
 T Nov 25  The Boltzmann Equation

141-142

12
 W Nov 26 - F Nov 28

T H A N K S G I V I N G   H O L I D A Y

 
14  M Dec  1  Basic Equations of
 Astrophysics
 		  The Boltzmann Equation

141-142

    
 W Dec  3  The Maxwellian Kinematic Distributions 143-145   13
 F Dec  5  The Saha Equation
 Applications of the Boltzmann & Saha Equations		 146    
15  M Dec 8    
 W Dec 10  Calculations of Pe(Pg,T ) 147-148   14
 F Dec 12 - S Dec 13

E X A M   P R E P A R A T I O N   D A Y S

  
16  W Dec 17 F I N A L   E X A M I N A T I O N   (2:30 pm - 5:30 pm) Final

*Additional problem assignments may be added to this schedule as the semester progresses.