PHYS134 - Astronomy Fundamentals

Introduction

Lecturer: Dr Andrew Newsam, Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool JMU.

I may be contacted either in Room 334 of the Oliver Lodge Building, in my main office at Twelve Quays House, Birkenhead, via email on amn@astro.livjm.ac.uk, or via telephone on 0151 231 2909.

Aims & Learning Objectives

The Department's aims for the module are:

• To provide students with a broad introduction to astronomy;
• To introduce students to the methods by which astronomers measure the brightness and distance of astronomical objects.

At the end of the module the student should have:

• A basic knowledge of the structure and constituents of the universe ranging in scale from the solar system to clusters of galaxies;
• The ability to outline methods which astronomers employ to gather and analyse data;
• An understanding of the techniques of measurement of brightness and distance of astronomical objects.

Syllabus

Overview

The Earth in space; motion of the planets; the Sun, stars and galaxies; the scale of the universe.

Instrumentation

Telescopes: refractors versus reflectors, types of mount, foci, image scale, ground versus space etc; Detectors: photometers, photography, the CCD. Introduction to imaging and spectroscopy.

Measurement of brightness & distance

The magnitude system. The Hertzprung-Russell diagram. The distance ladder: radar, parallax, RR Lyraes, Cepheid variables, the Hubble relation etc.

Issues in contemporary astronomy

For example: galaxies; the big bang and the fate of the universe; the missing mass problem.

Assessment

This will be by a one and a quarter hour written examination at the end of the semester (worth 90%) and for satisfactory submission of the solutions to the three problem sheets (worth 10%).

The examination will have two equally weighted compulsory questions. The first will comprise many short parts covering a broad range of aspects of the module. The second will have internal choice between two parts.

Lectures & Examples Classes

We have 3 one hour slots on Wednesday 11-12, 12-13 and Thursday 10-11 each week for the first six weeks of the semester.

During the course I will hand out three problem sheets which you should work through and hand in. Marked work will be returned and the solutions presented and discussed in the next lecture slot. The table below lays out the approximate schedule for problem sheets, although this may be changed as the course progresses.

Hand-out date	Hand-in date	Discussion in class
Thu 3/2	Thu 10/2	Wed 16/2
Thu 10/2	Thu 17/2	Wed 23/2
Thu 17/2	Thu 24/2	Wed 2/3

These problem sheets are very important as, apart from training you in analytical skills, they also form part of the assessment and provide practise at some of the types of questions that may come up in the examination.

Recommended Textbook

There are many introductory textbooks on astronomy & astrophysics. For example:

• Universe, R.A. Freedman & W.J. Kaufmann, Freeman
• Universe: Origins & Evolution, Snow & Brownsberger, ITP
• The Dynamic Universe, T.P. Snow, West.
• The Physical Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy, F.H. Shu, University science books
• Observational Astrophysics, R.C. Smith, Cambridge University Press

Of these, if you were to purchase just one book, I would recommend Universe by Freedman and Kaufmann.

Outline notes and diagrams will be provided in lectures. You should be prepared to expand on them during the lecture. Fuller notes can be found on this website and you should consult these. Access to many other astronomical resources can be found from the links page.