Astronomy 221: Stars and Planets
Instructor: Heather Morrison,
hlm5@cwru.edu, Sears 558, phone 368 6698
Teaching assistant: Zhibo (Real) Ma, Sears 553
Admininistrative stuff: grading scheme, textbook
Class calendar:
Problem Set 1: due in class, Tuesday Sept 2
Problem Set 2: due 5pm Friday Sept 12, with solutions
First in-class test Thursday Sept 18: Formation of solar system,
Kepler/Newtons' laws, orbits.
Problem Set 3: due in class, Thurs Sept 25
Second in-class test, Thursday Oct 2. Meteorites, asteroids, the
Earth's structure, material
on problem set 3. Class notes from Sept 9 thru Sept 18.
The three weeks before fall break (Sept 30 thru Oct 16) will be taught
by Prof. Mihos.
Problem Set 4: due
in class October 23
Problem Set 5: due 5pm November 7.
Third in-class test on Thursday Nov 13. Covers material in class from
September 25 to the end of fall break.
Problem Set 6: due 5pm November 26.
Problem Set 7: due midday December 11.
Course Outline:
1. THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Overview of the Formation of the Solar System
Aug 26 notes
Physical Processes: Orbits. Kepler and Newton's Laws. Energy and escape velocity
Applets
illustrating Kepler's laws
Meteorites and Asteroids: Composition, dating, orbits, origins.
Sept 9 notes
Halley's comet from Giotto spacecraft
Physical Processes: Radiation Pressure.
The Earth: internal structure,
temperature and pressure, plate tectonics and
seismology.
Physical Processes: Gravity vs Pressure. Earth's
Atmosphere: origin and retention.
The Moon: structure and formation
Physical Processes: Giant Impacts
Simulation
and movie of the formation of the Moon
Prof
Mihos' 221 notes can be found here
3. ASTRONOMICAL TECHNIQUES
Oct 28: Telescopes and detectors
2. STARS: PHYSICS AND LIFE CYCLES
Oct 30: Measuring distances to stars
Physical Processes: Blackbody Radiation
Nov 4:
Stars: colors and magnitudes
Nov 6: Stellar spectra and the H-R diagram
Nov 11: Stars - measuring mass and size. Binary
stars. The Sun -- radiative transfer
Nov 13: The Sun -- nuclear fusion reactions, hydrostatic equilibrium.
Nov 18: The interstellar medium and star formation
Nov 20:
Star formation, pre- main sequence
evolution
Nov 25: Stellar evolution for low mass
stars.
Nov 27: Evolution for higher-mass stars.
Dec 2: Neutron stars.
Dec 4:
Black holes, relativity and the metric
How did it happen? What constraints do we have? Reading: Kutner
Section 27.1
Aug 28 notes
Sept 2 notes
Sept 2 notes
Sept 4 notes
Minor planet center animations