Physics 681: Introduction to Astronomy – Lecture 1 Carsten Denker NJIT Physics Department Center for Solar–Terrestrial Research

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Class Organization  Textbook: Astronomy - A Beginner's Guide to the Universe, Chaisson and McMillan, Prentice Hall, 2004  Time: Wednesday and Friday, 11:30 am - 12:55 am, Room KUPF 108  Office Hours: Open-door policy, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Room Tiernan Hall T101D   No homework assignments!  Grades: Two in-class exams (30% each) and final exam (40%)  Syllabus:  Two optional Observing Sessions (TBA)  Attendance: No more than three missed classes!

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Group Problems  Three to four students per group  5–10 minutes for group discussion and 5 minutes for the presentation of the results  One student will take notes of the problem solving strategy, different steps in tackling the problem and the final solution.  The other students should be prepared to explain their results to the class or another group.

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research A Pictorial Introduction  Where are we in the Universe?  The size of Earth, the Sun, the solar system, the “Milky Way”, and the entire universe  Is life on Earth unique?  The universe is the totality of space, time, matter, and energy.  Astronomy is the study of the universe.  Astronomical tools and techniques

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Comet Hale-Bopp above New York

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Earth and Moon

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Sun

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Solar System

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Milky Way

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Andromeda Galaxy

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Group Problem  If you traveled to the outermost planet in our solar system, do you think the constellations would appear to change their shapes?  What would happen, if you traveled to the next nearest star?  If you traveled to the center of our Galaxy, could you still see familiar constellations found in Earth’s night Sky?

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research HCG 87: A Small Group of Galaxies

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Flight through the Local Supercluster by Brent Tully (IfA)

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Hubble Space Telescope Deep Field

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey

January 18, 2006Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research Group Problem  Imagine you would like to invite an alien from the Orion Nebula to visit you at NJIT, how much information would you have to provide for the alien to find you?  What would be your complete address?