© Sierra College Astronomy Department 1 Astronomy 10 Elementary Astronomy COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES

© Sierra College Astronomy Department2 Goals ä Acquire An Appreciation of Our Celestial Environment ä Develop the Needed Skills to Interpret the Observed Sky ä Gain an Understanding of Astronomers’ Role in Acquiring Information and Formulating Theories About the Universe

© Sierra College Astronomy Department3 Objectives ä General Introductory Topics  The Celestial Sphere - Equator and Poles  Ecliptic and Zodiac  Seasons, Eclipses, and Moon Phases ä Contributions from Past Astronomers ä Kinematics and Dynamics  Laws of Motion  Motion Under Influence of Gravity  Precession and Tides

© Sierra College Astronomy Department4 Objectives ä Basic Principles of Light and Atoms  Nature of Light  Structure of the Atom and Nucleus  Spectra  Thermal Processes  Ionization  Doppler Shifts ä Telescopes

© Sierra College Astronomy Department5 Objectives ä Comparative Planetology  Interiors – Structure and Composition  Surfaces – Dynamics and evolution  Atmospheres, Ionospheres, and Magnetospheres  Clues to Formation

© Sierra College Astronomy Department6 Objectives ä Earth  Interior Structure  Plate Tectonics  Origin of the Atmosphere  Greenhouse Effect  The Ozone Layer  Precession

© Sierra College Astronomy Department7 Objectives ä Moon  Surface Features  Interior Structure  Origin ä The Solar System  Planets and Dwarf Planets  Moons and Rings  Solar System Debris – Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids  Formation

© Sierra College Astronomy Department8 Objectives ä The Sun  Size and Structure  Physics  Surface Features  Atmospheric Layers  Solar Cycle

© Sierra College Astronomy Department9 Objectives ä Basic Stellar Concepts  Parallax  Motions of Stars  Magnitudes  Luminosity and Temperature  Stellar Spectra  The H-R Diagram  Mass

© Sierra College Astronomy Department10 Objectives ä Stellar Evolution  Nuclear Burning and Nucleosynthesis  Main Sequence Stars, Life Expectancy, Mass  Evolutionary Tracks and Star Clusters  Giants and Variable Stars  Planetary Nebulae and Supernova Explosions  White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars & Black Holes  Pulsars and X-Ray Binaries

© Sierra College Astronomy Department11 Objectives ä The Milky Way  Basic Characteristics and How We Know  Location of Our Solar System  Nebulae and the Interstellar Medium  Origin of the Galaxy

© Sierra College Astronomy Department12 Objectives ä The Large Scale Structure of the Universe  Basic Types of Galaxies  Theories of Galactic Formation  Properties of Active Galaxies  Hubble Law and Expansion  Dark Matter Problem  Galaxy Clusters and Superclusters

© Sierra College Astronomy Department13 Objectives ä The Universe  Big Bang Theory and the Hubble Constant  Microwave Background Radiation  Olbers’ Paradox  The Early Universe and Anti-matter  Open vs Closed Universe  Cosmology and Grand Unified Theories  The Dark Energy Problem  The Fate of the Universe

© Sierra College Astronomy Department 14 Any Questions?