1. PHYS Astronomy
PHYS Astronomy
Dr. Phillip Anderson

2. PHYS 3380 - Astronomy Fall 2017 INSTRUCTOR: TEACHING ASSISTANT:
Dr. Phillip C. Anderson — Room PHYS (and WSTC1.720)
TEACHING ASSISTANT:
Joe Coleman
PHYS 1.706
OFFICE HOURS:
Dr. Anderson: MW 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM and by appointment
Mr Coleman: Tues 2:00 – 3:00 PM and by appointment - location PHYS 1.706

3. Fall 2017 TEXT: GRADING: Foundations of Astronomy, Seeds, 12th Edition
See me if you have a different edition
Slides will be available on web at
GRADING:
Exams (3)
2 Exams (Oct 2, Nov 20% each = 40%
Final Exam (TBD) = 30%
Homework = 20%
Homework will be assigned weekly and will
be due a week later. Late homework will not be accepted. It is
considered late after 3:45 PM seven days after assigned unless
otherwise specified. .
Projects = 10%
Attendance will be taken every class period and will be used to decide whether to raise or lower grades on the cusp.
PHYS Astronomy

4. Follow the links to each class’s notes(at www.utdallas.edu/~pca015000)
PHYS Astronomy
Follow the links to each class’s notes(at
They will be available at least the day before the class.
Any movies in the notes will be separated out and put in a separate directory. They can be played with Quicktime or may be html animations that can be run through your web browser.
The exams will only cover material discussed in class. It would behoove you to read the relevant material in the book before/after class as it may provide a different perspective on the material that will help you understand it better than the lecture and class notes alone. Note that some of the material covered in the lecture will not be in the text - it is very important to attend class.

5. PHYS Astronomy
Project 1
1. Find a location from where you can observe either the sunrise or sunset. Note some landmarks, such as trees or light poles, etc. Make a sketch of the location and on the sketch plot the position on the horizon that the sun either rises or sets (morning or evening). Record the date and the time when you first see the sun rise or last see it set. Do this about once per week consistent with weather conditions. You MUST have at least 3 months of observations.
2. Write a three to four page paper on:
A. How and where you made your observations.
B. How did the sunrise or sunset position change with time?
C. How fast did it change? Was the change uniform over the three month period?
D. Why did the sunrise or sunset position move as you observed it.
E. What problems did you encounter in doing this project and how did you solve those problems?
3. The project is to be turned at the final (TBD).

6. PHYS Astronomy
Project 2
1. Plot the location and phase of moon over a complete synodic month, e.g., from new moon to new moon on an all-sky diagram as shown below. In an all-sky diagram, zenith is at the center and the edge of the circle is the horizon with the compass points indicated as in the figure. Estimate the compass direction of the moon (use a compass or the north star) and the angle of the moon above the horizon. Plot its location on the diagram using:
(distance from edge of the circle to moon location)/radius = (angle above the horizon)/90
location around circle = cardinal direction (N,S,E,W)

7. PHYS Astronomy
In the example in the diagram, the moon is in the southeast, 30 degrees above the horizon.
Draw a picture of the moon at the location as it appears, in other words its phase. Do it at the same time every night. Obviously there will be times when the weather does not cooperate but there should be at least 15 nights in which you perform the observation.

8. 2. Write a three to four page paper on:
PHYS Astronomy
2. Write a three to four page paper on:
A. How and where you made your observations.
B. How did the moon’s position and appearance change with time?
C. How fast did they change? Was the change uniform over the observation period?
D. Why did the moon’s position and appearance move as you observed it?
E. What problems did you encounter in doing this project and how did you solve those problems?
3. The project is to be turned in at the final (TBD).

9. SYLLABUS - Fall 2015 Chapters 1 ,2, & 3 The Night Sky
PHYS Astronomy
SYLLABUS - Fall 2015
Chapters 1 ,2, & 3 The Night Sky
Chapter 4 History of Modern Astronomy
Chapter 5 Newton, Einstein, and Gravity
Chapter 6 Light and Telescopes
Chapter 7 Information from Distant Objects
Chapter 8 The Sun
Chapter 9 Determining the Observable Properties of Stars
Chapters 10 & 11 Interstellar Medium and Star Formation
Chapter 12 The Evolution of Stars
Chapters 13 & 14 The Deaths of Stars
Chapters 15 & 16 Galaxies
Chapter 18 Cosmology
Chapter 26 Life in the Universe

10. Average distance between the Earth and the Sun Light Year LY
PHYS Astronomy
SCALES OF DISTANCE
Astronomical Unit AU
Average distance between the Earth and the Sun
Light Year LY
Distance light travels in one Year
1 LY = 186,000 Miles/Second x 31,500,000 Seconds = 5.8 x 1012 Miles
Parsec PC
Distance of an object that would have a stellar parallax of 1 Second of Arc
1 PC = 3.26 LY = 206,000 AU
Angstrom A
A distance of 1x10-8 cm
Visible Light has wavelengths from 4000 to 7000 A
Nanometer nm
A distance of 10-9 meter or 10-7 cm
Visible light has wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm

11. PHYS Astronomy
Our Place in the Cosmos

12. Light Travel Time From Earth to the Moon our natural satellite
PHYS Astronomy
Light Travel Time
From Earth to the Moon
our natural satellite
1.25 seconds
From Earth to the Sun
the centre of our Solar System
8.3 min
From the Sun to Jupiter
the largest planet
41 min
From the Sun to Saturn
the furthest naked eye planet
85 min
From the Sun to Pluto
5.5 hr
From the Sun to Alpha Centauri
the nearest star to us
4.3 yr
From the Sun to Sirius
the brightest star in our sky
8.6 yr
Distance where the Sun would no longer be visible to naked eye
60 yr
From the Sun to Polaris
the north pole star
650 yr
From the Sun to the Galactic centre
the centre of our Galaxy
31,000 yr
Galactic diameter
the diameter of our Galaxy
81,500 yr
To the Andromeda Galaxy
the nearest large galaxy
2,200,000 yr
Extinction of the dinosaurs
65,000,000 yr
To Q
typical quasar
4,500,000,000 yr
Formation of the Earth and Sun
4,700,000,000 yr
To remotest quasars
discovered in 1998
14,000,000,000 yr
Edge of Universe
limit of observable Universe
15,000,000,000 yr

13. PHYS Astronomy
1.25 s

14. PHYS Astronomy
The Solar System
8.3 min
41 min
85 min
5.5 hr

15. PHYS Astronomy

16. PHYS Astronomy

17. Alpha Centauri - closest star - 4.3 LY
PHYS Astronomy
Alpha Centauri - closest star LY
Our Milky Way Galaxy

18. PHYS Astronomy
The Milky Way

19. Spiral Galaxies Similar to the Milky Way
PHYS Astronomy
Spiral Galaxies Similar to the Milky Way
Edge view
View from above

20. PHYS Astronomy
The Milky Way
The Sun is located on the Orion spiral arm about 30,000 LY from the galactic center
It takes about 230 million years for the sun to complete one orbit around the galactic center

21. Other Galaxies in Our Local Group
PHYS Astronomy
Other Galaxies in Our Local Group
A Ring Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy
2.3 million LY away

22. Deep field view - about 10 billion LY away
PHYS Astronomy
Deep field view - about 10 billion LY away

23. PHYS Astronomy
In our galaxy there are about 200 billion stars
In our universe there are over 100 billion galaxies
There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on the Earth

24. If the Universe was one year old (instead of 13.7 billion years)
PHYS Astronomy
If the Universe was one year old (instead of 13.7 billion years)
The Cosmic Calendar (Carl Sagan)

25. 1027 meters = 1000 yottameters 100 Billion Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1027 meters = 1000 yottameters
100 Billion Light Years
This image represents the size of the known universe -- a sphere with a radius of 13.7 billion light years.

26. Ten Billion Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1026 meters = 100 yottameters
Ten Billion Light Years
Light from galaxies on the edge would require 5 billion years to reach the center. Observers at the center are seeing light that was emitted by these galaxies before the solar system formed. The largest scale picture ever taken. Each of the 9325 points is a galaxy like ours. They clump together in 'superclusters' around great voids which can be 150 million light years across.

27. One Billion Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1025 meters = 10 yottameters
One Billion Light Years
Astronomers have determined that the largest structures within the
visible universe - superclusters, walls, and sheets - are about 200 million
light years on a side.

28. 1024 meters = 1 yottameter 100 Million Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1024 meters = 1 yottameter
100 Million Light Years
Clusters of Galaxies

29. Within the Virgo Cluster
PHYS Astronomy
1023 meters = 100 zettameters
10 Million Light Years
Within the Virgo Cluster

30. 1022 meters = 10 zettameters 1 Million Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1022 meters = 10 zettameters
1 Million Light Years
The Local Group - Our galaxy with the Magellanic
Clouds - two companion galaxies on the right.

31. 1021 meters = 1 zettameter 100,000 Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1021 meters = 1 zettameter
100,000 Light Years
Our galaxy - the Milky Way - looks rather like a whirlpool. It has spiral arms curling outwards from the center and rotates at about 900 kilometres per hour. It contains about 200 billion stars.

32. Our Spiral Arm 1020 meters = 100 exameters 10,000 Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1020 meters = 100 exameters
10,000 Light Years
Our Spiral Arm

33. The Stars of the Orion Arm
PHYS Astronomy
1019 meters = 10 exameters
1,000 Light Years
The Stars of the Orion Arm

34. Stars within 50 Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1018 meters = 1 exameter
100 Light Years
Stars within 50 Light Years

35. 1017 meters = 100 petameters 10 Light Years
PHYS Astronomy
1017 meters = 100 petameters
10 Light Years
The Nearest Stars

36. 1016 meters = 10 petameters 1 Light Year
PHYS Astronomy
1016 meters = 10 petameters
1 Light Year
The Oort Cloud

37. Sol - our Sun 1015 meters = 1 petameter 0.1 Light Year
PHYS Astronomy
1015 meters = 1 petameter
0.1 Light Year
Sol - our Sun

38. 1014 meters = 100 terameters Our Sun and a few rocks
PHYS Astronomy
1014 meters = 100 terameters
Our Sun and a few rocks

39. The solar system. Only the orbit of Pluto is off the picture.
PHYS Astronomy
1013 meters = 10 terameters
The solar system. Only the orbit
of Pluto is off the picture.

40. PHYS Astronomy
1012 meters = 1 terameter
Within the orbit of Jupiter - the orbits of the inner four planets : Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. All four have rocky crusts and metallic cores.

41. PHYS Astronomy
1011 meters = 100 gigameters
Six weeks of the Earth's orbit. The orbits of Venus and Mars are just visible on either side.

42. Four days of the Earth's orbit.
PHYS Astronomy
1010 meters = 10 gigameters
Four days of the Earth's orbit.

43. PHYS Astronomy
109 meters = 1 gigameter
The moon's orbit around the Earth, the furthest humans have ever traveled.

44. PHYS Astronomy
108 meters = 100 megameters
Earth

45. North and Central America
PHYS Astronomy
107 meters = 10 megameters
North and Central America

46. PHYS Astronomy
106 meters = 1 megameter
California

47. The San Francisco Bay Area
PHYS Astronomy
105 meters = 100 kilometer
The San Francisco Bay Area

48. PHYS Astronomy
104 meters = 10 kilometers
San Francisco

49. PHYS Astronomy
103 meters = 1 kilometer
Golden Gate Park

50. Japanese Tea Garden - one hectare (10,000 m2)
PHYS Astronomy
102 meters = 100 meters
Japanese Tea Garden - one hectare (10,000 m2)

51. PHYS Astronomy
101 meters = 10 meters
A pond with lily pads

52. PHYS Astronomy
100 meters = 1 meter
A one-meter square

53. A bee on a lily pad flower
PHYS Astronomy
10-1 meters = 10 centimeters
A bee on a lily pad flower

54. PHYS Astronomy
10-2 meters = 1 centimeter
A bee's head

55. PHYS Astronomy
10-3 meters = 1 millimeter
A bee's eye

56. PHYS Astronomy
10-4 meters = 100 micrometers
Pollen

57. PHYS Astronomy
10-5 meters = 10 micrometers
Bacteria

58. PHYS Astronomy
10-6 meters = 1 micrometer
Virus on a bacterium

59. PHYS Astronomy
10-7 meters = 100 nanometers
A virus

60. PHYS Astronomy
10-8 meters = 10 nanometers
The structure of DNA

61. PHYS Astronomy
10-9 meters = 1 nanometer
The molecules of DNA

62. Carbon's outer electron shell
PHYS Astronomy
10-10 meters = 100 picometers
Carbon's outer electron shell

63. The inner electron cloud
PHYS Astronomy
10-11 meters = 10 picometers
The inner electron cloud

64. Within the electron cloud
PHYS Astronomy
10-12 meters = 1 picometer
Within the electron cloud

65. PHYS Astronomy
10-13 meters = 100 femtometers
The nucleus

66. 10-14 meters = 10 femtometers The nucleus of carbon
PHYS Astronomy
10-14 meters = 10 femtometers
The nucleus of carbon

67. PHYS Astronomy
10-15 meters = 1 femtometer
A proton

68. PHYS Astronomy
10-16 meters = 100 attometers
Within the proton

69. PHYS Astronomy
10-17 meters = 10 attometers
Quarks and gluons

70. Constellations
PHYS Astronomy
Constellations - groupings of stars named after mythical heroes, gods, and mystical beasts
- made up over at least the last 6000 years - maybe more
- used to identify seasons:
- farmers know that for most crops, you plant in the spring and harvest in the fall.
- in some regions, not much differentiation between the seasons.
- different constellations visible at different times of the year - can use them to tell what month it is. For example, Scorpius is only visible in the northern hemisphere's evening sky in the summer.
- many of the myths associated with the constellations thought to have been invented to help the farmers remember them - made up stories about them

71. PHYS Astronomy
Picture at right shows a start chart of the region around the constellation Orion. Picture at the left is an ornate star chart printed in shows the great hunter Orion. He is holding a lion's head instead of his traditional bow or shield. He is stalking Taurus, the Bull in the upper right hand corner. Behind him, his faithful dog, Canis Major, is chasing Lepus, the Hare.

72. PHYS Astronomy
Constellations
Western culture constellations originated in Mesopotamia over 5000 years ago- added to by Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek astronomers - current list is based on those listed by the Roman astronomer, Claudius Ptolemy (~140 AD)
In modern world - constellations redefined so now every star in the sky is in exactly one constellation.
In 1929, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted official constellation boundaries that defined the 88 official constellations that exist today.
asterisms - less formally defined groupings
- Big Dipper - part of Ursa Major
- Start clusters - Beehive, Pleiades, etc
- Orion’s belt
- Northern Cross - formed by the leading stars of the constellation Cygnus

73. PHYS Astronomy
The Orion Nebula

74. PHYS Astronomy
Nebulae
Nebula - an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas and plasma.
One of the most beautiful sights in the universe
Birthplaces of stars

75. Located in the sword of the constellation Orion.
PHYS Astronomy
The Orion Nebula
Located in the sword of the constellation Orion.

76. PHYS Astronomy
The Orion Nebula

77. Proplyds or Proto Solar Systems in the Orion Nebula
PHYS Astronomy
Proplyds or Proto Solar Systems in the Orion Nebula

78. Gaseous Pillars - Stellar Nursery
PHYS Astronomy
Gaseous Pillars - Stellar Nursery