1. Astronomical Instrumentation Laboratory ASTR 3560 – Spring 2019 – MWF 9:20 – 10:50 am – Duane D318
Learn fundamentals of astronomical instrument design in a hands-on lab setting
Work in teams to design, build, and test an optical spectrometer.
Learn elements of mechanical design, optics, electronics, data acquisition, and instrument control relevant to astronomical instrumentation.
Develop skills to predict and analyze instrument performance.
Learn to assess your project status and plan accordingly.
Build confidence doing a major project from beginning to end to develop confidence that will carry over into the workplace or graduate school.
Satisfies non-sequence Astrophysics Track Part B: Upper Division Coursework requirements and General Astronomy Track Part C: Advanced Course Work credit requirements.
Prerequisites: ASTR 1040, Calc II (MATH 2300 or APPM 1360), PHYS 2170

2. Parallels: Proto-Planetary Disks and rings
27 November 2018

3. Origin of the Solar System
It’s a fundamental problem in astronomy
We must explain the characteristics of our own system, and of planets around other stars
Elements were made inside stars
Stars formed from giant molecular clouds
Planets form in a disk around the protostar
Giant planets form from accretion onto cores
Terrestrial planets are only the cores

6. Characteristics of our Solar System
Regular planet orbits
Planets are closely spaced
Terrestrial and Jovian planets
Asteroids and comets leftover
Satellites and rings imitate a miniature Solar System

7. Is our Solar System a “typical” planetary system?
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8. Figure 13.14
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9. Stages in planet formation
Dust collects in the mid-plane of the protoplanetary disk
Grows by mutual collisions: ‘accretion’
Planetesimals (about 1km across) grow and collide
Giant collisions are the final stage
Giant planet cores are bigger outside the frost-line: they attract gas to become gas giants like Jupiter
Star ignites: the gas and dust blown away

11. Leftovers
Near the Sun (inside frost-line, also known as snow line or ice line) rocky objects become asteroids
Far from the Sun (outside frost-line) icy objects form the comets and Kuiper Belt Objects

12. Density waves and
propellers in a
forming disk

14. Planet migration in a gas disk
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15. Propeller, but moon causing it still unseen

17. Computer Simulation of propeller moon in Saturn’s rings

18. Pan closeup

19. Planet migrates inward or outward,
Planet migrates inward or outward,
depending on assumed physics of disk.