Internet Address
• http://www.lakeheadu.ca/~physwww/courses/Astro/2310/index.htm
• Lakehead home > Academic Information > Academic Units > Physics > Online resources > Online course material > Year II Astronomy I
Resources
• Text(recommended): Journey to the Cosmic Frontier John D. Fix Will be used for 2330
• Course Web Pages – defines material for which you are responsible
– Assignments, Marks, Tutorials posted
• http://www.astronomynotes.com
Class Structure
• 6:30 Multimedia Extravaganza
• 6:35 Administrative announcements
• 6:40 Sky News
• 7:00 Lecture
• 7:45 Break
• 8:00 Lecture and/or Video
• 9:15 End
Lecture Expectations
• Attendance not mandatory
• Read www notes and text sections before class
• Only required to take notes when written by hand on overhead ( two review notes sessions)
• Please participate with questions and comments
• Do not carry on private conversations during lecture
Outdoor Events
• Telescope viewing of Saturn’s rings .– This will have to wait until mid November
• Possibility of going to an observatory approximately 20 min drive from Thunder Bay
Required Components
• 12 weekly Quizzes ( 25 %)• 3 online Tests (35 %)• Final Exam ( 40 %)• quizzes and tests are to be completed online
using WebCT• Final Exam will be written in person • You must get at least 40% on the exam to
earn a credit
Nutshell Synopsis
• Science Intro
• Earth-Sun-Moon & Celestial Coordinates
• Historical development ( Greeks to Enlightenment )
• Survey of planets (Mercury to Saturn )
• Scientific Model for the origin of the Solar System
Seven Liberal Arts
• Arithmetic
• Geometry
• Logic
• Rhetoric
• History
• Music
• Astronomy
Noun-Verb Analogs
NOUNS• Object
• Sculpture
• Character
• Space
• Location
• Matter
• Particle
• Constellation
VERBS• Process
• Music
• Experience
• Time
• Event
• Energy
• Wave
• Motion
Modern Sciences
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Geology
Astronomy
Scientific Terms
• Theory – conceptual framework that explainsexisting facts and predicts new ones
• Hypothesis – A tentative theory not yet fully scrutinized
• Falsifiability – A truly scientific theory must be potentially provable to be false– “Fairies exist” not scientific
– “Fairies don’t exist” scientific because it could be disproved by finding a fairy.
Scientific Method
Hypothesis
Prediction
ExperimentObservation
RevisedHypothesis
Scientific Models
• Idealized analogy for a real world system
• Can refer to a physical mechanism (clockwork universe), in essence just an idea
• Validity – Freedom from contradiction
• Power – Range of phenomena
• Aesthetic appeal – Economy of assumption
The Standard Model of the Solar System
• The Earth is one of 9 planets ( massive spherical objects )
• The Sun is a star ( a gigantic ball of very hot gas )
• All the planets move in almost circular paths around the Sun
• These paths are all nearly in the same plane ( The Ecliptic )
• The system is held together by the attractive force of gravity
• All the planets are spinning about an axis of rotation
• For the Earth, the axis of rotation goes through the poles
• The Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted relative to the ecliptic always pointing in the direction of the North Celestial Pole ( near the North Star, Polaris.)
The Bohr Model of the Atom
• Atoms are analogous to the solar system
• The role of the Sun is played by the atomic nucleus
• The role of the Planets are played by electrons
• The role of Gravity is played by the Electro-Magnetic force
•Latitude – degrees North or South of Equator
•Longitude –degrees East or West of Prime Meridian
Imagine Earth as hollow ball you stand at the center, head pointing to North pole, facing prime meridian, turn clockwise 90 deg, look up 50 degrees see T.B.
Equator – Sun overhead at noon on EquinoxesTropics – Sun overhead at solstices Arctic Circles – Midnight Sun at solstices
The Horizon System
• Horizon: Where Earth meets sky ( Equator )• Zenith: the point directly overhead ( North
Pole )• Azimuth: compass direction of the celestial
object ( longitude measured clockwise from North)
• Altitude: angle above or below the horizon ( latitude )
South
North
Meridian
Azimuth =90+45=135
Equatorial Co-ordinates
• Celestial Equator : directly over the Earth’s equator
• Celestial Poles : directly over the Earth’s poles
• Right Ascension : Celestial longitude measured from Vernal equinox
• Declination : Celestial Latitude• Equinoxes, Solstices, Ecliptic
Ecliptic, Equator, Equinox, Solstice
Ecliptic vs. Equator
Equatorial Co-ordinates of Vega
Horizontal & Equatorial Compared
Hour Angle
Three Co-ordinate Systems