Detail of the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Greetings to students in ASTR1010-004 (MW 7:20-8:35 PM) from the instructor, Nancy Morrison.

This page is intended to provide a backup copy of the materials displayed in lecture and of the syllabus, announcements relevant to the class, and access to the wealth of astronomical information on the World Wide Web. It is not intended as a substitute for regular class attendance.

Latest update: Thursday, December 6, 2007 0:40

Study guide for final exam

Links to astronomy resources

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Syllabus for course (PDF, 400 KB, updated 9/6/07)

About the planetarium show and the observing requirements (55KB, PDF) --- Tickets have been provided in class; see me if you still need a ticket.

Study tips for success - slightly revised 11/29/07

Schedule for Physics and Astronomy Department help desk (updated 9/13/07). The help desk is located on the second floor of McMaster Hall at the north end of the building.

About Ritter Planetarium

Homework assignments:

1. Due Wednesday, August 29
2. Due Wednesday, September 12
3. Due Wednesday, September 26
4. Due Wednesday, October 10
5. Due Wednesday, October 24
6. Due Wednesday, November 7
7. Due Wednesday, December 5

Materials displayed in lecture will be placed here before each class - subject to revision - and then updated after each class. Each is a PDF file that contains links to images displayed; separate links to the web images are also provided. Most recent material is first.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Post-class version, 208 KB ... Nonuniformities in the cosmic microwave background (again) ... Time line of the universe

Monday, December 3, 2007 Post-class version, 304 KB

• Host galaxies of quasars
• Large-scale cosmic structure ... Hubble Ultra Deep Field ... Baby galaxy in the HUDF... Edge-on galaxy ... Supernova 1994D
• Nonuniformities in the cosmic microwave background

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Post-class version, 160 KB. This is the last few pages from the notes for Nov. 26. We covered them, then held a short review session, then Quiz 7. ... Active galactic nucleus with jet ... Artist's concept of black hole in active galactic nucleus

Monday, November 26, 2007 Post-class version, 668 KB

• Black holes: Artist's concept of binary star ... Comparison of black hole with neutron star
• The Galaxy: Views of Milky Way from a city and from dark location ... Panoramic view ... Infrared view
• Pleiades open cluster ... Globular cluster Omega Centauri ... View toward the center of the Galaxy ... Horsehead Nebula
• Galaxies: Face-on spiral M51 ... Edge-on spiral NGC 4565 ... Giant elliptical M87 ... Neighbor spiral in Andromeda ... Magellanic Clouds ... map of Local Group ... Virgo Cluster

Monday, November 19, 2007 Post-class version, 376 KB

• Late life stages and death of massive stars: Orion (revisited) ... Supernova in spiral galaxy M51 ... Crab Nebula ... Crab Nebula expansion ... Veil Nebula
• White dwarfs: In a binary star system (artist's concept) ... In a globular cluster
• Neutron stars: Pulsar diagram (scroll down linked page to see graphic) ... Artist's concept of X-ray binary star

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 - No new notes, just review and quiz

Wednesday, November 7, 2007 Post-class version, 528 KB.

• Brown dwarf in a binary star system
• Star birth: Region of star formation NGC 2244 ... Orion overview ... Orion Nebula detail ... Protoplanetary disks in the Orion Nebula ... Orion Nebula in infrared light ... Eagle Nebula ... Dust "pillars" in Eagle Nebula ... Infrared images of edge-on protoplanetary disks ...
• Example of a planetary nebula

Monday, November 5, 2007 Post-class version, 531KB. Stars in Orion ... Larger view including Sirius ... Alpha Centauri as a triple star ... Open star cluster NGC 2266

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Post-class version, 92 KB. This is the last portion of Monday's notes, which was not covered on Monday. We covered these, then held a review session, then held Quiz 5.

Monday, October 29, 2007 Post-class version, 364 KB

• Sun in white light: Direct image ... spectrum ... corona during eclipse
• Solar magnetic phenomena: Coronal mass ejection (Slide 13 on linked page) ... northern lights (linked page has similar images) ... auroral oval ... Earth's magnetic field and solar wind ... sunspot (slide 3 on linked page) ... magnetic field lines in corona (scroll midway down linked page to see image) ... closeup view from TRACE (see image at right-hand end of top row on linked page)
• Solar energy conversion: fossil bacterial colonies

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Post-class version, 1.6 MB

• Titan, a satellite of Saturn: Global view against Saturn ... Infrared camera view ... Radar mapper view of dry river bed ... Radar mapper view of body of liquid ... Hygens lander descent sequence ... Hygens lander surface view
• Saturn's rings: Hubble view of Saturn ... Cassini view from Saturn orbit ... Cassini high-resolution view of rings
• Meteors, meteorites: Meteor example ... Leonid meteor shower ... Iron meteorite ... Primitive meteorite ... Peekskill fireball ... Orbit diagram is included in PDF
• Asteroids: Eros, an example of a small, irregularly shaped asteroid
• Comets: Comet West (1976) ... Nucleus of Comet Halley as seen by Giotto ... Sky map for Comet Holmes, currently visible

Monday, October 22, 2007 Post-class version, 356 KB

• Global view in visible light
• Ground view from Venera 13 lander [Scroll about halfway down the page to see this image.]
• Global view by radar
• Fossey impact crater (radar image)
• Lava flow (radar image)
• Sapas Mons shield volcano

• Overview from Cassini flyby
• Cloud changes from Hubble Space Telescope
• Infrared view

Comparison of the four jovian planets [Scroll down to see this image.]

• Family portrait
• Callisto: global view ... Erosion of crater rims
• Ganymede: Global view showing two terrains
• Europa: Pair of images with different color processing ... Closeup showing ice rafts
• Io: Global view ... Detail showing volcanic plume

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Post-class version, 144KB. Class began with completion of subject matter on Mars. Then we had review, then Quiz 4. The great canyon of Mars, Valles Marineris ... The shield volcanoes of Mars ... Outflow valley systems ... Water-carved gullies

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Post-class version, 180KB ... Steam-driven eruption of a volcano (outgassing) ... "Blue marble" picture of Earth, notice south polar cap (Antarctica) ... Full Moon with maria/highland contrast ... Impact craters near Moon's south pole ... Apollo astronaut on the Moon ... Mercury as imaged by Mariner 10 ... Scarp on Mercury ... Two views of Mars ... A Martian landscape viewed from Spirit ... Spirit prepares to study a rock ... Rover Opportunity viewed from orbit by Mars Reconaissance Orbiter

Monday, October 8, 2007 Post-class version, 244KB ... Computer simulation of the beginning of the formation of the Moon ... Primitive meteorite (Allende, 2 pictures, scroll down page) ... Artist's concept of extrasolar "hot Jupiter" ... Montage of the terrestrial planets ... The Earth from space (composite) ... Erosion ... Deposition ... Volcanic eruption ... Barringer impact crater ... Recently erupted, cooling lava ...

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 Post-class version, 108 KB. This short presentation of additional material on the origin of the solar system was followed by a review session and then by Quiz 3. Artist's concepts of the solar system in formation (scroll down the page to see the particular images shown in class) ... Impact basin on Mars

Monday, October 1, 2007 Post-class version, 262 KB ... The planets to scale according to size [repeated] ... The constellation Orion ... The Orion Sword region ... Hubble Space Telescope mosaic of the Orion Nebula ... Protoplanetary disks (planetary systems in formation) in the Orion Nebula

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Post-class version, 475KB ... Pluto and its satellite as an example of resolution ... Hubble Space Telescope image with star diffraction patterns ... Hubble Space Telescope in orbit ... Green Bank Telescope, an example of a radio telescope ... Interplanetary trajectory of Cassini, including gravity assists ... Cassini mission ... New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt ... The planets

Monday, September 24, 2007 Post-class version, 328 KB ... Image of man taken in infrared ... example of neon advertising sign ... view of summit of Kitt Peak ... Yerkes Observatory 40-inch refracting telescope ... image of Ring Nebula ... spectrum of Ring Nebula

September 17, 2007 post-class version, 676KB ... Spacewalking Gemini astronaut

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 post-class version, 247KB ... second launch of space shuttle Columbia ... launch of space shuttle Atlantis with full Moon

Monday, September 10, 2007 post-class version, 228KB ... Looping path of Venus as evening "star" ... Animation showing simultaneous retrograde motion of Jupiter and Saturn

Wednesday, September 5, 2007 Class version, 228KB. Comments on the homework handed back today are included.

September 3, 2007: Labor Day; no class

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 Post-class version, 219KB ... Lunar phases animation (download and play in a a movie player to play slowly) ... Solar eclipse animation (near bottom of linked page) ... Lunar eclipse (not the same picture as shown in class) ... Annular solar eclipse (ditto)

Monday, August 27, 2007: Class will be held in Ritter Planetarium with a professional planetarium presenter. No notes to distribute (take your own).

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 (360KB) ... Powers of Ten video ... Another site devoted to powers of ten and the scale of the universe ... Star trails with telescope dome ... Star trails with star party

Monday, August 20, 2007 (113KB)