Astronomy 310: Topics in Modern Astronomy

Piez 328, MWF, 10.20-11.15am.

Fall 2009

Dr. Shashi M. Kanbur, 124A Snygg Hall

Phone: 412-2679
Email: kanbur@oswego.edu
Office Hours: Monday:4.00-5.00pm, Thursdays 9.30-10.30am Thursdays 1-3pm or call or email to make an appointment
Course Website: http://www.physics.oswego.edu/~kanbur/ast310/index.html
Textbook: The Cosmic Perspective, fifth edition, by Bennett et al

  • The following web site is very useful - we will be using the software for some exercises on astrometery, the HR diagram and cosmology:CLEA website

  • Lecture 1: Introduction: Notes.

  • Lecture 1: "Answers": here.

  • For lecture 2, consult here.

  • For lecture 2, consult the book, p. 155-157, p. 163-173.

  • Also try here.

  • Lecture 2: Distances: Notes.

  • Lecture 2: "Answers":here.

  • For lecture 2a, consult the book p. 167-168 and Ch. 15, p. 518.

  • Lecture 2a: Stefan-Boltzmann law: Notes.

  • Lecture2a: Stefan-Boltzmann law answers: here.

  • Lecture2b: Stefan-Boltzmann and magnitudes: Notes.

  • Lecture 2b: Stefan-Boltzmann and magnitudes answers: here.

  • For lectures 3 + 4, consult Ch. 15, p. 518 and Ch. 17, p. 564.

  • Also try here and here.

  • Some revision notes for stellar evolution: here.

  • Lecture 3: HR and CMD diagrams: Notes.

  • Lecture 3: Answers are here.

  • Lecture 4: Main Sequence Fitting: Notes.

  • Lecture 4a: Some further revision notes on Stellar Evolution: Notes.

  • Lecture 5: The Cepheid PL Relation: Notes.

  • Lecture 5: Some additional notes on how to use excel to do this are here.

  • Lecture 5: LMC V band data here, and LMC I band data here, and NGC 4639 data is is here.

  • Lecture 5a: The MACHO Project worksheet is here.

  • Lecture 6: More on Cepheids is here.

  • A summary of different types of variable stars is here.

  • The location in the instability strip of these variable stars is here.

  • A cartoon of the pulsation phenomena is here.

  • Some background on non-radial oscillations is here.

  • Some more background is here.

  • Movies and sounds of solar oscillations are here. and here.

  • Revision lecture on the Sun is here.

  • The Tully Fisher Relation: Introductory Notes are here.

  • The Hubble Classification is here.

  • A worksheet on the Tully Fisher Relation is here.

  • A worksheet on using the TF relation to estimate Hubble's constant is here.

  • A link to revision notes on the Big Bang Theory is here.

  • A link to revision notes on General Relativity are here.