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Astronomy Courses
First Year Seminars •
Astronomy •
Physics 100-299 •
Physics 300-699 •
Physics 700-999 (Graduate) •
Labs •
Classroom Demos
101 (031) Introduction to Astronomy: The Solar System (3). Celestial motions of the earth, sun, moon, and planets, nature of light,
ground and space-based telescopes, comparative planetology, the earth, the
moon, planets and dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, planetary system
formation, extrasolar planets, search for extraterrestrial intelligence
(SETI).
Fall and spring. Cecil, Clemens, Reichart, staff.
101L (031L) Introduction to Astronomy Laboratory: Our Place in Space (1). Observing with robotic telescopes in the Chilean Andes and around the
world, planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, binary and variable stars,
supernovae, star-forming regions, star clusters, galaxies, the Galilean
Revolution, the Cosmic Distance Ladder, the Great Debate, Hubble's Law.
Fall and spring. Reichart.
102 (new) Introduction to Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology (3). Prerequisite, Astr 101 (031). The sun, stellar observables, star
birth, evolution, and death, novae and supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron
stars, black holes, the Milky Way galaxy, normal galaxies, active galaxies
and quasars, dark matter, dark energy, cosmology, early universe.
Fall and spring. Cecil, Kannappan, Reichart, staff.
291 (091, 092) Research and Special Topics for Juniors and Seniors (2 or 3 each). Prerequisite, Permission of instructor. To be taken by honors candidates and other qualified juniors and seniors.
Fall and spring. Carney, Christiansen, Clemens, Rose.
301 (117) Cosmic Evolution (3). Prerequisites, Mathematics 232 (032) and Astronomy 101 (031), or permission of instructor. A course in stellar and planetary astrophysics with emphasis on astronomical conditions for the development and sustenance of life.
Fall and spring. Christiansen, staff.
391 (092) Research Special Topics. Jr, Sr. (-).
501 (142) Astrophysics I (Stellar Astrophysics) (3). Prerequisite, Physics 128 (028), Mathematics 383 (083) or permission of instructor. An introduction to the study of stellar structure and evolution. Topics covered include observational techniques, stellar structure and energy transport, nuclear energy sources, evolution off the main-sequence, and supernovae.
Fall. Carney, Cecil, Christiansen, Rose.
502 (143) Astrophysics II (Interstellar Matter and Galaxies) (3). Prerequisite, Physics 128 (028), Mathematics 383 (083), or permission of instructor. An introduction to the study of the structure and contents of galaxies. Topics covered include the interstellar medium, interstellar hydrodynamics, supersonic flow and shock formation, star formation, galactic evolution, the expanding universe and cosmology.
Spring. Carney, Cecil, Christiansen, Rose.
519 (137) Observational Astronomy (4). Prerequisite, Astronomy 101 (031), or permission of instructor. A course designed to familiarize the
student with observational techniques in optical and radio
astronomy, including applications of digital imaging, photometry,
and spectroscopy, using the 24" telescope of the on-campus Morehead
Observatory. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week.
Fall and spring. Clemens, staff.
701 (244) Physical Processes in Stellar Atmospheres and Interiors (3). Prerequisite, Physics 711 (204), 721 (260). Equation of transfer; continuous and line opacities; model atmospheres; spectral line formation. Equations of stellar strucuture; energy transport; nuclear reaction rates; modeling stellar evolution.
Spring. Carney.
702 (242) High Energy Astrophysics (3). Prerequisite, Physics 721 (260), Physics 711 (204). White dwarfs and neutron stars: physical properties and observational manifestations. Extragalactic radio sources, relativistic jets, and supermassive black holes. Particle acceleration and radiative processes in hot plasmas. Accretion phenomena. X-ray and gamma-ray astrophysics.
Fall. Evans.
703 (243) Galactic Dynamics and Physics Processes in the Interstellar Medium (3). Prerequisite, Physics 701 (203), 721 (260). Collisionless and collisional stellar dynamics; disk dynamics and spiral structure; encounters between stellar systems. Physical processes in diffuse gases, HII regions, and supernova remnants; ionization and energy balance of the interstellar medium; star formation.
Fall. Rose.
704 (245) Extragalactic Astrophysics (3). Corequisite, Physics 701 (203). Big Bang cosmology; Robertson-Walker metric; Einstein equations;
thermodynamics of expanding universe; nucleosynthesis; microwave background;
formation of structure. Morphological, dynamical, and
chemical evolution of galaxies. Evolution and dynamics of clusters of
galaxies and large-scale structures.
Fall and spring. Cecil.
719 (237) Astronomical Observations and Data Analysis (4). A course on techniques of astronomical source detection and analysis.
Telescopes and detectors, both optical and at other wavelengths, including
photometry, imaging, and spectroscopy. Techniques of extraction and
analysis of signals from both direct images and spectroscopic data.
Optical observations are carried out at the Morehead Observatory.
891 (350) Seminar in Astrophysics (1 or more). Recent observational and theoretical developments in stellar, galactic, and extragalactic astrophysics.
Fall and spring. Staff.
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