ASTRONOMY 3500 Fundamentals of Astronomy Astrophysics Introductions 1

ASTRONOMY 3500: Fundamentals of Astronomy & Astrophysics

Introductions 1. Who are you? 2. Why are you here? 3. What is your background? 4. What do you hope to learn?

Setting up the Course 1. syllabus 2. equation sheet 3. book 4. www. chara. gsu. edu/~thenry/ASTR 3500

Possible Topics • • • dynamics / astrometry amounts of light / photometry flavors of light / spectroscopy sizes of astronomical objects cosmic distance scale • our Solar System • terrestrial planets • gas/ice giant planets • asteroids/KBOs/comets • other solar systems telescopes astronomical instrumentation past/current spacecraft future spacecraft human space flight • • • Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram stellar evolution extreme stars baryonic composition of the Universe stellar embers (WD/NS/BH) • our Milky Way • galaxies • Big Bang • history/future of the Universe • dark matter/energy life on Earth life in the Solar System life in the Universe SETI Planet Earth

Solar System Inventory • • stars planets moons ring systems minor planets Kuiper Belt Objects comets … and … 1 8 165 4+1 436, 000 a 1, 300 152, 000 b dust (as of 2009 JAN 11) (as of 2008 DEC 12) (as of 2009 JAN 11) (as of 2008 DEC 15) a with orbits b periodic and numbered

Nomenclature • terrestrials Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars many moons • jovians gas giants Jupiter, Saturn ice giants Uranus, Neptune • minor planets asteroids Centaurs Kuiper Belt Objects Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) Plutinos Scattered Disk Objects (SDOs) comets

Solar Family How are they different?

Planet Orbits

The 4 Giants

The 7 Dwarfs (+ interlopers) X X X

Homework #1 How many Solar Systems placed end-to-end would it take to stretch to the nearest star (other than our Sun)? a. What is meant by “Solar System”? b. What is the nearest star? c. Where can I find the best distance to it? DUE THURSDAY, JANUARY 15