FACULTY
Brett Bochner
Associate Professor
Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Primary Research Field: Gravitational Physics & Cosmology
(516) 463-9920 [phone]
(516) 463-3059 [fax]
phybdb@hofstra.edu [email]




ASTR 12/ASTR 14S ~ "STARS AND GALAXIES"
SPRING SEMESTER - 2009


Class Times and Places:

First Year Connections (FYC) Seminar, ASTR 14S, Section 01/01L:

Lecture: Tuesdays, 2:20-4:10pm, in HBERL (Chem/Phys Building) Room 206
Recitation: Thursdays, 2:20-4:10pm, in HBERL Room 117

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ASTR 12, Section C/CL:

Lecture: Tuesdays, 6:10-8pm, in HBERL Room 201
Recitation: Thursdays, 6:10-8pm, in HBERL Room 206

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ASTR 12, Section D/DL:

Lecture: Tuesdays, 8:30-10:20pm, in HBERL Room 201
Recitation: Thursdays, 8:10-10pm, in HBERL Room 206

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Office Hours: 4:10-6:10 pm on Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2-3pm on Wednesdays; or by appointment.

Office Location: HBERL 102D, in the Physics Department Main Suite.

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Required Astronomy Textbook:

"Astronomy Today", by Eric Chaisson & Steve McMillan, 6th (2008) Edition, Addison-Wesley



ASTRONOMY 12/14S, Spring 2009: Calendar & Course Syllabus

Day & Date Topic Recommended Reading,
Chaisson & McMillan
(6th Ed.)
Th, 1/29 Introduction and motivation for studying Astronomy:
How Astronomy affects us all. Course Organizational details.
Skim Ch. 1, Sec's. 2.6 & 2.7, Appendices 1 & 2 (Focus on concepts, not technical details)
Tu, 2/3 Stellar Birth and the Interstellar Medium;
Formation of the Solar System.
Sec's. 15.1-15.5; Skim, according to your interest: Ch's. 18, 19.
Th, 2/5 Overview of the Solar System: Structure, Composition,
& Layout; Terrestrial Planets vs. Jovian Planets.
Ch. 6
Tu, 2/10 Possible Observation Session (Evening, after dark) (Weather Permitting;
To Be Confirmed.)
Th, 2/12 The Sun and its Surface; The Power Source of the Sun -- How Stars Shine: Nuclear Fusion, E=MC^2, and Neutrinos Ch. 16
Tu, 2/17 Light & the Electromagnetic Spectrum;
Thermal Radiation: Why Stars are Different Colors
Sec. 3.1-3.4
Th, 2/19 Spectral Lines; Doppler Shifts; Stellar Masses & Companions: Detecting ("Extrasolar") Planets in Other Solar Systems Finish Ch. 3; Sec. 4.1-4.2;
Sec. 15.6 & 15.7
Tu, 2/24 Measuring the Stars, I: Stellar Motion & Distance (Parallax), Temp., Luminosity, Size, Apparent Brightness; The Magnitude Scale Begin Ch. 17
Th, 2/26 Measuring the Stars, II: Temperatures, Spectral Classes, and H-R Diagrams; The Main Sequence Continue Ch. 17
Tu, 3/3 Measuring the Stars, III: Stellar Abundances & Lifetimes; Standard Candles & The Cosmic Distance Ladder Finish Ch. 17; Skim Sec's. 23.2, 24.2 & 24.3
Th, 3/5 Possible Observation Session (Evening, after dark) (Weather Permitting;
To Be Confirmed.)
Tu, 3/10 REVIEW FOR MIDTERM EXAM No additional reading.
(Come prepared with questions!)
Th, 3/12 MIDTERM! (1 Hour Exam) Based on Material Through 3/11 Class.
Tu, 3/17 Peaceful Stellar Death: Giant Stars, Dwarf Stars,
and Planetary Nebulae
Sec. 20.1-20.3
Th, 3/19 Exploding Stars, Part 1: Novae, and Type Ia Supernovae Sec. 21.1; Begin rest of Ch's. 20 & 21
Tu, 3/24 Exploding Stars, Part 2: Type II Supernovae, Creation of the Heavy Elements, and Neutron Stars (Pulsars) Sec. 20.4-20.6; Sec. 21.2-21.3; Sec. 22.1-22.2; Skim Sec's. 21.4-21.5 & 22.3-22.4
Th, 3/26 The Constant Speed of Light and Special Relativity;
Cool Things about Black Holes
Sec. 22.5-22.8; Skim Sec's. 24.4-24.5 & 25.4
Tu, 3/31 Introducing Einstein's Theory of Gravity: "General Relativity". Spacetime Curvature, Gravitational Lenses, and Gravitational Waves Recall/Finish Ch. 22
Th, 4/2 Possible Observation Session (Evening, after dark) (Weather Permitting;
To Be Confirmed.)
4/6--4/12 NO CLASSES This Week -- Spring Break!
Tu, 4/14 Our Galaxy, The Milky Way -- its Appearance and Structure. Galaxy Types: Spirals, Ellipticals, Irregulars, & Quasars. Sec's. 23.1-23.5 & 23.7; Sec. 24.1;
Skim Sec's. 24.4, 24.5, & 25.2-25.4
Th, 4/16 The Mystery of the Dark Matter;
Large-Scale Structure in the Universe.
Sec's. 23.6, 25.1, 24.2, 25.5, & 26.1
Tu, 4/21 Cosmology I: The Expanding Universe, and Hubble's Law. Sec's. 24.3 & 26.2
Th, 4/23 Cosmology II: The Big Bang Theory -- the Birth, Life, and Ultimate Fate of our Universe; The Faint Glow from Creation. Finish Ch. 26
Tu, 4/28 Cosmology III: Fluctuations in the Universe, and the Creation of Energy, Matter, and Structure; The Stability of our Universe. Read, according to your interest: Ch. 27
Th, 4/30 Possible Observation Session (Evening, after dark) (Weather Permitting;
To Be Confirmed.)
Tu, 5/5 REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM
(Covers all class material.)
No additional reading.
(Come prepared with questions!)

ASTR 12/14S Final Exam Dates: To Be Determined... most likely on either Tuesday, 5/12 or Thursday, 5/14/09.



Some Astronomy Links:

NASA's Planetary Photojournal Site
NASA's Photo Gallery
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day
The Hubble Space Telescope Institute's "News & Views" Site
The "Hubble Heritage" Site
The "Extrasolar Planets" Catalog & Encyclopaedia
The "Transit Search Project" for finding Extrasolar Planets
The Google Earth Science Galleries
The CNN.com Technology/Science News Site
The American Astronomical Society Homepage
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Homepage
Chris Dolan provides a good site for stars, constellations, Messier images, etc.
Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), and their catalog of Messier Objects
"From Stargazers to Starships", a series of interesting lessons on Classical Astronomy and basic Space Physics and Math
MSN's Celebrate Science & Technology
"The Nucleus": Resources for Physics and Astronomy Undergraduates
Up-to-date Sunspot Pictures and Astro Info at SpaceWeather.com
Observe images & animations of the Sun at "SOHO: Exploring the Sun"
NASA's "Virtual Telescope"
The Night Sky from Mauna Kea and Kitt Peak
USNO's Astronomical Data Services Site (Sunrise & Moonrise times, Lunar Phases, etc.)
Current & Long-Term Local Weather Forecasts
List of sites from Prof. Harold Hastings' referring page.