| 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] |
|
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
| 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!) |
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.