| 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] Brett.D.Bochner@hofstra.edu [email] |
|
Class Times and Places:
ASTR 12, Sections C/CL/GL:
Recitation for Sec. CL: Tuesdays, 2:20-4:10pm, in HBERL (Chem/Phys Building) Room 206
Recitation for Sec. GL: Tuesdays, 4:20-6:10pm, in HBERL Room 206
Combined Lecture, Both Sections (C/CL/GL): Thursdays, 2:20-4:10pm, in HBERL Room 114
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Office Hours:
Tuesdays, 6:10-6:30 pm;
Wednesdays, 1:30-3pm;
Thursdays, 4:15-6:25pm
. . . 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, 7th (2011) Edition, Addison-Wesley
| Day & Date | Topic | Recommended Reading, Chaisson & McMillan (7th Ed.) |
| Tu, 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) |
| Th, 1/31 | Stellar Birth and the Interstellar Medium; Formation of the Solar System; Solar System Overview (PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Ch. 6; Sec's. 15.1-15.4; Skim, according to your interest: Ch's. 18, 19. |
| Tu, 2/5 | Overview of the Solar System: Structure, Composition, & Layout; Terrestrial Planets vs. Jovian Planets. (PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Finish/Recall Ch. 6 |
| Th, 2/7 | The Sun and its Surface;
(PowerPoint) (PDF) The Power Source of the Sun -- How Stars Shine: Nuclear Fusion, E=MC^2, and Neutrinos (PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Ch. 16 (Especially Sec's. 16.6 & 16.7) |
| Tu, 2/12 | Light & the Electromagnetic Spectrum; Thermal Radiation: Why Stars are Different Colors (PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Sec. 3.1-3.4 |
| Th, 2/14 | Homework #1 In-Class Review | No additional reading; Finish assigned chapters. |
| Tu, 2/19 | No Meeting Today -- Presidents' Day Holiday | |
| Th, 2/21 | Possible Observation Session (Evening, after dark) | (Weather Permitting; To Be Confirmed.) |
| Tu, 2/26 | Spectral Lines;
(PowerPoint) (PDF) Doppler Shifts; Stellar Masses & Companions: Detecting ("Extrasolar") Planets in Other Solar Systems (PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Finish Ch. 3; Sec. 4.1-4.2; Sec. 15.5-15.7 |
| Th, 2/28 | Measuring the Stars, I: Stellar Motion & Distance (Parallax); Temperature, Luminosity, Size, Apparent Brightness; The Magnitude Scale (Apparent vs. Absolute) (PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Begin Ch. 17 |
| Tu, 3/5 | Measuring the Stars, II: Temperatures, Spectral Classes, and H-R Diagrams;
The Main Sequence
(PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Continue Ch. 17 |
| Th, 3/7 | Measuring the Stars, III: Stellar Abundances & Lifetimes; Standard
Candles & The Cosmic Distance Ladder
(PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Finish Ch. 17; Skim Sec's. 23.2, 24.2 & 24.3 |
| Tu, 3/12 | REVIEW FOR MIDTERM EXAM (& HW #2 In-Class Review) |
No additional reading. (Come prepared with questions!) |
| Th, 3/14 | MIDTERM! (1 Hour Exam) | Based on Material Through 3/11 Class. |
| Tu, 3/19 | Possible Observation Session (Evening, after dark) | (Weather Permitting; To Be Confirmed.) |
| Th, 3/21 | Peaceful Stellar Death: Giant Stars, Dwarf Stars, and Planetary Nebulae |
Sec. 20.1-20.3 |
| 3/25--4/1 | NO CLASSES This Week -- Spring Break! | |
| Tu, 4/2 | Exploding Stars, Part 1: Novae, and Type Ia Supernovae
(PowerPoint) (PDF) |
Finish Ch. 20; Sec's. 21.1-21.3 |
| Th, 4/4 | Exploding Stars, Part 2: Type II Supernovae, Creation of the Heavy Elements, and Neutron Stars (Pulsars) | Finish Ch. 21; Sec's. 22.1 & 22.2; Skim Sec's. 22.3 & 22.4 |
| Tu, 4/9 | Intro to Einstein's Theories of Relativity; Cool Things about Black Holes |
Sec. 22.5-22.7; Skim Sec's. 24.4-24.5 & 25.4 |
| Th, 4/11 | Overview of Einstein's Theory of Gravity: "General Relativity".
Spacetime Curvature, Gravitational Lenses, and Gravitational Waves |
Finish Ch. 22 |
| Tu, 4/16 | Our Galaxy, The Milky Way -- its Appearance and Structure. | Ch. 23 |
| Th, 4/18 | Galaxies & Galaxy Types: Spirals, Ellipticals, Irregulars, & Quasars. | Ch. 24 |
| Tu, 4/23 | The Mystery of the Dark Matter;
Large-Scale Structure in the Universe. |
Ch. 25 |
| Th, 4/25 | Possible Observation Session (Evening, after dark)
Note: Termpapers Due Today! |
(Weather Permitting; To Be Confirmed.) |
| Tu, 4/30 | Cosmology I: The Expanding Universe, and Hubble's Law. | Begin Ch. 26 |
| Th, 5/2 | REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM (& HW #4 In-Class Review) (Covers all class material.) |
No additional reading. (Come prepared with questions!) |
| Tu, 5/7 | No Meeting Today (In Exchange for Earlier Rooftop Observation Session) | |
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.
Niel Brandt's Astronomy 1 Homepage
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.