ASTR220 SYLLABUS

Collisions in the Solar System

  • Thursday Sep. 2 -- Introduction & Survey of the Universe
    Course description and expectations
    Collisions within the solar system, our Galaxy, and the universe
    Time scales and spacings
    Video: Powers of Ten (in class presentation)
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 1

  • Tuesday Sep. 7 -- Impact Craters on Earth
    Scientific Method
    Volcanic versus impact theories
    Tunguska event
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 2 & 3

  • Thursday Sep. 9 -- Bombardment of the Solar System & Factors Affecting Surfaces
    Observations and comparison of surfaces
    Why planets and moons look so different
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 4

  • Tuesday Sep. 14 -- Nature of Projectiles - Comets
    Orbits, composition, collision potential
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 5 to page 70

  • Thursday Sep. 16 -- Nature of Projectiles - Asteroids and Meteorites
    Orbits, composition, collision potential
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 5 from page 70
    HOMEWORK #1 due at beginning of class

  • Tuesday Sep. 21 -- Experiences with Collisions
    IN CLASS ACTIVITY (10 pts.) Making Craters

  • Thursday Sep. 23 -- Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Collision with Jupiter
    Discovery and Observations
    What did we learn?
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 6

  • Tuesday Sep. 28 -- The Asteroid Impact Theory of Dinosaur Demise
    Birth of a new theory
    Impact Winter / Nuclear Winter --- what would it be like?
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 7 & 8

  • Thursday Sep. 30 -- Periodic Mass Extinctions
    Nemesis, Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 10 & 11

  • Tuesday Oct. 5 -- Formation of the Earth's Moon
    Result of a collision?
    Other Theories Involving Major Solar System Collisions: Mercury, Uranus, Miranda, Pluto
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 12 & 13
    QUIZ #1 given in class

  • Thursday Oct. 7 -- Predicting and Preventing Collisions: Do future collisions threaten our existence?
    NOVA video (in class presentation)
    IN CLASS ACTIVITY (10 pts.) Open Discussion
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 19
    HOMEWORK #2 due at the beginning of class

  • Tuesday Oct. 12 -- So What Do We Do?
    Concluding ideas, Watch programs, Action programs
    Discussion, Questions and Review

  • Thursday Oct. 14 -- EXAM I

    Collisions between Stars

  • Tuesday Oct. 19 -- Physics of Light and Heat
    Electromagnetic spectrum
    Blackbody radiation
    Doppler shift

  • Thursday Oct. 21 -- Properties of Stars
    Observations and theories
    Life of the Sun: Evolution of a 1 solar mass star
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 17

  • Tuesday Oct. 26 -- Evolution of Massive Stars & Stellar Death
    Supernovae
    White dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes
    Reading: Chapman & Morrison 18

  • Thursday Oct. 28 -- Galactic Structure
    Survey of the Milky Way Galaxy
    Do stars collide?
    QUIZ #2 given in class

  • Tuesday Nov. 2 -- Star Clusters
    Open and globular clusters
    View from within

  • Thursday Nov. 4 -- Binary Stars
    Characteristics and types
    Close Binaries
    Mass flows and novae
    Fascinating systems: Algol, Cygnus X-1, SS 433, ER Vulpeculae, models
    HOMEWORK #3 due at the beginning of class

  • Tuesday Nov. 9 -- EXAM II

    Collisions between Galaxies

  • Thursday Nov. 11 -- External Galaxies
    Discovery and implications
    Reading: Parker 1 & 2

  • Tuesday Nov. 16 -- Peculiar Galaxies
    Attention getters!!!
    Reading: Parker 3 & 4

  • Thursday Nov. 18 -- Quasars
    Discovery and models
    Feeding a supermassive black hole
    Reading: Parker 5 & 6

  • Tuesday Nov. 23 -- Does our Milky Way have a supermassive black hole lurking at its center?
    Observations and implications
    Reading: Parker 7
    QUIZ #3 POSTPONED until Thursday Dec. 2

  • Thursday Nov. 25 -- Thanksgiving Break

  • Tuesday Nov. 30 -- Centaurus A and other Weird Beasties
    Examples of fascinating objects
    Reading: Parker 8

  • Thursday Dec. 2 -- Galactic Collisions
    Observations and theory
    Reading: Parker 9
    QUIZ #3 given in class NOTE NEW DATE

  • Tuesday Dec. 7 -- Galactic Mergers and Cannibalism
    Simulations of galaxy groups
    Effects of mergers on galactic evolution
    Reading: Parker 10 & 11
    HOMEWORK #4 due at the beginning of class

  • Thursday Dec. 9 -- Large Scale Structure
    Galaxies, Clusters of galaxies, Superclusters
    Bubbles and Voids
    Reading: Parker 12 & 13 to page 266

  • Tuesday Dec. 14 -- The Ultimate Collision--The Big Crunch?
    Possible fates of our universe
    Unanswered Questions: Importance, existence, and nature of dark matter
    Reading: Parker 13 & 14 from page 266

  • Friday Dec 17 -- FINAL EXAM
    Room: CSS 2400
    Time: 8:00 - 10:00 am

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    Last modified: Tuesday August 31 1999