Fisica | GENERAL ASTRONOMY

cod. 0512600026

GENERAL ASTRONOMY

	0512600026
	DIPARTIMENTO DI FISICA "E.R. CAIANIELLO"
	EQF6
	PHYSICS
	2018/2019

PERCORSO COMUNE Cohort 2016/2017

	YEAR OF COURSE 3
	YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2016
	PRIMO SEMESTRE

TEACHING UNITS

	SSD	CFU	HOURS	ACTIVITY	TYPE OF ACTIVITY
	FIS/02	6	48	LESSONS	OPTIONAL SUBJECTS

	Objectives
	KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: THE COURSE INTENDS TO PROVIDE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BASICS OF ASTRONOMY, FROM THE COORDINATE AND REFERENCE FRAMES, TO ASTROMETRY, PHOTOMETRY AND A DEEP STUDY OF CELESTIAL MECHANICS. APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS ABOUT COORDINATE TRANSFORMATIONS, DETERMINATION OF THE POSITION OF STARS, ORBITAL ELEMENTS OF STELLAR AND PLANETARY SYSTEMS, MEASURES OF THE FLUX OF A STAR. EACH PROBLEM IS FRAMED IN ITS PHYSICAL CONTEXT SO AS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SCIENTIFIC SENSE OF SUCH MEASURES.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
THE COURSE INTENDS TO PROVIDE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BASICS OF ASTRONOMY, FROM THE COORDINATE AND REFERENCE FRAMES, TO ASTROMETRY, PHOTOMETRY AND A DEEP STUDY OF CELESTIAL MECHANICS.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS ABOUT COORDINATE TRANSFORMATIONS, DETERMINATION OF THE POSITION OF STARS, ORBITAL ELEMENTS OF STELLAR AND PLANETARY SYSTEMS, MEASURES OF THE FLUX OF A STAR. EACH PROBLEM IS FRAMED IN ITS PHYSICAL CONTEXT SO AS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SCIENTIFIC SENSE OF SUCH MEASURES.

	Prerequisites
	CLASSICAL MECHANICS, NEWTONIAN GRAVITY, ANALITICAL MECHANICS, SPECTRUM OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES.

	Contents
	HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO SKY OBSERVATIONS (2 HOURS) GEOMETRY OF THE SPHERE (4 HOURS) ASTRONOMICAL COORDINATES: ALTAZIMUTAL AND EQUATORIAL SYSTEM COORDINATE TRANSFORMATIONS, ECLIPTIC AND GALACTIC COORDINATES (6 HOURS) MEAURE OF TIME: THE DAY, UNIVERSAL TIME, JULIAN DATE, PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES, NUTATIONS (3 HOURS) SYSTEMATIC EFFECTS IN ASTROMETRY: RIFRACTION, PROPER MOTIONS, GEOCENTRIC AND ANNUAL PARALLAX, ABERRATION (6 HOURS) PHOTOMETRY: ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION, PHOTOMETRIC UNITS, ATMOSPHERE, CATALOGS (3 HOURS) INTRODUCTION TO CELESTIAL MECHANICS: CONICAL CURVES, KEPLER’S LAWS, GRAVITY (2 HOURS) TWO-BODY PROBLEM: LAGRANGIAN, EQUATIONS OF MOTION, EFFECTIVE POTENTIAL, ORBITAL VELOCITY, KEPLER’S PROBLEM, LAPLACE-RUNGE-LENZ VECTOR (7 HOURS) ORBITAL ELEMENTS: DETERMINATION IN SOLAR SYSTEM, VISUAL BINARY STARS, SPECTROSCOPIC BINARIES, ECLIPSE BINARIES, EXTRASOLAR PLANETS (7 HOURS) THREE-BODY PROBLEM: TRIANGULAR AND COLLINEAR SOLUTIONS, CLASSIFICATION, RESTRICTED THREE-BODY PROBLEM,, LAGRANGIAN POINTS AND STABILITY ANALYSIS (4 HOURS) PLANETARY PERTURBATIONS: DISTURBING FUNCTION, HARMONIC EXPANSION, SECULAR AND PERIODIC TERMS (2 HOURS) INTRODUCTION TO ASTROPHYSICS: EXTINCTION AND REDDENING, ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE, SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION OF STARS, OPEN AND GLOBULAR CLUSTERS, MEASURES OF DISTANCES, CEPHEIDS AND STANDARD CANDLES. HUBBLE’S LAW (2 HOURS)

Contents

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO SKY OBSERVATIONS (2 HOURS)
GEOMETRY OF THE SPHERE (4 HOURS)
ASTRONOMICAL COORDINATES: ALTAZIMUTAL AND EQUATORIAL SYSTEM COORDINATE TRANSFORMATIONS, ECLIPTIC AND GALACTIC COORDINATES (6 HOURS)
MEAURE OF TIME: THE DAY, UNIVERSAL TIME, JULIAN DATE, PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES, NUTATIONS (3 HOURS)
SYSTEMATIC EFFECTS IN ASTROMETRY: RIFRACTION, PROPER MOTIONS, GEOCENTRIC AND ANNUAL PARALLAX, ABERRATION (6 HOURS)
PHOTOMETRY: ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION, PHOTOMETRIC UNITS, ATMOSPHERE, CATALOGS (3 HOURS)
INTRODUCTION TO CELESTIAL MECHANICS: CONICAL CURVES, KEPLER’S LAWS, GRAVITY (2 HOURS)
TWO-BODY PROBLEM: LAGRANGIAN, EQUATIONS OF MOTION, EFFECTIVE POTENTIAL, ORBITAL VELOCITY, KEPLER’S PROBLEM, LAPLACE-RUNGE-LENZ VECTOR (7 HOURS)
ORBITAL ELEMENTS: DETERMINATION IN SOLAR SYSTEM, VISUAL BINARY STARS, SPECTROSCOPIC BINARIES, ECLIPSE BINARIES, EXTRASOLAR PLANETS (7 HOURS)
THREE-BODY PROBLEM: TRIANGULAR AND COLLINEAR SOLUTIONS, CLASSIFICATION, RESTRICTED THREE-BODY PROBLEM,, LAGRANGIAN POINTS AND STABILITY ANALYSIS (4 HOURS)
PLANETARY PERTURBATIONS: DISTURBING FUNCTION, HARMONIC EXPANSION, SECULAR AND PERIODIC TERMS (2 HOURS)
INTRODUCTION TO ASTROPHYSICS: EXTINCTION AND REDDENING, ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE, SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION OF STARS, OPEN AND GLOBULAR CLUSTERS, MEASURES OF DISTANCES, CEPHEIDS AND STANDARD CANDLES. HUBBLE’S LAW (2 HOURS)

	Teaching Methods
	LECTURES AT BLACKBOARD AND PRACTICAL CLASS WITH STUDENTS' INVOLVEMENT

	Verification of learning
	THE ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEVEL OCCURS THROUGH TWO TESTS: A) PRACTICAL PROJECT ON ASTRONOMICAL COORDINATES, CELESTIAL MECHANICS AND DETERMINATION OF ORBITAL ELEMENS, TO BE COMPLETED INDIVIDUALLY. B) FINAL ORAL INTERVIEW ON THE TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THE COURSE. THE PURPOSE IS TO VET THE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE NOTIONS ON ASTRONOMY. THE MINIMAL SCORE OF 18/30 IS OBTAINED IF ALL PROBLEMS IN THE PROJECT ARE AT LEAST SKETCHED AND IF IN THE INTERVIEW THE STUDENT IS ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE CELESTIAL COORDINATES, KEPLER'S LAWS AND THE BASICS OF NEWTONIAN GRAVITY. THE MAXIMAL SCORE OF 30/30 IS ASSIGNED IF THE PROBLEMS OF THE PROJECT ARE SOLVED CORRECTLY AND IF THE STUDENT MASTERS ALL TOPICS OF THE COURSE, BEING ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE LOGICS BEHIND THE CALCULATIONS SHOWN IN THE CLASSES. THE "LAUDE" IS ATTRIBUTED TO OUTSTANDING STUDENTS, WHO ARE ABLE TO ANSWER PROMPTLY AND MAKE CONNECTION BETWEEN ALL ARGUMENTS.

Verification of learning

THE ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEVEL OCCURS THROUGH TWO TESTS:
A) PRACTICAL PROJECT ON ASTRONOMICAL COORDINATES, CELESTIAL MECHANICS AND DETERMINATION OF ORBITAL ELEMENS, TO BE COMPLETED INDIVIDUALLY.
B) FINAL ORAL INTERVIEW ON THE TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THE COURSE. THE PURPOSE IS TO VET THE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE NOTIONS ON ASTRONOMY.
THE MINIMAL SCORE OF 18/30 IS OBTAINED IF ALL PROBLEMS IN THE PROJECT ARE AT LEAST SKETCHED AND IF IN THE INTERVIEW THE STUDENT IS ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE CELESTIAL COORDINATES, KEPLER'S LAWS AND THE BASICS OF NEWTONIAN GRAVITY.
THE MAXIMAL SCORE OF 30/30 IS ASSIGNED IF THE PROBLEMS OF THE PROJECT ARE SOLVED CORRECTLY AND IF THE STUDENT MASTERS ALL TOPICS OF THE COURSE, BEING ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE LOGICS BEHIND THE CALCULATIONS SHOWN IN THE CLASSES.
THE "LAUDE" IS ATTRIBUTED TO OUTSTANDING STUDENTS, WHO ARE ABLE TO ANSWER PROMPTLY AND MAKE CONNECTION BETWEEN ALL ARGUMENTS.

	Texts
	- ACKER: "ASTRONOMIE & ASTROPHYSIQUE: INTRODUCTION", DUNOD - BIRNEY, GONZALEZ, OESPER: "OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY", CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS - ROY & CLARKE: "ASTRONOMY, PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE", IOP PUBLISHING - BAKULIN: "ASTRONOMIA GENERALE", EDITORI RIUNITI - ROSINO: "LEZIONI DI ASTRONOMIA", CEDAM EDITORE - LECTURE NOTES THE READINGS FROM THE TEXTBOOK ARE INTENDED TO REINFORCE THE LECTURE MATERIAL. THE TEXTBOOKS PROVIDE FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE MATERIAL AND SO READING WILL BE NECESSARY FOR A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THE CONCEPTS. THE PROPOSED EXERCISES AND THE RELEVANT ONES IN THE TEXTBOOKS MUST BE FACED AND SOLVED, IN ORDER TO REACH A GOOD LEVEL OF PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE CONCEPTS.

Texts

- ACKER: "ASTRONOMIE & ASTROPHYSIQUE: INTRODUCTION", DUNOD
- BIRNEY, GONZALEZ, OESPER: "OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY", CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
- ROY & CLARKE: "ASTRONOMY, PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE", IOP PUBLISHING
- BAKULIN: "ASTRONOMIA GENERALE", EDITORI RIUNITI
- ROSINO: "LEZIONI DI ASTRONOMIA", CEDAM EDITORE
- LECTURE NOTES

THE READINGS FROM THE TEXTBOOK ARE INTENDED TO REINFORCE THE LECTURE MATERIAL. THE TEXTBOOKS PROVIDE FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE MATERIAL AND SO READING WILL BE NECESSARY FOR A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THE CONCEPTS. THE PROPOSED EXERCISES AND THE RELEVANT ONES IN THE TEXTBOOKS MUST BE FACED AND SOLVED, IN ORDER TO REACH A GOOD LEVEL OF PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE CONCEPTS.