ASTR450 LECTURE SCHEDULE

Lecture Date
Lecture Topic
Reading
Tue. Sep. 3 Introduction to Celestial Mechanics
Thu. Sep. 5 Timescales & Coordinate Systems Read Chap. 1,2
Tue. Sep. 10 Spherical Trigonometry Read Chap. 3
Thu. Sep. 12 Review of Vector Mechanics
Tue. Sep. 17 Central Force Motion: Energy and Angular Momentum HW 1 due; Read Chap. 4
Thu. Sep. 19 Central Force Motion: Stability of Circular Orbits; Basic Pirate
Tue. Sep. 24 Central Force Motion: Gravity HW 2 due; Read Chap. 6 (you can skip 6.9-6.13) and Appendix A
Thu. Sep. 26 Central Force Motion: General Relativity
Tue. Oct. 1 The Two-Body Problem: Orbital Elements
Thu. Oct. 3 The Three Dimensional Orbit HW 3 due
Tue. Oct. 8 NO CLASS TODAY
Thu. Oct. 10 NO CLASS TODAY
Tue. Oct. 15 The Orbit in Time HW 4 due
Thu. Oct. 17 Additional Problems in 2-Body Motion
Tue. Oct. 22 The N-Body Problem HW 5 due; Read Chap. 9
Thu. Oct. 24 The 3-Body Problem: Jacobi's Integral, Tisserand's Criterion Read Chap. 8
Tue. Oct. 29 The 3-Body Problem: Zero Velocity Curves, Capture and Escape HW 6 due
Thu. Oct. 31 The 3-Body Problem: Lagrangian Points, Horseshoe and Tadpole Orbits
Tue. Nov. 5 MIDTERM
Thu. Nov. 7 NO CLASS TODAY
Tue. Nov. 12 The Lagrange Equilibrium Points: Existance and Stability HW 7 due; Read the Perturbation Handout and Part of Chap. 11
Thu. Nov. 14 Additional Problems in 3-Body Motion
Tue. Nov. 19 The Perturbation Equations of Celestial Mechanics HW 8 due; Further reading will be primarily from Handouts. The material will parallel Danby's Chap. 11.
Thu. Nov. 21 Drag Forces and Tidal Evolution
Tue. Nov. 26 Tidal Evolution and Planetary Oblateness HW 9 due
Thu. Nov. 28 THANKSGIVING BREAK
Tue. Dec. 3 Other Perturbations HW 10 due
Thu. Dec. 5 Planet-Planet Interactions: The Disturbing Function
Tue. Dec. 10 Planetary Perturbations: Resonances HW 11 due
Thu. Dec. 12 Planetary Perturbations: Secular Effects
Sat. Dec. 21 FINAL EXAM (10:30am-12:30pm)

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Last Modified: Mon Sep 30 12:16:12