FINAL EXAM: Thursday, May 13, 8:00-10:00 AM, CSS 2428
The final is cumulative.

Material to Help You Out

NEW!! Text notes for selected classes. These don't include any figures or images I may have shown.

• Lecture 6, on the ISM, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 7, on star formation, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 8, on low-mass stars, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 9, on high-mass stars, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 10, on white dwarfs, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 11, on neutron stars and pulsars, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 12, on general relativity, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 13, on black holes, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 14, on the Milky Way, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 15, on galaxies, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 16, on the center of our galaxy, in Postscript and PDF.

  Here is an MPEG movie of the stars near the galactic center.

• Lecture 17, first lecture on properties of other galaxies, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 18, second lecture on properties of other galaxies, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 19, on the Hubble constant and galaxy clusters, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 20, on superclusters and active galaxies, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 21, on the unified model and gravitational lensing, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 22, on structure formation, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 23, introduction to cosmology, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 24, on the cosmic microwave background, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 25, on the very early universe, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 26, on the fate of the universe, in Postscript and PDF.

• Lecture 27, on life in the universe, in Postscript and PDF.

Websites for both ASTR 120 and ASTR 121

• Website for an ASTR 121 like class at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The lectures are here.
• Bad Astronomy; a great place to get rid of misconceptions!
• Sites related to the scale of the universe:
  • Powers of 10 video, in still images.
  • Build a Solar System (requires Java).
  • Zoom in on the universe, with attempt at real data.
  • Light travel distances and cosmic calendar.
• Seasons
  • Causes of the seasons.
  • Similar info, but another source.
• Phases of the Moon and Eclipses
  • Applet demonstrating phases.
  • Dates and types of eclipses, from NASA.
  • Explanations and animations of eclipses.
  • Mythology and perceptions of eclipses.
• Planetary Motion
  • Kepler's laws, with Java calculator of orbital parameters.
  • Another Kepler's laws site with different applets.
  • Animations of Mars' retrograde motion
• Mechanics and the Laws of Motion
  • Cute low-level intro to Newton's three laws.
  • Higher-level intro. Interactive examples require plug-ins.
• Gravity and Orbits
  • Simple statement of inverse square law.
  • Historical article on orbits.
  • Description of types of orbits, with applets.
• Orbits and Tides
  • Explanation of tides and tidal forces.
  • The highest tides on Earth
• Atoms and the electromagnetic spectrum
  • Intro to EM spectrum, including quizzes and more advanced material.
  • Wavelengths, frequencies, and energies of EM radiation.
  • Descriptions of atoms and spectra, with links to animations.
• Telescopes
  • Info on the biggest optical telescopes in the world.
  • Intro to telescope types.
  • More general, including telescopes at other wavelengths.

• Constellations and myths.
• Computer Programs for use in ASTR121.
  • Practice scientific notation and working with equations. Learn about astronomical distances and giant impacts!
  • Watch the planets move around the Sun on their actual orbits! Follow this link to the Inner Solar System and Outer Solar System animations.
  • Check out the orbits of all the moons orbiting the planets in our Solar System!
  • JavaLab for the curious. Collide or cannibalize your own galaxies, explore the expansion history of the cosmos, and more!
• Supplementary Information for UMD Introductory Astronomy. This site includes useful practice multiple choice questions which the computer will grade for you.
• Astronomy Picture of the Day This site is updated daily and has a nice archive of pretty astronomy images.
• Artificial Satellites
  • Predictions for artificial satellites, including
  • Satellite forecasts specific to College Park.

• Welcome to the Planets Information about planets and spaceprobes from JPL.
• A Tour of the Solar System This page contains information about the planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, and Solar System related topics.
• NEAR mission to asteroid Eros.
• Comet Information This page contains information about recently discovered comets.
• Comet Crash pictures and movies.
• Spacewatch This page contains information about this program which searches for near Earth objects.
• Extra Solar Planets Astronomers have discovered planets around other stars. The list lengthens all the time!

• Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum Good information about light.
• The Stellar Spectral Sequence. The colors and spectra of stars.
• Structure and Evolution of Stars What happens when a star runs out of fuel?
• Novae and Supernovae The most violent events in the Universe!
• Binary Stars This page contains general information on binary stars.
• Pulsars Hear them tick!
• Neutron stars An introduction to some of their many faces.
• Black Hole Candidates This page contains information on Cygnus X-1, LMC X-3, and other black hole candidates.
• Videos of compact objects, including the expected appearance of things in the vicinity of black holes.

• Galaxy appearance and classification.
• Merging Galaxies - Josh Barnes' pedagogical sequence: initial conditions | merger | snapshot of merger in progress.
• The Really Cool Merger Simulation which appeared in the IMAX film Cosmic Voyage (courtesy of Chris Mihos). Warning: may require excessive download time
• Relativity Everything that you want to know about General Relativity, curved spacetime, and gravitational radiation!
• Cosmology How did the Universe begin? How will it end?
• Large Scale Structure Clusters & Superclusters of Galaxies. What do they look like?
• Dark Matter: What is dark matter? What is it made of?
• Some alternatives to dark matter.

HD177830 b and Moon
Copyright © Lynette R. Cook, All Rights Reserved, Used with Permission.