ASTRO 501

Fundamental Astronomy

Fall 2008
541 Davey
2:30 - 3:20, MWF

The Textbooks "Astronomy Methods" by Hale Bradt and "The New Cosmos" (5th edition) by A. Unsold & B. Baschek are the required books for this course. We will start with the book by Bradt, so make that one your first purchase. These books cover some but but not all of the topics that we will survey. Other books will be placed on reserve in the PAMS library (see the syllabus for further info).

Syllabus (pdf file)
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (needed to view pdf files)

Academic Integrity Policy, Eberly College of Science, and
Academic Integrity Policy, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics

Erratum list for Unsold & Baschek, New Cosmos, 5th edn.
Erratum list for Bradt, Astronomy Methods (2004). [updated 2008 Sept 11]
Comments on the Role of the Textbook
Homework Rules (also handed out in class)
Data Table for Problem 22 (Solar model)

List of Handouts (last updated 2008 Dec 12)
Planisphere practice questions
Photometry notes (20 pp, pdf file)

Links to key data and bibliographic websites (updated 2007 Sep 28)
Additional links to various websites (from Chris Palma)

Links about orbits and extrasolar planets

Link to Chris Mihos's Java Applets page
Link to UCLA Galactic Center group pictures & movies
Link to HST archive of galaxy interaction simulations
Link to Chris Mihos' galaxy simulations page

Example of a Minor Planet Electronic Circular (slightly edited)

Link to LaTeX pointers
Link to LaTeX Special Symbols
Latex2 Cheat Sheet (pdf file)
William Safire's Rules for Writers

Ned Wright's Cosmology Calculator
Jarrod Hurley's SSE web page (Single Star Evolution)
Jarrod Hurley's BSE web page (Binary Star Evolution)

ApJ Style Rules for Bibliographic Citations (scroll down to "References")

Last updated: 2008 December 12 Richard Wade