Exploring Stars and the Milky Way

Unit Code: HET603

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points

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Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Graduate Certificate of Science (Astronomy), Graduate Diploma of Science (Astronomy), Master of Science (Astronomy)

Aims & Objectives:

Aims
This Unit aims to provide an introduction to the birth, life and death of stars and the structure of our Galaxy. The emphasis will be on conceptual astronomy rather than mathematical techniques.
Objectives
After successfully completing this Unit, students should be able to:
• appreciate and understand the way stars are classified and the approaches used to discover their properties;
• understand the principles involved in the life cycle of stars, from protostar to stellar remnants;
• communicate the basic principles and concepts about our Galaxy and its constituents (stars, protostars, stellar remnants, gas clouds, dark matter) in a non-technical way understandable to the wider public;
• perceive the limits of our understanding of our place in the Galaxy, including an awareness of the place of dark matter in modern astronomical theories;
• research an astronomy topic in depth, using dependable sources of astronomical information on the internet.

Teaching Methods:

Online Delivery Mode, Contact via Newsgroup & Email

Assessment:

Assessable newsgroup contributions, essay , online tests and project 

Content:

• The bulk properties & structure of the Sun
• Distance, magnitudes, colours and luminosity of stars
• Spectral lines and spectral types of the stars
• The interstellar medium and the birth of stars
• The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and the ZAMS
• Life on the main sequence, lifetime and mass-luminosity relations
• Evolution of a 1 solar mass star: red giants, planetary nebulae and white dwarfs
• Variable stars
• Supernovae, supernovae remnants and creation of the elements
• End products: neutron stars, pulsars, black holes
• Gamma ray bursts: observations and theory
• Binary star systems, open clusters and globular clusters
• The structure of the Milky Way, the galactic centre, dark matter

Textbooks:

Recommended Reading: