L01-04sept

Welcome to

ASTR 101Introduction to

the Solar System

Bringing stars

and planets

down to Earth

SunSun++

MoonMoon

Great Wall of ChinaGreat Wall of ChinaJiayuguan FortJiayuguan Fort

Bringing stars

and planets

down to Earth

Welcome to


the Solar System

The Sun, planets

and dwarf planets

(sizes shown to scale)

Your guide to the skies

Jaymie [email protected]

Hennings 320-B

Introduction to

the instructor

Welcome to

ASTR 101

Introduction to

the instructor

Welcome to

ASTR 101MY guide to the skies

www.astro.ubc.ca/MOST

MY guide to the skies

a suitcase-sized satellite

which probes the insides

of stars, and studies and

searches for exoplanets

telescope & instrument

designed & built at UBC

Canadas space telescopeMOST = Microvariability

& Oscillations of STars

Introduction to

the instructor

Welcome to

ASTR 101

MY guide to the skies

Introduction to

the instructor

Welcome to

ASTR 101

Introduction to

the web site

Welcome to

ASTR 101Your guide to & resources for the course

http://elearning.ubc.ca/connect/

Course site will contain lecture notes (slides shown in class).

in PDF format and a course calendar. Assignments (and

solutions) and other course resources will also be posted.

You can find your lab and assignment marks on Connect.

Why study other worlds?

Artists conception of

an exoplanetary system

From the distance of

the planet Mercury

(about 90 million km)

NASAs Messenger

probe took this

snapshot of

the Earth and Moon

To learn more about our own


EarthMoon

Astronomy Picture of the Day

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

From a distance of

~50 million km, the

EPOXI space probe

( originally called

Deep Impact )

observed the Earth

as if it were an

alien exoplanet



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/epoxi/index.html

From a distance of

~50 million km, the

EPOXI space probe

( originally called

Deep Impact )

observed the Earth

as if it were an

alien exoplanet



With time sped up, we see one Earths rotation

and the Moon passing in front

Images approximate

colours seen by eye

Is this the right course for you ?

Welcome to


the Solar System

ASTR 310 Intro. to the Solar System

ASTR 101 You are here

ASTR 200 Frontiers of Astrophysics

EOSC 355 The PlanetsUBC Institute of Planetary Science www.ipsubc.org

Welcome to


the Solar System





decre

asin

g d

ifficulty

Welcome to


the Solar System





Course for Astro Major & Honours Physics & Astronomy

students. Stars, exoplanets, dark matter and cosmology

as an advanced introduction. Calculus and physics.

Welcome to


the Solar System




Welcome to


the Solar System


Aimed at science students but not necessarily physics

or astronomy specialists. Covers Earth-based view of

the sky and our Solar System (plus exoplanets). Labs.

No calculus but problem-solving assignments. Not

required for Astro Major or Honours but recommended


Welcome to


the Solar System


Science elective for arts & humanities students

Covers similar concepts and information as ASTR 101

but with less depth. Less quantitative. No labs

but computer-based tutorials every other week.

Course is offered in both terms.

Science and engineering students

are not permitted to take this course.




EOSC 355 The PlanetsUBC Institute of Planetary Science www.ipsubc.org

Welcome to


the Solar System


If you should decide after a few weeks that

ASTR 101 (or any other course youre taking)

is not for you, here are the deadlines for

dropping courses:

17 September (Tuesday)Last day to withdraw without a W on your transcript

(W stands for Withdrawn)

There will be no record that you ever were signed up for the

course. By that date, youll have been in at least one ASTR

101 lab session and will have seen the first assignment

Welcome to


the Solar System





dropping courses:

17 September (Tuesday)Last day to withdraw without a W on your transcript

11 October (Friday)

Last day to withdraw with no mark recorded and only

a W standing on your transcript

Welcome to


the Solar System





dropping courses:

17 September (Wednesday)Last day to withdraw without a W on your transcript

11 October (Friday)

Last day to withdraw with no mark recorded and only

a W standing on your transcript

Welcome to


the Solar System

Textbook is NOT REQUIRED

Welcome to


the textbook

Cosmic Perspective: THE SOLAR SYSTEM 7th Edition

BennettDonahue

SchneiderVoit

Textbook is NOT REQUIRED

Welcome to


the textbook

Cosmic Perspective: THE SOLAR SYSTEM 7th Edition

BennettDonahue

SchneiderVoit

For the past several years, earlier editions of this book have

been the required text for ASTR 101. This year, I decided not

to require a text. This book is a valuable study aid, and if you

would like to take advantage of that, you can buy used copies

from former ASTR 101 students, from the Used Bookstore, or

you can order an on-line version (cheaper than a hardcopy).

Questions?

Marking scheme

5 Lab Projects 6% each = 30%

3 Assignments 6% each = 18%

1 Midterm Test = 17%

1 Final Exam = 35%

100%

50 min, in class

Wed., 16 OCT

2 hours

date & room TBA

Welcome to


the Solar System

Lab projects

Welcome to


the Solar System

Your labs wont be like

your high school or

undergrad physics

and chemistry labs

because astronomy is not

an experimental science

Its more like

remote-sensing

Lab projects

Welcome to


the Solar System

We cant bring the students

to the sky, so we bring the

sky to the students through

realistic simulation software

Lab projects

Welcome to


the Solar System

We cant bring the students

to the sky, so we bring the

sky to the students through

realistic simulation software

One exception is Project #4

where youll create

miniature craters in sandboxes

to determine physical correlations

Lab projects

Lab sessions will be held

weekly in Hennings 312

The first lab sessions

will start next week

Youll use planetarium

software like Stellarium

& Dance of the Planets

Welcome to


the Solar System

Lab manual

You need the 2013 edition of

the ASTR 101 lab manual

In the past, I had it printed off

campus and sold it for $10

This year, Ive put the PDF file

on the UBC Connect site for

you to download at no cost

& to print or display on a tablet

Welcome to


the Solar System

Lab projects

Youll also require a University

Physics Laboratory Notebook

(available at the Bookstore)

and a scientific calculator

You must bring

your own calculator

to each lab session

Welcome to


the Solar System

First lab

I call the first lab project

Rediscovering the sky

Welcome to


the Solar System


simulation software

to study the night sky

at various times, dates

and places on Earth

First lab

I call the first lab project

Rediscovering the sky

Welcome to


the Solar System


simulation software

to study the night sky

at various times, dates

and places on Earth

Your experiences

in the lab are meant

to reinforce concepts

you encounter

in my lectures

Welcome to


the Solar System

Marking scheme

5 Lab Projects 6% each = 30%

3 Assignments 6% each = 18%

1 Midterm Test = 17%

1 Final Exam = 35%

100%

50 min, in class

Wed., 16 OCT

2 hours

date & room TBA

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments

are oriented towards

problem solving, but

there will be a few

short essay-type

questions too

A black hole ate my homework!

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments

will involve equations but

never questions like:

Substitute z = 5.12 and q =

in the Gehorsenflatz Formula

to solve for Xlax

Assume that 7 = 0

and that gravity is

totally imaginary

Use a screwdriver.

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments

will require you to

synthesise concepts

youve encountered in

the lectures and lab.

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments

will require you to

synthesise concepts

youve encountered in

the lectures and lab.

Youll be given facts, but

often also unneeded

information so you must

pick out whats relevant

just like in real life

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments

Sometimes you may

need to look up values

from reliable sources of

astronomical or physical

information outside of

my lecture notes

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments

Sometimes you may





my lecture notes

Be careful with what

you find on the web.

Always cite your sources.

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments dihydrogen monoxide = H2O = water

Welcome to


the Solar System

Sometimes you may





my lecture notes

Be careful with what

you find on the web.

Always cite your sources.

Assignments

Sometimes youll need to

estimate a quantity from

your own experience or

from common sense

Theres no exact correct

value, but you must get the

order of magnitude (or scale)

correctly to get a reasonable

answer and hence full marks So rare that its a superpower.

Welcome to


the Solar System

Whats the mass

of a snowflake?

(a) 3 10-30 g (grams)?

(b) 3 mg (milligrams)?

(c) 3 g?

(d) 3000 metric tonnes?

Welcome to


the Solar System

Whats the mass

of a snowflake?

(a) 3 10-30 g (grams)?

(b) 3 mg (milligrams)

(c) 3 g?


Welcome to


the Solar System

Whats the mass

of a snowflake?

(a) 3 10-30 g (grams)?


(c) 3 g?


How do you know?

Welcome to


the Solar System

Whats the mass

of a snowflake?

(a) 3 10-30 g (grams)?


(c) 3 g?


How do you know?

But why not 3 grams?

Ridiculous!

Ridiculous!

Welcome to


the Solar System

How do you know?How do you know?

Well, how much do

you think a loonie

weighs?

Welcome to


the Solar System

How do you know?How do you know?

Well, how much do

you think a loonie

weighs?

7 grams

Welcome to


the Solar System

Would only two

snowflakes weigh

almost as much

as a loonie??!!??

7 grams ~ 2 3 g

Welcome to


the Solar System

What does

a snowflake

have to do with

ASTR

101?

Welcome to


the Solar System

What does

a snowflake

have to do with

ASTR

101?

Welcome to


the Solar System

SnowSnow

onon

MarsMars

Welcome to


the Solar System

MARS

CHANCECHANCE

OF SNOWOF SNOW

Welcome to


the Solar System

A realA real

MartianMartian

weatherweather

reportreport

Welcome to


the Solar System

A realA real

MartianMartian

weatherweather

reportreport

fromfrom

thethe

PhoenixPhoenix

landerlander

Welcome to


the Solar System

A realA real

MartianMartian

weatherweather

reportreport

fromfrom

thethe

PhoenixPhoenix

landerlander equipped with a Canadian weather station

Welcome to


the Solar System

EvidenceEvidence

of fallingof falling

snowsnow

on Marson Mars

fromfrom

thethe

PhoenixPhoenix

landerlander

Welcome to


the Solar System

In Lab In Lab

Project 5 Project 5

you will you will

exploreexplore

the Mars the Mars

Curiosity Curiosity

landing landing

sitesite

Lab Manual Chapter 5

Charting the..

history of Mars

Assignments

Sometimes youll need to

estimate a quantity from

your own experience or

from common sense

Theres no exact correct

value, but you must get the

order of magnitude (or scale)

correctly to get a reasonable

answer and hence full marks So rare that its a superpower.

Welcome to


the Solar System

Assignments

Heres Question #1 from

Assignment #1 4 yrs ago:

Aliens deposit you in a raft in

an ocean or sea. You must

figure out where you are on

Earth using no more than the

stars you see, the location

and phase of the Moon and

the time on your watch

Welcome to


the Solar System

Midterm Test & Final Exam

are more qualitative, testing understanding of concepts,

techniques and terminology. About 70% of the marks

will be for definitions, short essay questions, drawing or

interpreting diagrams. The rest will be short calculations.

A quantitative question from the 2007 midterm test

Welcome to


the Solar System

QuestionsQuestions??

Do you need to be a rocket scientist ?

Welcome to


the Solar System

Do you need to be a rocket scientist ?

No!This is a science course, but not aimed solely at physics & astronomy specialists

ASTR 101graduate

astrophysicist

Welcome to


the Solar System

Do you need to be a math whiz ?

This is a science course, but not aimed solely at physics & astronomy specialists

You should be comfortable with:

basic algebra

trigonometry

scientific notation

i.e., powers of ten

basic logarithms

Welcome to


the Solar System

Calculus is NOT necessary but I may occasionally use a derivative or integral to demonstrate something

No!

Your guide to the skies

Jaymie Matthews [email protected]

loves questions

sometimes talks too fast so slow me down with a question

doesnt make eye contact

as much as he should so feel free to shout if I dont see

your hand up

Welcome to


the Solar System

Mike Alexander [email protected]

Your Teaching Assistants

Welcome to


the Solar System

Tilman Troester [email protected]

Paula Granados [email protected]

Javiera Parada [email protected]

They will supervise the 5 lab sections,

and some will mark assignments & the midterm test.

The marking TAs will also have weekly office hours.

Office hours

Wed 1:00 2:00Thurs 2:30 3:30

Hennings 320-B

Welcome to


the Solar System


Office tours ?

Wed 1:00 2:00Thurs 2:30 3:30

Hennings 320-B

Welcome to


the Solar System


Office hours

Wed 1:00 2:00Thurs 2:30 3:30

Hennings 320-B

Teaching Assistants

Hennings 312where the labs take place

but go to the reading room through the double doorsand not the main area with the computers

TO BE ANNOUNCED

Welcome to


the Solar System


Ask yourself: Why am I in this course ?

Welcome to


the Solar System

Maybe to become an astrophysicist?

Why are you in this course ?

Welcome to


the Solar System

Vicki Kaspi

pulsar expert

McGill University

DEPARTMENT of PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Maybe to become an astrophysicist?Fortune and fame!!


Welcome to


the Solar System

Maybe to become an astrophysicist?Amazing parties!!!


Welcome to


the Solar System

Astrophysicists social life

Why study ASTR 102?



Some of you ARE planning to be

Honours Physics & Astronomy

or Astronomy Major students

Why study ASTR 102?



Some of you ARE planning to be

Honours Physics & Astronomy

or Astronomy Major students

Maybe to satisfy your curiosity?

Science is all about curiosity

and astronomy is a great example of

a detective game where the clues arrive as

photons from distant, unreachable locales

Why study ASTR 102?


Maybe to get the inside jokes in the TV show . The Big Bang Theory?

A sense of astronomical scale Geography of the sky & other worlds Comparative planetology How did planets form? How do we know?

What should you gain from this course ?

Welcome to


the Solar System


A feel for the scientificapproach to problems

Critical thinking skills Skills in precise scientific presentation


Welcome to


the Solar System

N D YR

An adjective that describes

your Astronomy 101 prof

Qu

estion

s?

May I have

a vowel,

Jaymie?


A feel for the scientificapproach to problems

Critical thinking skills Skills in precise scientific presentation


Welcome to


the Solar System

The scale of the Universe

Start with something for scale


Anybody want pizza?

Diameter of Pizza(40 cm) 0.0004 km across


Diameter of Earth~ 13,000 km

30,000,000 bigger than a pizza

Our home planet


Diameter of Sun~ 1,400,000 km

Our home star

100 bigger than Earth


Diameter of Sun~ 1,400,000 km

Diameter of Earth~ 13,000 km

100 bigger than Earth


Diameter of Solar System~ 7,500,000,000 km

5,000 bigger than the Sun

Our Solar System


Diameter of the Milky Way~ 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 km

100,000,000 bigger than

the Solar System

Our Galaxy


Diameter of the Milky Way~ 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 km

100,000,000 bigger than

the Solar System

Our Galaxyartists painting

exterior view

YOU ARE HERE


Diameter of Local Group~ 30,000,000,000,000,000,000 km

Local Group of galaxies

30 bigger than

the Milky Way


Diameter of Local Group~ 30,000,000,000,000,000,000 km

Local Group of galaxies

A bus traveling at the speed of light .would take 2.5 million years..

to reach the nearest spiral galaxy!..

30 bigger than

the Milky Way


Diameter of a galaxy supercluster~ 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 km

300 bigger

Cluster of galaxies


From capicollo to cosmos

The known Universe is about

1,000,000,000,000,000

000,000,000,000 times

(1027 times)

bigger than a medium pizza



Ill introduce the ways we measure

distances and sizes in our Solar System

and the distances to the nearest stars

later in the course

Questions?

Whats coming up

Midterm test

Assignment 1

To be handed out

next Wednesday

Wednesday, 16 October

in class (noon)

Lab Project #1

Starts next week

An evening at the H.R. MacMillan

Space Centre especially for

ASTR 101, 310 and 311 students

to better know the Celestial Sphere

Date to be announced

A weeknight in early October

A UBC night in space

L01-04sept

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Transcript of L01-04sept