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ASTR 222 -
Galaxies and Cosmology
Spring 2018, T/Th 10:00-11:15
Instructor:
Professor Chris Mihos
Email: mihos@case.edu
Office: Sears 557
Office Hours: drop in or by appointment
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Teaching Assistant:
Joe Curro
Email: jjc188@case.edu
Office: Sears 561
Office Hours: M 11:30-12:30, W 3:15-4:15
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Course Website:
http://burro.case.edu/Academics/Astr222/
Textbooks: There are no required textbooks, but
supplemental readings will come from:
Other Help Sources:
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Grading Policies:
Homeworks can be discussed collaboratively, but each
person must turn in their own solutions with unique writeup/analysis.
Collaborative means talking with each other about approaches,
techniques, etc. Collaborative does not mean sitting side-by-side
working out the answers, or swapping final solutions to copy!
Homework will be accepted in hardcopy form only -- no electronic/email
submissions. Assignments are due at 4:00pm on the due date unless
otherwise noted.
Late HW policy: You get one free late homework (up to one
week late), no questions asked. After that, it's a penalty
of 20% for every day late, unless you have an prearranged, excused
reason.
Missed test policy: Don't miss tests. If you are ill or
have some other critical reason for missing a test, you must let me
know in advance of the test, and document the reason through
Undergrad Studies.
Grade Weights:
Homework
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40%
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Midterm
#1
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15%
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Midterm #2
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15%
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Final
Exam
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30%
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Due Dates:
(subject to change...)
HW
#1
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Jan
30
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HW
#2
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Feb
15
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Midterm #1
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Feb 27
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HW
#3
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Mar
8
Mar 9, 3pm
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HW
#4
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Apr
3
Apr 5
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Midterm
#2
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Apr
12
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HW #5
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Apr 24
May 1
(any late HW must be in by May 4!)
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Final
Exam
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May
10, 8:00-11:00am
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Grading Scale:
A
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90-100
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B
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80-89
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C
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70-79
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D
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55-69
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F
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<55
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Learning Outcomes
After taking this course, students should be able to:
- Describe the structure and kinematics of the Milky Way galaxy.
- Understand techniques for determining distances both within our Galaxy and to other galaxies.
- Characterize the properties of galaxies of different morphological type.
- Describe how galaxies cluster in the universe.
- Understand the kinematic scaling relationships for galaxies of different types.
- Explain how galaxy interactions drive evolution in galaxies and clusters.
- Describe the various cosmological parameters and their effect on the expansion history of the Universe.
- Derive quantitative relationships for the expansion history of the universe.
- Describe qualitatively the evolution of the hot big bang model.
- Describe the growth of structure and the evolution of galaxies as a function of cosmic time.
- Describe current galaxy formation models.
- Retrieve and use online datasets to study our Galaxy and other galaxies.
- Write quantitative computational tools to analyse astronomical datasets.
Schedule and
Content
(all subject to
change)
| Date |
Topic |
Reading
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| Jan 16 |
Introduction
to the Milky Way, Star
Counts
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K: 16.1
CO: 24.1
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| Jan 18 |
Size
of the Milky Way
Distances
to Stars
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K: 2.6,
3.5, 10.2, 13.1, 13.4, 14.2
CO: 3.1, 12.1, 13.3, 14.1
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Jan 23
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Variable
Stars: Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars
Metallicity and
Stellar Populations
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| Jan 25 |
Structure of the Milky Way: Disk, Bulge
Face-on
Milky Way schematic
The
Galactic Halo
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K: 16.1
CO: 24.2 |
Jan 30
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The Interstellar Medium,
Multiwavelength Milky Way
(with helpful finder chart!)
Solar Motion
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K:14.4,
16.4
CO: 12.1, 24.3
http://www.chromoscope.net/
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Feb 1
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The Velocities of
Stars
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K: 16.2, 16.3
CO: 24.3 |
Feb 6
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Discussion of HW #1 and HW #2
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Feb 8
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Galactic Rotation and Dark Matter
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K: 16.2,
16.3, 16.6
CO: 24.3, 24.4 |
Feb 13
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The
Galactic Center, The
Central Object
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K: 16.6
CO: 24.4 |
| Feb 15 |
Environment:
Satellite Galaxies and the Local Group
Intro to Galaxies: The Great Debate
Galaxies: Morphology of Galaxies,
General Properties
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K: 17.1-17.3
CO: 25.1-25.3
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Feb 20
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Galaxies: Stellar Populations and Stellar
Mass-to-Light Ratios
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Feb 22
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Discussion of HW #2, Stellar Pop mixing, Filters, Colors, spectra.
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Feb 27
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Midterm Exam #1 (covering material up
to and including Feb 20)
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Mar 1
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Disk Galaxies: Kinematic Properties
Discussion of HW #3; statistics and error propagation
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K: 17.1.2
CO: 25.2
Error propagation
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Mar 6
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Disk Galaxies: Photometric Properties
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K: 17.1.2
CO: 25.2 |
Mar 8
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Disk Galaxies: Spiral Structure
Elliptical Galaxies: Structure and Stellar
Populations
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K: 17.1
CO: 25.4
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Mar 13
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Spring Break - no class
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| Mar 15 |
Spring Break - no class
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Mar 20
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Elliptical Galaxies: Kinematics
Peculiar Galaxies: Starbursts
Extragalactic
Distances and Hubble's Law
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CO 25.4, 27.2
K 19.1-19.6
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Mar 22
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Discussion of HW#3 and HW#4
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| Mar 27 |
Peculiar Galaxies: Interactions
Active Galaxies and
Quasars
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CO: 26.1, 28.1-28.2
K 19.2-19.6
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| Mar 29 |
Active
Galaxies and Quasars
Galaxy Clusters and
Large Scale Structure |
CO 28.1-28.2, 27.3
K 18.1-19.2
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Apr 3
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The
Expanding Universe
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CO 27.2, 29.1
K 18.3, 20.2
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Apr
5
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The Age of the Universe:
first attempt
The Microwave Background
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CO 29.1, 29.2
K 20.3, 21.1
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Apr 10
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Observational Cosmology with Supernovae
The Cosmological Constant
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CO 29.1, 29.2
K 20.2-20.4
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Apr 12
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Midterm Exam #2
(covering material
through Microwave Background)
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Apr 17
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The Growth of
Primordial Fluctuations
Hot and Cold Dark Matter,
Structure Formation
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CO 30.2
K 21.4
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Apr 19
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Cosmological Models: Observational Constraints
Ages and Lookback Times
The Early Universe: Inflation,
BBN, and Recombination
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CO 30.1, 30.2
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Apr 24
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The Early Universe: Inflation,
BBN, and Recombination
Observing
the High Redshift Universe
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Apr 26
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Galaxy Formation
(Theory)
Galaxy
Formation (Observational)
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K 21.4.3
CO 26.2
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May 10
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Final Exam (8:00 - 11:00am)
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Other Items of Interest
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