AST 3003S
Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy
• Lecturers (shared course)
– Renée C. Kraan-Korteweg (first term of 2nd semester, possibly w one week
by Dr M Cluver; and first one or two weeks after break)
• Astronomy Department (RW James Bldg, room 539.2)
• Tel: 021 - 650 5829
• Email: kraan@ast.uct.ac.za
– Michelle Cluver (most of 2nd term of 2nd semester (08/09 – 17/10),
except first 1-2 weeks (science meetings)
• Astronomy Department (RW James Bldg, room 5.21)
• Email: mcluver@ast.uct.ac.za
• Tutor :
– No tutor
–M Cluver will be available once per week for questions (except 28.07 – 08.08);
• Secretary:
– Roslyn (Roz) Daniels
• Astronomy Department (RW James Bldg, room 536)
• Tel: 021- 650 4437
• Email: admin@ast.uct.ac.za
Galactic & Extragalactic Astronomy
Lecture slot: Flexible hours, twice a week a slot of ~ 1 ½ hrs
provisional slots: Tue & Thu 9:15 – 10:45
Note: you have to give advance notice
if you can not participate (email, or sms)
Tutorial slot: This semester also flexible.
Actual dates of tuts will be announced in class
Probably some extra tutorials on IRAF the 2 week(s) before
observing
Question time: Availability of M Cluver: slot still to be fixed
(can be changed)
Venue:
Lectures :
- RKK Office if taught by RKK, else
- Room 2.19 (ACGC) RW James
Tutoring sessions:
- variable
Galactic & Extragalactic Astronomy
Tutorials:
- Exercises/problem solving (about once every 2nd week)
- Projects: observations, data reductions, analysis and report in
- (a) Radio astronomy (KAT office, radio project)
- (b) Optical astronomy/spectroscopy (1.9m telescope, Sutherland)
- (c) Presentation on hot topic (oral)
Diarise following timeslots!!!
(A) Date TBD:
(B) 29 Aug – 3 Sept:
KAT office visit and radio astronomy prac
Sutherland for spectroscopic observations with 1.9m Radcliffe telescope
with Dr M Cluver (and possibly some other students)
- this is in the semester break, and obligatory !!!
(C) Oct (date TBD):
Presentation on hot topic & and copy of presentation!!!
Galactic & Extragalactic Astronomy
Grading:
Tutorials/pracs: → All together 30%
- Homeworks (8%)
- KAT visit/prac/report (2%)
- Sutherland observing project (12%)
- Presentation on hot topic (8%)
active participation  bonus
late hand in of homework or reports get 10% deduction
Class tests:
→ Count for 20%
2 class tests (10% each; 29 Aug; 17 Oct)
unexcused absence of exam: 0 for the exam
End of year examination (2hr exam):
→ Counts for 50%
(27 Oct - 13 November 2014)
Main Books (all available at amazon.com):
–
“An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics”, B.W. Carroll & D.A. Ostlie, Addison Wesley,
1st edition, 1995, ISBN 0-201-54730-x
2nd edition, 2006 (21 July)
–
“Fundamental Astronomy”, H. Karttunen, P. Kroeger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen, K.J. Donner,
Springer, 3rd revised and enlarged edition, 1997, ISBN 3-540-60936
4th revised revision, 2003
–
Other good books – of interest for certain sections:
• “Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction”, L. Sparke, J. Gallagher, Cambridge Univ.
Press, 2000 [SG] ISBN 3-540-41927-6; 2007 2nd edition
• “Galactic Astronomy”, J. Binney, M. Merrifield, Princeton Univ. Press, 1998 [BM]
ISBN 3-540-41927-6 (graduate level; some chapters really excellent)
• “Galaxies and Galactic Structure”, D. Elmegreen, Prentice Hall, 1997, ISBN 3-540-41927-6,
(undergraduate level; very good and clear)
• “The Physical Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy”, F. Shu, 1982, University Science
Books, ISBN 0-19-855-706 (does not cover more modern discoveries, but very didactical in
the material it covers that is still up to date)
Note!!!
Lecture notes are guidelines - Go to original material to study
CONTENT (first part RKK; few lectures by Ed Elson)
1995
The Milky Way
1. Overview MW [BM 1; CO 1.3, 22.1, 22.2; KKOPD 2.1, 2.7]
• Some history; review of size, shape, and components
• Spherical trigonometry; Galactic coordinate system
2. Interstellar Medium [mostly KKOPD 4.5, 16; CO 12.1; BM 3.7, …]
• Observations and effect of ISM (opacity, extinction and reddening)
• Interstellar dust: discovery, measurements, overall Galactic extinction (in MW and external
galaxies); dark nebulae, reflection nebulae, dust temperature, composition and origin of dust
• Gas: neutral hydrogen, HII regions, molecular hydrogen, PN, SNR, hot gas
3. Morphology and Components of the Galaxy [CO 22.2, 22.4, KKOPD 18.1-2]
• Distance indicators (up to Cepheids), the Local Standard of Rest, Spectra of galaxies
• Stellar statistics, populations and metallicity, thin & thick disk and M/L, spiral structure,
satellite galaxies, the Galactic Bulge, the Galactic Halo
4. Kinematics [KKOPD 18.2-18.3, CO 22.2-22.4]
• Differential rotation; Oort’s constants;
• Rotation curve, total mass of Galaxy, Dark Matter
• Galactic Centre and evidence for SMBH
Galaxies
5. Morphology of Galaxies, statistical properties [mostly CO 23]
• Review of morph. classification; spectra, comparison of global properties
• Spiral galaxies: photometry, rotation curves, Tully-Fisher and other relations, SMBH
• Elliptical galaxies: photometry; dust gas & metallicity, Faber-Jackson relation, 3D-shape and
rotation measure
• Statistical properties: the luminosity function
• Distribution in space: distance determinations
CONTENT (2nd part with Dr Michelle Cluver)
6. Active Galaxies
•
•
•
Unified Model
Radio Jets
Using Quasars to probe the Universe
7. Scales of the Universe
•
Introduction to large-scale structures
•
Large Structures in the Universe
•
Groups and clusters of galaxies
8. Lives of Galaxies
•
•
•
Galaxy formation
Galaxy evolution
Dark Matter
9. Cosmology
•
•
•
•
Newtonian Cosmology
The Cosmic Microwave Background
The Early Universe
Origin of Structure
Assignment of 1 term paper (8%):
Note: must be related to course
• Selection of topic (final topic decision on 28 August)
• Search (and approval by lecturer) of research material (books, journals, internet)
• Preparation of ppt-presentation of ~10 minutes, followed 2 min discussion time
• Hardcopy hand-out of ppt-slides to all participants on day of presentation
• A 1-page (2 max) summary report of hot topic (proper journal style)
==> Proper accreditation to sources used!!!
• SUGGEST YOUR OWN TOPIC
… Find articles related to content of course
Sources as starting point and overview;
•
•
•
•
Scientific American (http://www.scientificamerican.com)
Science (http://www.sciencemag.org/magazine)
(Sky and Telescope)
Internet (such as
– http://www.sciencedaily.com)
Often based on press releases (hot topics), but not always with journal articles yet available
– http:/www.skyandtelescope.com/news
– http://news.discovery.com/space (App)
Suggestions for presentations (Science daily etc) :
A Vast Thin Plane of Co-rotating Dwarf Galaxies Orbiting the Andromeda Galaxy
Rodrigo A. Ibata et al., Nature 493, 62-65 (2013)
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130103113846.htm
SEGUE 2: THE LEAST MASSIVE GALAXY (Scientists Size Up Universe's Most
Lightweight Dwarf Galaxy)
Evan N. Kirby et al., The Astrophysical Journal, 2013; 770
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130610133535.htm
A dust-obscured massive maximum-starburst galaxy at a redshift of 6.34
(Massive Galaxy Had Intense Burst of Star Formation When Universe Was Only 6 Percent of Current Age)
Dominik A. Riechers, et al. Nature, 2013; 496 (7445)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130417131819.htm
Signatures of Cool Gas Fueling a Star-Forming Galaxy at Redshift 2.3,
by N. Bouche, et al. 2013; Science 341 (6141)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130705102029.htm
Transformation of a Virgo Cluster Dwarf Irregular Galaxy by Ram Pressure Stripping:
IC3418 and its Fireball (PR: Requiem for a Weeping, Doomed Galaxy)
Jachym, P. A&A, in press (arXiv:1305.7113)
http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/requiem-for-a-weeping-galaxy-130620.htm
Suggestions for presentations (ScAm and S&T) :
Where was the Sun Born? Finding the Sun’s Lost Nursery by Robert Zimmerman
Sky & Telescope: Mar 2012 pgs 30-36
Suggestions for presentations (Science Daily) :
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140223131709.htm
Stream of stars in Andromeda satellite galaxy shows cosmic collision (Amrosico et al,
2014, Nature)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140120090649.htm
Milky Way may have formed 'inside-out:' Gaia provides new insight into galactic
evolution
(Bergeman et al, A&A 2014)
------https://www.uct.ac.za/mondaypaper/?id=9788
A handful of stars (M Feast et al, 2014, Nature)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140625132406.htm
Black hole trio holds promise for gravity wave hunt (R Deane et al, 2014, Nature
Journal Articles (most important astronomical websites)
– The ADS server (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html)
mirror site at http://saaoads.chpc.ac.za/abstract_service.html
with links to full journal articles
– Astro-ph: Mostly all astronomical articles on astro-ph
(http://arxiv.org/archive/astro-ph) since about early 90’s; often not yet in print
but mostly accepted for publications)
• Daily new articles on http://arxiv.org/list/astro-ph/new
Checked by all active astronomers on a daily basis
Some other important astronomical websites:
• Nature http://www.nature.com/news/index.html (particularly Thursdays)
• The Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics
(http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/loi/astro)
– publishes invited reviews by leading experts in their field from all over
the world.