Astronomy Definition and 805 Threads

So I'm currently a junior at the University of Maryland majoring in Criminal Justice/Criminology. I've been pretty interested in astronomy for a few years, but lacked the focus to really feel confident in such an undertaking. I have no idea now what specifically I'd like to do with an additional...

redshift ""first year astronomy"" how do i find distance using redshift? please keep in mind that this is first year astronomy course i am currently taking having some trouble doing it. don't know where to start

I have four questions that need to be answered. They are from my university course that I am taking in general astronomy 2. Could anybody tell me how I would obtain the detailed solutions to arrive at the answers? I have attached a pdf file of the questions and answers, please download it and...

I've recently been reading articles (primarily wikipedia) about different plants, their sizes, and all elements required in the identification of certain stars, constellations etc. I'd like to learn more but simply visiting pages on Wikipedia endlessly for hours won't accumulate much aside from...

Hi, can anyone help me solve the following questions? 1.What was the peak wavelength of the CMB when R=0.5? a. What temperature does this correspond to? 2. Two quarks named Susan and Nick existed in the early universe. Susan became part of a proton and Nick became part of a neutron. What...

Hello. I am looking for an online book or course (free) regarding solar structure/physics at the first-year graduate level. Can anyone point me in that direction? I've looked into it but haven't come up with anything very useful. Thanks in advance!

hello all, what is the difference between ASTRONOMY and ASTROPHYSICS? thank you in advance.

Homework Statement Estimate the number of low and high mass stars that you expect to find in our Milky Way Galaxy now. Use the following (very approximate but about right numbers) for your estimate: The Star Formation Rate in our galaxy is approximately 1 Solar Mass per year and virtually...

Homework Statement 1. If you looked at the spectrum of a reflection nebula, would you see absorption lines, emission lines, or no lines? Explain your answer. As part of your explanation, describe how the spectrum demonstrates that the light was reflected from nearby stars. Homework...

Answer: About 50 IQ points

Yesterday I got an interview After that, they told me to try next time if this time I was not accepted and wait for their call if they want to contact. When someone told you so, does that mean you failed ?

I'm hoping someone can recommend a couple of good books on some varied topics. I'm looking for a good, mature series of books on the planets or even one good book covering them all. I'm also looking for interesting reads on cosmology, solar physics and galaxies. If anyone can recommend some...

Your observatory lies at a latitude of 45 N and longitude 90 W. Which object or objects can you observe from this location? An object at +87 dec, an object at -40 dec, and an object at -67 dec. I drew up a little celestial sphere for this and decided that 87 dec would be the only object I...

Astronomy Research?? Hi all, i am basically a software engineering student (pre-final year). I am good at programming and some math and physics, and i have so much craze about astronomy/space research and star gazing and everything related to astronomy. I wish i can take up some 'real'...

Astronomy Research?? Hi all, i am basically a software engineering student (pre-final year). I am good at programming and some math and physics, and i have so much craze about astronomy/space research and star gazing and everything related to astronomy. I wish i can take up some 'real'...

I'm transferring schools for the fall of 2010, and one of the schools that I'm looking into offers a B.S. in Physics and a separate B.S. in Astronomy. The other school I'm looking into offers only a B.S. in Physics, though they say I can take elective courses in Astronomy. Basically, I want to...

What exactly are the differences between Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Planetary Science?

I have a friend asking for ideas for an A or C oriented gift, including things that might be a bit of a scam, like having a star named after you. I know that you can buy land on the moon but that is expensive. Any ideas?

Homework Statement ...Hence show that the mass of the star is M = 4\pip_{c}\left(R^{3}/3 ) Homework Equations M(r) = 4 \pip_{c}\left(r^{3}/3 - r^{4}/4R) This is the shell massThe Attempt at a Solution I already found the shell mass via intergration, and I know that I have to build up an...

okay so i was given this graph and questions and have no clue where to start! any help or tips would be great! thanks! if you can't really see the graph i have attached the actual paper with the graph so u can see it! Planet M (kg) R (km) a A (AU) MStar (kg) SStar P0(bar) T0(K)...

I've got to solve this problem and I am having quite an hard time figuring out how... Sorry, but I think I need help: "An astronomer takes a spectrum of a distant quasar using a 4m telescope. With an exposure time of one hour, the optical spectrum contains about 10,000 photons. The source...

Homework Statement The lifetime of the sun on the main sequenceof the hertzprung-russel diagram is estimated to be 10^10 years. Assuming that the luminosities of stars on the upper diagram main sequence vary as mass^4, estimate the solar mass of a star for which it's main squence lifetime is...

whats up everyone, i am a science major, and since science courses are prerequisites, next semester i am only able to take 9 credits (gen chem 2 with lab, and precalculus) i plan on overloading with 14 credits during the summer, in order to graduate with my associates in a 2 year time period...

Hey can someone help me with the followng 2 questions, i am so confuzed and have no idea how to start and what formulas to use. 1. the minimum mass of a star is 0.08 solar mass or 80 Jupiter masses. If the fuel that powered stars was helium instead of hydrogen would the minimum mass of...

Hello! I wasn't sure where to post this so if I'm in error please excuse me. I find myself in a rather comfortable position of being enrolled in uni but having plenty of time to spare. Furthermore, my current academic let's me pick a major/minor next year of..well almost anything really. I've...

Hi, I've been looking for a good laymans book on Astronomy for ages now, but haven't been able to find one that isn't seriously heavy going on the physics front. I have plenty of astrophysics books, but not one dedicated to simple observational astronomy. Can anyone recommend a good, easy...

what do you learn in an astronomy class, considering taking one , this is not at a university, but at a junior college. Just curious about what topics are covered.

what do u recoment for somwhone that's interested in astronomy?

Does anyone know a good textbook on Astronomy? Containing the elliptical quantities: a,e,i,w,N,LP,ML,MA,EA,r and v and how to convert these quantities to: RA, DEC, Azi and Elev plus more info about the planets and the stars.

Hey everyone, Over the past few days I have been having trouble with finding research for my optics project. The topic I chose was supposed to be the physics behind how astronomer's and astrophysics measure the Spectrum of the Sun ans specifically the mathematics/physics behind the...

So, what are all the known paradox's in Astronomy?

Hi all, This question may seem innocent, but I can't see a clear boundary between the two. Who could explain it please. (as short as possible).

The question asks to find a new expression for a function, by substituting suitable expressions for the elimination of lambda and T. The function is: b(x)= h^4 * c^3 * U(sub-lambda) / 2*(kT)^5 In this case: U(sub-lambda)= U(sub-lambda)(lambda,T) - Planck Blackbody Function x= lambda*k*T /...

Working on a homework for a general astronomy class. Just want to make sure I'm not being inaccurate. Please let me know if I goofed something up. Thanks! RQ7: The word “apparent” in “apparent visual magnitude” is used to denote its dependence on viewing distance. These numbers refer to...

If one's interests lie in Astrophysics, what would be the best courses to achieve a BA, MA, and then PhD in given the following circumstances: The highest level degree offered at this college/graduate school in Astrophysics is a BA, while both MA and PhD degrees are offered in both Physics...

would Astronomy be worth it? please help hello everybody I am 22 years old, and up until recently i was working for a well known bank as a bus./personal banker. i was making about 50k-60k a year depending on my bonuses. i just got fired a few months ago because a manager got a hold of my...

I am looking into a graduate program in either physics or astronomy. I plan on studying astrophysics and cosmology, but am not sure which route I should move towards- a phd in physics or phd in astronomy since I heard that if you get a phd in astronomy rather than physics it hurts your options...

I am a high school student. I hope to get my bachelors in physics and astronomy but i heard that there is low job opportunities for that degree (i know for PHD in physics and astronomy the story is different) And i hope to do PHD in physics and astronomy while i am doing a job(Because i have...

What is the difference between Astronomy and Cosmology?

Looking for a connection to astronomy for a history of mathematics report on 19th century mathematicians. I don't do astronomy. Would like to know of any mathematical developments of Riemann that are used in astronomy that I can understand (which expressly excludes any thing with the word tensor...

Do you folks suppose its wise to get an Physics + Astronomy degree after engineering? Would it be a good career choice? I'm currently about to finish my first year in electronic engineering. Due to a lot of factors, I was unable to choose Astronomy when I enrolled. However, I've been...

Here is the summary of attraction forces (F = GMm/r2) during Total Eclipse when the Moon “M” is between Sun “S” and Earth “E”. Sun (F1 = GMm/r2) Moon (F2= GMm/r2) Earth (F1 = GMm/r2) = S - M = 4.1984 x 1020 (F2 = GMm/r2) = M - E = 2.2 x 10^20...

Hello, I am planning to offer a one-semester elective course in astronomy at my school, and I am looking for suggestions and ideas about what to include in the curriculum. I do not have many examples to pull from around here--the rural schools don't often teach it. We're going to have to...

Hi, I have to write about 3000 words on the M-sigma relationship, about how the mass of a black hole is related to the random velocities of objects in the core of galaxies. I'm not much of an astronomer, i am currently doing a physics degree (second year now) but i had to take a single...

Homework Statement assume that the rotation period of saturn at the equator, very deep in the atmosphere is 10 hrs. higher in the atmosphere, the equatorial winds blow west to east at 250 m/s. What would be the rotation period of this higher level in the atmosphere? also know - maximum...

Hi, i am new here, so am not really sure wheather i am asking this qus at the right place. I have a Lab based qus. I just did the atomic spetra analysis using a diffraction grating, analysing hydrogen gas. But but when i calculate the wavelengths of the lines, its way off from the literature...

Homework Statement You observe that in a rich cluster of radius 2 Mpc, galaxies move with a typical speed of 1500km s^(-1). Estimate the mass of the cluster. Homework Equations I can't seem to find any type of formula that makes sense to me in regards to this question. The Attempt...

I heard that this year is the Year of Astronomy. Being a "physicist" at the university, a local science teacher invited me to help out with writing some talks/presentations for the students at their high school on the topics of astrophysics... So, why 2009? What is so special? What is going...

Hey everyone, I was hoping if any experienced astronomers could help me out here. I'm looking to buy my first telescope, my main interest is in observing the planets, the moon, I don't know if this is too much or not, but I would maybe want to see some moons of the other planets and maybe get a...

I'm currently wrapping up my two year degree at community college and am looking to transfer to a 4 year university in a year. I'm looking to major in astronomy/astrophysics, but I'm not sure what the difference is between those two terms. To me, they almost seem interchangeable. Some...