Venture into quantum theory to understand what keeps these exotic stars from collapsing into black holes, and learn about the Chandrasekhar limit, which determines a white dwarf’s maximum mass. Take stock of the wide range of stellar luminosities, temperatures, masses, and radii using spectra and other data. Apply your conclusions to other stars. Our eyes can only do it so well, and telescopes have several major advantages: increased light-gathering power, greater sensitivity of telescopic cameras and sensors such as charge-coupled devices (CCDs), and enhanced angular and spectral resolution. Quantum theory later modified this description to handle the case of electrons orbiting around a nucleus. The recipient can exchange the gift for another course of equal or lesser value, or pay the difference on a more expensive item. The third pillar is the cosmic abundances of the lightest elements, which tell the story of the earliest moment of nucleosynthesis taking place in the first few minutes of the Big Bang.

Learn to calculate the Schwarzschild radius (also known as the event horizon), which is the boundary beyond which no light can escape.
Analyze these and other riddles with the help of physical principles such as the Stefan-Boltzmann law. Yep! Dr. Winn has wide experience using Earth- and space-based telescopes in his research, and in Introduction to Astrophysics he puts you in the driver’s seat—showing you how to gather data, pick formulas, simplify mathematical expressions, and come up with results that give you the thrill of discovering something concrete and often unexpected about the universe. Professor is engaging and exciting about his topic. Analyzing the laws with calculus (which he invented for the purpose), Newton discovered principles such as the inverse square law of gravity. This experience is optimized for Internet Explorer version 10 and above. The formulas behind our current view of the universe. Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that employs the principles of physics and chemistry "to ascertain the nature of the astronomical objects, rather than their positions or motions in space". Take in our entire galaxy, called the Milky Way. From Wikibooks, open books for an open world.

Review the surprising characteristics of many exoplanets and focus on five that are especially noteworthy. It is over my head, not my ‘thing’... haven’t finished it yet.

His astonishing achievement was to prove that physical laws that apply on Earth also operate throughout the universe—something we take for granted today but which was a revelation to thinkers at the time. They will receive an email from The Great Courses notifying them of your eGift. And why are large moons only found in wide orbits (i.e., not close to the planets they orbit)? An email will be sent immediately to notify the recipient of your gift and provide them with instructions to redeem it. If you have problems, please Contact Us.
One is so you can track the purchase of the order in your ‘order history’ section as well as being able to let our customer service team track your purchase and the person who received it if the need arises. In these 24 illuminating half-hour lectures, taught by noted astrophysicist Professor Joshua Winn of Princeton University, you tour the universe of exploding stars, colliding black holes, dark matter, and other wonders, just as in a traditional astronomy course. Wikipedia has related information at Astrophysics, From Wikibooks, open books for an open world, https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Introduction_to_Astrophysics&oldid=3459934. Calculate the extreme difficulty of observing an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star in our stellar neighborhood. One of the tricks for dealing with the vast range of concepts and spatial scales in astrophysics is using shortcuts whenever possible, such as: The Most Amazing Subject in the Universe. Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, especially with “the nature of the heavenly bodies, rather than their positions or motions in space”. How to calculate the event horizon of a black hole. Get a crash course in nuclear physics as you explore what makes stars shine. While I don't understand all of the math, I seem to learn a lot each lesson about both mathematics and the nature of Astrophysics. After touring the universe on a macro scale in the previous lecture, now zoom in on the microcosmos—advancing by powers of ten into the realm of molecules, atoms, and nuclei. "Same in the heavens as on earth". Investigate our prime source of information about the universe: electromagnetic waves, which consist of photons from gamma ray to radio wavelengths. All rights reserved. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Q: I don't want to send downloads. Some objects and phenomena falling in such categories and awaiting confirmation or further observational details are in this list. Probe the quantum and thermodynamic events implied by these clues. Begin with active galaxies that have supermassive black holes gobbling up nearby stars. Enroll. Q: Why do I need to specify the email of the recipient? Q: What if I do not receive the notification that the eGift has been redeemed? Eventually we expect them to be confirmed in all detail. www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/introduction-to-astrophysics.html

The Big Bang theory is one pillar of modern cosmology. In the process, construct the celebrated Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, with its main sequence of stars in the prime of life, including the Sun. But how many of us truly understand how stars shine, where Saturn’s rings come from, or why galaxies have their distinctive shapes?

After earning his Ph.D. in Physics from MIT, he held fellowships from the National Science Foundation and NASA at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

I would like to receive email from EPFLx and learn about other offerings related to Introduction to Astrophysics. Focus on the tricky problem of calculating distances, seeing how a collection of overlapping techniques provide a “cosmic distance ladder” that works from nearby planets (by means of radar) to stars and galaxies (using parallax and Cepheid variable stars) to far distant galaxies (by observing a type of supernova with a standard intrinsic brightness). We will send you an email so you can reset your password. In a typical physics class, Newton’s laws are memorized with little appreciation for where they came from. Proceed with the checkout process as usual. Along the way, get a grip on the past, present, and future of the universe. Use your analytical skill and knowledge of gravity to probe the strange properties of black holes. Although I enjoyed this course if I had read the reviews I probably wouldn't have bought it. Look for exclusive offer emails and new course releases from The Great Courses! Trace this mysterious force to the lambda term in the celebrated Friedmann equation, proposed in the 1920s. Note that two out of three stars have companions. The invention of radio and X-ray telescopes proved them spectacularly wrong. This law, together with the Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien's law, and Kepler's third law, help you make sense of the cosmos as the course proceeds. Q: What if the email associated with eGift is not for my regular Great Course account? The email will direct them to TheGreatCourses.com. Because the gift is sent immediately, it cannot be returned or exchanged by the person giving the gift. Astrophysics is the study of the physics of the universe. I am not quite finished, I have four more lessons I needed the reverse feature to follow the math which helped make it some what understandable. Q: Can I update or change my email address? Professor Winn knows what he's talking about and shares both the basics and advanced in an easy to access mannerism. Survey representative planets in our solar system with an astrophysicist's eyes, asking what makes Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Jupiter so different. Q: Oops! His treatment of black holes flows seamlessly from his discussion of gravity and tidal forces in the preceding lectures. Discovered in the 1990s, the problem is “dark energy,” which is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Investigate the orbital dynamics of these binary systems. The galaxies are teeming with these dim “white dwarfs” that pack the mass of the Sun into a sphere roughly the size of Earth. Black holes are some of the most fascinating things in the universe.” His infectious joy in the subject—even when it is at its most complex—is palpable in every lecture.