66702 - Principals of Astronomy

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be familiar with the measurements of the 'World', a word whose meaning has changed throughout history; they will also know the basics of gravitation and generation of stellar energy. Students will be able to assess the path to self-awareness of humans with respect to nature, and will have the skills required to understand the calculation of orbits, galaxy motions, stellar masses, the expansion of the universe, and the cosmic background.

Course contents

• Spherical astronomy and celestial coordinates

• Telescopes, photometry and spectroscopy

• Radiation by astronomical sources, spectral lines, blackbody emission

• Orbits of astronomical objects, Kepler's laws

• Earth, Moon, Solar System planets

• Spectral classification of stars, HR diagram, binary stars

• Stellar structure equations, thermonuclear reactions

• Stellar evolution, variable stars, compact stars
  

• Milky Way: structure, interstellar medium, star clusters, stellar populations

• Galaxies: properties, formation and evolution, galaxy clusters

• Galaxy masses and dark matter

• Supermassive black holes and active galaxies

• Cosmology: expansion of the universe, dark energy, cosmic microwave background

• Multi-messenger astronomy and gravitational waves

• Exoplanets and astrobiology

Readings/Bibliography

Fondamenti di Astronomia, di H. Karttunen, P. Kröger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen, K.J. Donner, a cura di A. Cimatti, P. Focardi, UTET Università, 2023.

Teaching methods

Lectures.

Assessment methods

Oral exam. The exam will start with the student discussing a topic of their choice. The exam will assess the student's ability to derive relationships between physical quantities and to draw links between different topics explored in class.

Teaching tools

Blackboard and slides.

Office hours

See the website of Sirio Belli