Courses Handbook 2008 - [ Archived ]

12994 (v.3) Astronomy 201


Area: Department of Applied Physics
Credits: 12.5
Contact Hours: 3.0
** The tuition pattern below provides details of the types of classes and their duration. This is to be used as a guide only. For more precise information please check your unit outline. **
Lecture: 1 x 2 Hours Weekly
Fieldwork: 2 x 5 Hours Once-only
Anti Requisite(s): 310266 (v.1) Astronomy 202 or any previous version
Prerequisite(s): 8142 (v.4) Physics 201 or any previous version
Syllabus: Background: observational astrophysics, scale of the universe, nature of the observables. Coordinate systems: spherical trigonometry, celestial sphere, horizontal, equatorial, ecliptic and galactic coordinates. Time: sidereal, solar, universal time (UT) and atomic time, calendars and Julian date. Positional measurements: history, constellations, catalogues, refraction, aberration, parallax, nutation, precession, astrometry, mean and apparent coordinates. Photometry: intensity, flux density, luminosity, surface brightness, apparent and absolute magnitudes, filter systems, extinction, atmospheric seeing and absorption. Image processing: measurements, aperture photometry, chargged-coupled device (CCD) processing, counting statistics and signal-to-noise ratios, visualisation and filters. Detectors - the eye, photography, CCDs, photomultipliers. Telescopes - reflectors, refractors, mounts, aberration and distortion. Spectroscopy - blackbody radiation, ionisation, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (H-R diagram), spectrographs, elementary spectral analysis and classifications. Radio astronomy: antennae, beam patterns, detectors, bandwidth and interferometers.
** To ensure that the most up-to-date information about unit references, texts and outcomes appears, they will be provided in your unit outline prior to commencement. **
Field of Education: 010303 Astronomy
SOLT (Online) Definitions*: Informational
*Extent to which this unit or thesis utilises online information
Result Type: Grade/Mark

Availability

Year Location Period Internal Partially Online Internal Area External Central External Fully Online
2008 Bentley Campus Semester 2 Y        

Area External refers to external course/units run by the School or Department or offered by research.

Central External refers to external and online course/units run through the Curtin Bentley-based Distance Education Area

Partially Online Internal refers to some (a portion of) learning provided by interacting with or downloading pre-packaged material from the Internet but with regular and ongoing participation with a face-to-face component retained. Excludes partially online internal course/units run through the Curtin Bentley-based Distance Education Area which remain Central External

Fully Online refers to the main (larger portion of) mode of learning provided via Internet interaction (including the downloading of pre-packaged material on the Internet). Excludes online course/units run through the Curtin Bentley-based Distance Education Area which remain Central External

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