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 - sideral, solar, 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, apeture photometry, CCD processing, counting statistics and signal-to-noise ratios, visualisation and filters. Detectors - theyeye, photography, CCDs, photomultipliers. Telescopes - reflectors, refractors, mounts, aberration and distortion. Spectroscopy - blackbody radiation, ionisation, 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

Funding Cluster:

08 - Engineering, Science, Surveying

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
2007	Bentley Campus	Semester 2	Y	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