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

Prerequisite(s):

7318 (v.6) Astronomy 101 or any previous version
AND
7329 (v.6) Planetary Science 101 or any previous version
AND
302804 (v.3) Physics 101 or any previous version
AND
305415 (v.3) Physics 102 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
2006	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