Astronomy 101#

Introduction

Topics



Introduction

  • Difficulty: 🟢

  • Status: flag alt > - 🔥

  • Needs: 🏸 - 💏

  • Read time: 5 min



Cosmic Inventory

  • Difficulty: 🟡

  • Status: flag alt > - 🔥

  • Needs: 🏸 - 💏

  • Read time: 5 min



Historical Perspective

  • Difficulty: 🔴

  • Status: flag alt > - 🔥

  • Needs: 🏸 - 💏

  • Read time: 1h



Anatomy of a telescope

  • Difficulty: 🟣

  • Status: flag alt > - 🔥

  • Needs: 🏸 - 💏

  • Read time: 5 min



Space Missions

  • Difficulty: 🟡

  • Status: flag alt > - 🔥

  • Needs: 🏸 - 💏

  • Read time: 20 min



Space Exploration

  • Difficulty: 🟡

  • Status: flag alt > - 🔥

  • Needs: 🏸 - 💏

  • Read time: 20 min



✨

The following image is unfortunately becoming a rarety for most of us

../../../_images/Milky_way_1.jpg

Fig. 2 source#

Measuring the Universe#

One of the most difficult thing, when doing Astronomy, is to obtain a sense of scale, because the dimensions involved are completely different to what we are used to on Earth. So lets expand our measuring scale beyond the standard International System of units (SI). Thre is 3 main parameters that we will look at, distances, pressure and temperature.

Before to start#

Scales in space and time

../../../_images/Scales_in_space_and_time.jpg

  • Time: 12h course

  • Level: Introductory

Scale – dealing with the miniscule to the massive, over milliseconds to millennia – is central to all the sciences. In this free course, Scales in space and time, you’ll go to the absolute limits of what can be measured – all through a study of an oak tree! By studying it you will be introduced to concepts in physics, chemistry, biology and life-sciences, and Earth and environmental sciences. Across these multiple disciplines you will meet time scales that include ages, durations and rates, and size scales including distances in three dimensions, which underpin areas and volumes.

Distances#

The entire length scale

Astronomical Units (AU)#

  • Sun-Earth distance = 149597871 km
../../../_images/Astrod.png

Fig. 3 Distances#

Parsec (pc)#

unit angle (“)#

Because of telescopes …

Pressure#

different pressure environment in the Universe

Temperature#

  • create python tool Kelvin/ Degree (Celcius)

Othere quantities#

The Sun#

The Sun is a reference.

Observing the Universe#

There is different “method” to observe the universe:

👀 With your own eyes

Interactive sky chart

flag alt > Optical telescopes

Stars 3D Map

GAIA mission

(Lots of stars)

flag alt > Multi-wavelength observations

Chromoscope.net

Telescopes
../../../_images/Telescopes_EM.jpg

Fig. 4 source#

Explanation

Feel like practising ?#

Check this Open Learn course made available for free by the Open University to get hands-on experience with a remote telescope (COAST) and produce your first astronomical image.

Astronomy with an online telescope

../../../_images/Astro_w_online_telescope.jpg

  • Time: 24h course

  • Level: Introductory

This free course shows you how to navigate the night sky, and introduces the wide variety of objects it contains. You will develop a hands-on understanding of telescopic observations using the Open University’s own robotic telescope facility COAST sited on the island of Tenerife. Supported by your own measurements we illustrate how stars evolve, and study variable stars