The basic understanding of stars and stellar evolution constitutes the core of modern astrophysics. In Astronomy 200 we looked at
| Topic | Reference in Text (by chapter) |
| the birth of stars | chp 9,10,11 |
| relationship between mass and luminosity | chp 9 |
| stellar classification and the HR-diagram | chp 9 |
| evolution of stars | chp 12 |
| death of stars | chp 13 |
| chp 13 |
In the following lectures we will use our knowledge to consider the structure of our immediate stellar neighbourhood, our galaxy and other galaxies. We will address questions of origins:
This will bring us to some very interesting cross-roads between faith and science and we will take the opportunity to consider the interaction between our religious stance and the world views implicit in science.
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Don't panic! We will spend the first few classes reviewing essential ideas and some of the afternoon lab exercises will help do this as well. However, you should be prepared to do a little "catch-up" reading. In particular you should review the following:
Do the catch-up reading on a "need-to-know" basis and PLEASE don't be afraid to drop by my office to discuss concepts or ideas that you may be confused about. |