Unit 2: Astronomy
- Page ID
- 162060
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- Chapter 2.3: Light and Spectra
- This page introduces a module on light and spectra, discussing topics such as rainbows, thermal radiation, the electromagnetic spectrum, spectral analysis, and the Doppler effect related to motion.
- Chapter 2.4: Telescope and Observing
- This page discusses telescopes, covering their history, types, optical mounts, and early observations while addressing light pollution. It highlights the importance of space-based telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope and their role in advancing astronomical research.
- Part 2.4.1.1: The Telescope
- Part 2.4.1.2: Early Telescopes
- Part 2.4.1.3: Telescopic Observations
- Part 2.4.2.1: Telescope Optical Types
- Part 2.4.2.2: Telescope Mounts
- Part 2.4.2.3: Images from the Telescope
- Part 2.4.2.4: Light Pollution
- Part 2.4.3.1: Space-based Telescope
- Part 2.4.3.2: Hubble Space Telescope
- Section 2.4.1: The History of the Telescope
- Section 2.4.2: The Workings of the Telescope
- Section 2.4.3: Space-based Telescopes
- Chapter 2.5: Solar System Formation and Other Stellar Systems
- This page covers topics related to the solar system and extrasolar planets, including Nebular Theory, planet definitions, discoveries of extrasolar planets, insights from the Kepler Mission, and the circumstellar habitable zone, as well as notable exoplanets.
- Section 2.5.1: Formation
- Section 2.5.2: The Rocky Planets
- Section 2.5.3: The Gas Giant Planets
- Section 2.5.4: Minor Bodies of the Solar System
- Section 2.5.5: The Sun
- Part 2.5.1.1: Our Solar System
- Part 2.5.1.2: The Nebular Theory
- Part 2.5.1.3: What is a Planet?
- Part 2.5.1.4: The Nebular Theory - Other Important Evidence
- Part 2.5.1.5: The Nebular Theory - Proplyds
- Part 2.5.1.6: Systems and Extrasolar Planets
- Part 2.5.1.7: The Discovery of Extrasolar Planets
- Part 2.5.1.8: The Kepler Mission
- Part 2.5.1.9: What We Have Learned about Stellar Systems and Extrasolar Planets?
- Part 2.5.1.10: The Circumstellar Habitable Zone
- Part 2.5.1.11: Some Interesting Exoplanets
- Part 2.5.1.12: Extrasolar Planets
- Part 2.5.2.1: What do you think?
- Part 2.5.2.2: Comparing Planets
- Part 2.5.2.3: Rocky Planets
- Part 2.5.2.4: Craters
- Part 2.5.2.5: Planet Mercury
- Part 2.5.2.6: Planet Venus
- Part 2.5.2.7: Planet Earth
- Part 2.5.2.8: Earth’s Moon
- Part 2.5.2.9: Planet Mars
- Part 2.5.2.10: Snow on Mars
- Part 2.5.2.11: A Martian Controversy
- Part 2.5.2.12: Martian Moons
- Part 2.5.2.13: Characteristics of the Solar System’s Rocky Planets
- Part 2.5.3.1: What do you think?
- Part 2.5.3.2: Gas Giant Planets
- Part 2.5.3.3: Rings
- Part 2.5.3.4: Planet Jupiter
- Part 2.5.3.5: Jupiter’s Satellites
- Part 2.5.3.6: Planet Saturn
- Part 2.5.3.7: Saturn’s Rings
- Part 2.5.3.8: Saturn’s Satellites
- Part 2.5.3.9: Planet Uranus
- Part 2.5.3.10: Planet Neptune
- Part 2.5.3.11: Gas Giant Planets and Select Satellites Overviews
- Part 2.5.4.1: Trans-Neptunian objects, the Kuiper Belt, and the Oort Cloud
- Part 2.5.4.2: The Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt
- Part 2.5.4.3: What do you think?
- Part 2.5.4.4: Minor Bodies
- Part 2.5.4.5: Asteroids
- Part 2.5.4.6: Brightest Asteroids Visible from Earth
- Part 2.5.4.7: Asteroid Classification
- Part 2.5.4.8: Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites
- Part 2.5.4.9: Meteorites
- Part 2.5.4.10: The Impact of Meteorites
- Part 2.5.4.11: Comets
- Part 2.5.4.12: Comet Characteristics
- Part 2.5.4.13: Images of Comets
- Part 2.5.4.14: Comets in History
- Part 2.5.4.15: Scientific Advances
- Part 2.5.4.16: Halley’s Comet
- Part 2.5.4.17: A Comet Impacts a Planet
- Part 2.5.4.18: The Centaurs- Are they Asteroids or Comets?
- Part 2.5.4.19: Pluto
- Part 2.5.4.20: Eris
- Part 2.5.5.1: What do you think?
- Part 2.5.5.2: Fission and Fusion
- Part 2.5.5.3: Our Star, the Sun
- Part 2.5.5.4: How the Sun Works
- Part 2.5.5.5: A “Quick Guide” to Solar Fusion—The Proton-Proton Cycle
- Part 2.5.5.6: Solar Regions
- Part 2.5.5.7: Major Solar Features
- Part 2.5.5.8: Studying the Sun
- Part 2.5.5.9: The Dark Side of the Sun
- Part 2.5.5.10: The National Solar Observatory
- Part 2.5.5.11: NASA’s Heliophysics Science Division
- Chapter 2.6: Stellar Properties
- This page introduces stars and celestial objects, covering topics such as variable stars, star systems, brightness, and color. It explains measurement units for distances like light-years and parsecs, highlights the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram for star classification, and discusses star clusters and celestial cartography. The module emphasizes exploring and understanding the unknowns in astronomy.
- Part 2.6.1.1: Module Introduction
- Part 2.6.1.2: Variable Stars
- Part 2.6.1.3: Cepheids
- Part 2.6.1.4: Cataclysmic Variables
- Part 2.6.1.5: Star Clusters
- Part 2.6.1.6: Consider this…
- Part 2.6.1.7: The Unknown in Astronomy
- Part 2.6.1.8: Star and Celestial Object Characteristics
- Part 2.6.2.1: Distances to the Stars and other Celestial Objects
- Part 2.6.2.2: Stellar Distances
- Part 2.6.2.3: Everything is Moving
- Part 2.6.2.4: How Close are the Close-by Stars?
- Part 2.6.2.5: Light-Years
- Part 2.6.2.6: Parsec Vs. Light-Year Measurement
- Part 2.6.3.1: Stellar and Celestial Object Brightness
- Part 2.6.3.2: Magnitude System
- Part 2.6.3.3: Celestial cartography
- Part 2.6.3.4: Planispheres
- Part 2.6.3.5: Star Colors
- Part 2.6.3.6: Spectral Type
- Part 2.6.3.7: Sample Spectral Types
- Part 2.6.4.1: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
- Part 2.6.4.2: The Four Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram Stellar Groups
- Part 2.6.4.3: Types of Star Systems and Stars
- Section 2.6.1: Stellar Objects
- Section 2.6.2: Stellar Distances
- Section 2.6.3: Stellar Cartography
- Section 2.6.4: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
- Chapter 2.7: Stellar Evolution
- This page summarizes a module on stellar phenomena, detailing the life cycle, birth, mass, and evolution of stars. It covers low-mass stars' end stages, including white dwarfs and planetary nebulae, alongside novae and supernovae. Additionally, it examines high-mass stars, their endings, neutron stars, and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), organized into specific sections addressing each aspect of stellar characteristics.
- Part 2.7.1.1: Star Life
- Part 2.7.1.2: Stellar Birth
- Part 2.7.1.3: Stellar Mass
- Part 2.7.1.4: Stellar Evolution
- Part 2.7.2.1: Low-Mass Stars
- Part 2.7.2.2: White Dwarf
- Part 2.7.2.3: Planetary Nebula
- Part 2.7.2.4: White Dwarfs and Neighbors
- Part 2.7.2.5: Nova, Novae, and Supernova
- Part 2.7.3.1: High-Mass Stars
- Part 2.7.3.2: Neutron stars
- Part 2.7.3.3: Neutron Star and Companion Star Scenario
- Part 2.7.3.4: High-Mass Star Stellar Endings
- Part 2.7.3.5: Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs)
- Part 2.7.3.6: Checking Out the Theory
- Section 2.7.1: Birth
- Section 2.7.2: Life Cycle - Low-Mass Stars
- Section 2.7.3: Life Cycle - High-Mass Stars
- Chapter 2.8: Galaxies
- This page provides an overview of a module on galaxies, detailing their classification (elliptical, spiral, irregular, active), historical research including Edwin Hubble's contributions and Hubble's Law, as well as aspects like the distance and age of galaxies, galactic groups, dark matter theories like WIMPs and string theory, and the phenomenon of gravitational lensing.
- Part 2.8.1.1: What do you think?
- Part 2.8.1.2: Galaxies
- Part 2.8.1.3: The History of Studying Galaxies
- Part 2.8.1.4: Hubble’s Major Contributions
- Part 2.8.1.5: Hubble’s Law
- Part 2.8.2.1: Classification of Galaxies
- Part 2.8.2.2: Elliptical Galaxies
- Part 2.8.2.3: Spiral Galaxies
- Part 2.8.2.4: Irregular Galaxies
- Part 2.8.2.5: Active Galaxies
- Part 2.8.2.6: Quasar-stellar Objects
- Part 2.8.2.7: Blazars- Quasar-like Object
- Part 2.8.3.1: Galaxies, Distance, and Age
- Part 2.8.3.2: The Ages of Galaxies and What that Reveals
- Part 2.8.3.3: Galactic Groups
- Part 2.8.3.4: Dark Matter
- Part 2.8.3.5: WIMPs and String Theory
- Part 2.8.3.6: Gravitational Lensing
- Section 2.8.4: The Milky Way Galaxy
- Part 2.8.4.1: What do you think?
- Part 2.8.4.2: The Milky Way — Our Home Galaxy
- Part 2.8.4.3: Milky Way Galaxy Satellites
- Part 2.8.4.4: Milky Way Galaxy Research
- Part 2.8.4.5: Galileo Galilei, First to See the Milky Way Galaxy
- Part 2.8.4.6: The Milky Way Galaxy’s Shape
- Part 2.8.4.7: Andromeda Galaxy
- Part 2.8.4.8: X-Ray and Gamma-Ray of the Milky Way Galaxy
- Part 2.8.4.9: Earth’s Position within the Milky Way Galaxy
- Part 2.8.4.10: A Spinning Spiral
- Section 2.8.1: The Practice of Studying Galaxies
- Section 2.8.2: Galactic Classification
- Section 2.8.3: Galactic Modern Theory


