Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module students should be able to:
(1) describe the techniques and results of observations of stars
(2) derive/calculate information about stars' physical properties from the measurement data
(3) apply the laws of physics to understand the properties and evolution of stars, and apply models to determine parameters such as central pressure, central temperature, lifetime etc.
(4) describe the processes of stellar nucleosynthesis
(5) describe the compact objects that form at the end of stars' lives, including White Dwarf stars, Neutron stars and Pulsars.
(6) discuss the detection methods and techniques used by astronomical telescopes for operation in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and perform basic calculations of telescope performance and sensitivity
Indicative Module Content:
Rough outline of the course
- Introduction: stellar properties (distances, magnitude, luminosities, etc); The HR diagram; ...
- Stellar structure
- Stellar evolution
- Astronomical techniques: Earth atmosphere; Fundamental concepts; Telescopes
