Astronomy 162:
Introduction to Stellar, Galactic, & Extragalactic Astronomy
Vincent van Gogh The Starry Night (1889)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
The Observed Properties of the Stars
Before we can begin to understand the inner workings of stars, we have to
have a good idea of their observed properties. This means finding
quantitative answers to such fundamental questions as "How far?", "How
bright?", "How massive?", "How big?", etc., and more subtle properties
derived from an examination of their spectra. Finally, we will ask how
the observed properties relate to each other as a stepping stone to
beginning to understand the physics of stars.
In this latter effort, we will meet the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (or H-R
Diagram), which will prove to be one of our most powerful tools for
observationally addressing the question of how stars evolve in the
next part of the course.
Lectures
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Notes:
Students wishing to explore some of these topics beyond the lecture and
textbook using the Internet might want to look at the relevant Selected Astronomical Internet Links for this
unit.