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Lecture 1

The document provides an overview of astrophysics, covering topics such as the structure of the universe, motion of celestial bodies, and the Earth's rotation and orbit. It explains the arrangement of planets in the solar system, the causes of day and night, the phases of the Moon, and the concept of orbital speed. Key astronomical events like solstices and equinoxes are also discussed in relation to the Earth's tilt and orbit around the Sun.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
10 views19 pages

Lecture 1

The document provides an overview of astrophysics, covering topics such as the structure of the universe, motion of celestial bodies, and the Earth's rotation and orbit. It explains the arrangement of planets in the solar system, the causes of day and night, the phases of the Moon, and the concept of orbital speed. Key astronomical events like solstices and equinoxes are also discussed in relation to the Earth's tilt and orbit around the Sun.

Uploaded by

rzsu225
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Tr Khaing Online Class

Astrophysics



❑Motion in the Universe

❑Stellar Evolution

❑Cosmology
Objects in Space

Planets, Stars & Galaxies


• The Universe is a large collection of billions of galaxies
o It is also the name given to the entirety of space
• A galaxy is a large collection of billions of stars
o Stars are astronomical objects such as the Sun
• These stars are part of Solar systems
o Our Solar system is in the Milky Way galaxy
• Each Solar system has a number of planets
o Our planet, the Earth, is the third of eight planets in our Solar System
o The Sun is at the centre of our Solar System
❑ The order of the planets in the solar system, starting nearest the
sun and working outward is the following: Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
❑ A huge, glowing ball of gas called a star.
❑ Extremely hot, with a temperature of 6000 °C on the surface rising to 15 million °C in
its centre.
❑ Its energy is released by nuclear reactions in its core, and it radiates mostly in the
infrared, visible and ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

❑ The Earth is a rocky planet that rotates in a near circular orbit around the Sun
❑ It rotates on its axis, which is a line through the north and south poles
❑ The axis is tilted at an angle of approximately 23.4° from the vertical
❑ The Earth completes one full rotation (revolution) in approximately 24 hours (1 day)
❑ This rotation creates the apparent daily motion of the Sun rising and setting
❑ Rotation of the Earth on its axis is therefore responsible for the periodic cycle of
day and night

Day and Night


❑ The Earth's rotation around its axis
creates day and night

❑ Day is experienced by the half


of the Earth's surface that is
facing the Sun

❑ Night is the other half of the Earth's


surface, facing away from the Sun Day and night are caused by the Earth's rotation
❑ The Earth's rotation on its axis makes the Sun looks like it moves from east to west

❑ At the equinoxes the Sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west

❑ Equinox (meaning 'equal night') is when day and night are approximately of equal
length

❑ However, the exact locations of where the Sun rises and sets changes throughout the
seasons

❑ In the northern hemisphere (above the equator):


❑ In summer, the sun rises north of east and sets north of west
❑ In winter, the sun rises south of east and sets south of west
❑ The Sun is highest above the horizon at noon (12
pm)

❑ In the northern hemisphere, the daylight hours are


longest up until roughly the 21st June

❑ This day is known as the Summer Solstice and


is where the Sun is at its highest point in the
sky all year

❑ The daylight hours then decrease to their lowest


around 21st December

❑ This is known the Winter Solstice and is


The Sun rises in the east and sets in
where the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky the west. Its approximate area changes
throughout the year
all year
❑ The Earth orbits the Sun once in approximately 365 days & This is 1 year
❑ The combination of the orbiting of the Earth around the Sun and the Earth's tilt creates
the seasons
❖ Over parts B, C and D of the orbit, the northern
hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun.

❖ This means daylight hours are more than


hours of darkness & This is spring and
summer

❑ The southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun

❑ This means there are shorter days than night &


Seasons in the Northern hemisphere
This is autumn and winter caused by the tilt of the Earth
❑ Over parts F, G and H of the orbit, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the
Sun
❑ The situations in both the northern and southern hemisphere are reversed
❑ It is autumn and winter in the northern hemisphere, but at the same time it is
spring and summer in the southern hemisphere
❑ At C: **This is the summer solstice
** The northern hemisphere has the longest day, whilst the southern hemisphere has
its shortest day
❑ At G: ** This is the winter solstice

** The northern hemisphere has its shortest day, whilst the southern hemisphere
has its longest day

❑ At A and D: ** Night and day are equal in both hemispheres

** These are the equinoxes


❑ The Moon is a satellite around

the Earth

❑ It travels around the Earth in roughly

a circular orbit once a month

❑ This takes 27-28 days

❑ The Moon revolves around its own axis in a month so always has the same side facing the Earth

❑ We never see the hemisphere that is always facing away from Earth, although astronauts
have orbited the Moon and satellite have photographed it

❑ The Moon shines with reflected light from the Sun, it does not produce its own light
❑ The way the Moon's appearance changes across a month, as seen from Earth, is called
its periodic cycle of phases

❑ In the image, the inner circle shows


that exactly half of the Moon is
illuminated by the Sun at all times

❑ The outer circle shows how the


Moon looks like from the Earth at its
various positions

Phases of the Moon as it orbits around Earth


❑ In the New Moon phase:

❑ The Moon is between the Earth and the Sun

❑ Therefore, the sunlight is only on the opposite face of the Moon to the Earth

❑ This means the Moon is unlit as seen from Earth, so it is not visible

❑ At the Full Moon phase:

❑ The Earth is between the Moon and the Sun

❑ The side of the Moon that is facing the Earth is completely lit by the sunlight

❑ This means the Moon is fully lit as seen from Earth

❑ In between, a crescent can be seen where the Moon is partially illuminated from sunlight
Orbital Speed
❑ When planets move around the Sun, or a moon moves around a planet, they orbit
in circular motion

❑ This means that in one orbit, a planet travels a distance equal to the circumference of
a circle (the shape of the orbit)

❑ This is equal to 2πr where r is the radius a circle

❑ The relationship between speed, distance and time is:


❑ the average orbital speed of an object can be defined by the equation:

Where:

v = orbital speed in meters per second (m/s)

r = average radius of the orbit in meters (m)

T = orbital period in seconds (s)


Orbital radius and orbital speed
This orbital period (or time period) is defined as:
of a planet moving around a sun

The time taken for an object to complete one orbit

❑ The orbital radius r is always taken from the center of the object being orbited to the
object orbiting
❑ Remember to check that the orbital radius r given is the distance from the center of the sun (if a planet
is orbiting a sun) or the planet (if a moon is orbiting a planet) and not just from the surface. If the
distance is a height above the surface you must add the radius of the body, to get the height above the
center of mass of the body.
❑ This is because orbits are caused by the mass, which can be assumed to act at the center, rather than the
surface.
❑ Don’t forget to check your units and convert any if required!

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