Lecture 29 An advertisement: two astronomy courses next semester

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Lecture 29 An advertisement two astronomy
courses next semester

• 2952 ,Characteristics and Origins of the Solar
  System, 130 220 MWF
• 143070001, Honors Seminar in Natural Sciences,
  Life in the Universe Scientific Bases for
  Speculation, 230-345 TTh

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Why study the solar system next semester?

• Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus will all be in the
  evening sky

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Astronomical Events this Month

• Venus in the western sky after sunset
• Total eclipse of the Moon, November 8 (Saturday
  night) 532 PM 706 731 904
• Leonid meteor shower, November 18, before dawn

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Last word on massive stellar evolution it
happens fast and ends violently

• Eta Carinae Watch the skies! Watch the skies!

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Next topic Structure of the Milky Way Galaxy

• What is the size, shape, and nature of the system
  of stars in which we live?

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You can learn a lot by looking at the sky and
thinking
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From this picture, lets figure out the shape of
the Milky Way. Characteristics to go on are

• Sprinkling of stars everywhere
• Thick band of light across the sky (the Milky
  Way)
• Band brightest in the direction of Sagittarius
• Band faintest in the direction of Taurus-Auriga

Whats the answer?
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The Answer
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(No Transcript)
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How far is it to the galactic center?

• How could we know?

Hint provided by globular star clusters. Great
summertime objects, few in winter
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How globulars indicate the distance to the
galactic center
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Globular Clusters are Distant

• It must be a long way to the galactic center