AST-1 Introduction to Astronomy

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AST-1 Introduction to Astronomy

• Dr. Kelsey Jordahl

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What is Science?
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Science is

• A way of understanding the world around us
• Testable
• Self-correcting
• Quantitative (mathematical)

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The Scientific Method

• Theories are introduced to explain observations
• Further data (observations and/or experiments)
  test theory
• If necessary, theory is revised to explain new
  data
• No theory is ever final!

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Observation
explain
Hypothesis
test
Observation experiment
keep testing
confirm
test
Theory
Law
If reliable
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More conversions(astronomical units)

• 1 astronomical unit 1 AU
• 1.5 x 108 km 93 million miles
• 1 light year 1 ly 9.46 x 1012 km
• 6.3 x 104 AU
• 1 parsec 1 pc 3.09 x 1013 km

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What is Astronomy?
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Astronomy is

• The oldest science (1000s of years old)
• driven by human curiosity
• The science of understanding the universe
  (outside Earths atmosphere)
• Seeking to answer basic questions
• How does the universe work?
• Where did we come from?
• An observational science

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Observational Science

• Difficult to do experiments
• Astronomy relies on information we receive over
  long distances by electromagnetic radiation

Luckily, the universe is big (lots of chances to
observe)
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Why Study Astronomy?

• Climate (seasons, weather)
• Navigation
• Curiosity about the world
• Understanding our place in the universe

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Tools for Astronomy

• Telescopes
• visible light
• radio, IR, UV, X-ray, etc.
• Spacecraft
• Computers
• analysis
• archive
• modeling

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What Astronomers Do

• Observation
• Theorizing
• Modeling

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A Quick Tour of the Universe
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