Astronomy 161 - Introduction to Solar System Astronomy - Autumn 2007
Astronomy 161, Introduction to the Solar System, is the first quarter of
a 2-quarter introductory Astronomy for non-science majors taught at The
Ohio State University. This podcast presents audio recordings of
Professor Richard Pogge's lectures from his Autumn Quarter 2007 class.
All of the lectures were recorded live in 1000 McPherson Laboratory on
the OSU Main Campus in Columbus, Ohio.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Episodes
- 49
- Years Active
- 2007 - 2009
Lecture 27: Deep Time - The Age of the Earth
How old is the Earth? In this lecture I review the ideas of cyclic and
linear time, and how this determines whether or not the question of the
age of the Earth is meaningful. I then review various …
Mon 29 Oct 2007
Lecture 26: Telescopes
Telescopes outfitted with modern electronic cameras and spectrographs
are astronomers' primary tools for exploring the Universe. In this
lecture I review the primary types of telescopes and the best…
Fri 26 Oct 2007
Lecture 25: Measuring Light - Spectroscopy
Why does each element have its own unique spectral signature? how doe
emission lines and absorption lines arise? This lecture is the second
part of a two-part exploration of matter and light, looki…
Thu 25 Oct 2007
Lecture 24: Matter and Light
How do matter and light interact? This lecture is the first of two that
will explore the interaction between light and ordinary matter, and how
we measure that with spectroscopy. This lecture intro…
Wed 24 Oct 2007
Lecture 23: Worlds Within - Atoms
What is ordinary matter made of? This lecture reviews the basic
properties of matter from subatomic to atomic scales, introducing atomic
structures, atomic number and chemical elements, isotopes,
ra…
Tue 23 Oct 2007
Lecture 22: Light the Messenger
What is light? Most astronomical objects are too far away to measure
directly. Light is the messenger of the Universe, carrying with it
information about objects as near as the Moon and as far away…
Mon 22 Oct 2007
Lecture 21: Dance of the Planets
How do objects orbit if more than 2 massive bodies are involved?
Newton's versions of Keplers 3 Laws of Planetary Motion are only
strictly valid for 2 massive bodies. The Solar System, however, clea…
Thu 18 Oct 2007
Lecture 20: Tides
Why are there two high tides a day? This lecture examines tides caused
by the differences in the gravity force of the Moon from one side to the
other of the Earth (stronger on the side nearest the M…
Wed 17 Oct 2007
Lecture 19: Orbits
Why do Kepler's Laws work? In this lecture I will describe Newton's
generalization of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion so that they will
apply to any two massive bodies orbiting around their common…
Tue 16 Oct 2007
Lecture 18: The Apple and the Moon - Newtonian Gravitation
What is Gravity? Starting with the properties of falling bodies first
formulated by Galileo, Newton applied his three laws of motion to the
problem of Universal Gravitation. Newtonian Gravity is a …
Mon 15 Oct 2007
Lecture 17: On the Shoulders of Giants: Isaac Newton and the Laws of Motion
Copernicus, Kepler, Tycho, and Galileo together gave us a new way of
looking at the motions in the heavens, but they could not explain why
the planets move they way the do. It was to be the work of …
Fri 12 Oct 2007
Lecture 16: The Starry Messenger - Galileo and the Telescope
Tycho reached the limits of what could be done with the naked eye. A
new technology was required to extend our vision: the telescope. This
lecture introduces Galileo Galilei, the contemporary of Ke…
Thu 11 Oct 2007
Lecture 15: The Watershed - Tycho and Kepler
In the generation following Copernicus, the question of planetary
motions was picked up by two remarkable astronomers: Tycho Brahe and
Johannes Kepler. Tycho was a Danish nobleman and brilliant astr…
Wed 10 Oct 2007
Lecture 14b: Copernicus from Au2006
Because my voice recorder malfunctioned 15 minutes into my Lecture on
Copernicus on 2007 October 9, I've added this recording of my Copernicus
lecture from Autumn Quarter 2006. It is the same basic …
Tue 09 Oct 2007
Lecture 14: The Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus revived Aristarchus' Heliocentric System in
an attempt to rid Ptolemy's geocentric system of the un-Aristotelian
idea of the Equant. He desired to create a model of the …
Tue 09 Oct 2007
Lecture 13: The Harmony of the Spheres - Greek Astronomy
What are the origins of the Geocentric and Heliocentric models
put foward to explain planetary motion? This lecture begins a new
unit that will chart the rise of our modern view of the solar system …
Mon 08 Oct 2007
Lecture 12: The Wanderers
How do the planets move across the sky? This lecture discusses the
motions of the 5 naked-eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and
Saturn) as seen from the Earth. We introduce the major conf…
Thu 04 Oct 2007
Lecture 11: The Calendar
How do we make calendars? This lecture explores the astronomical
origins of our calendars. We start by discussing lunar and solar
calendars and their hybrids in history and tradition (for example, …
Wed 03 Oct 2007
Lecture 10: Telling Time
What time is it? Telling time is the oldest practical application of
astronomy. Today's lecture is the first of a 2-part lecture on the
astronomical origins of our methods of keeping time and makin…
Tue 02 Oct 2007
Lecture 09: Eclipses of the Sun and Moon
Among the most amazing sights in the sky, eclipses of the Sun and
Moon have long fascinated us. This lecture describes the eclipses of
the Sun and Moon, their types, and how often they occur.
Record…
Mon 01 Oct 2007
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