ASTR 3480: An Introduction to Cosmology

Overview

• Instructor: Tim Pennucci - ttp4tx at virginia dot edu
• Meeting Time: 1:00-3:15 PM, M-F
• Classroom: Astronomy 265
• Office Hours: 3:15-4:00 PM, M-F and by appointment.
• Office: Astronomy 109
• Text: Foundations of Modern Cosmology, Hawley & Holcomb, 2nd edition (required)
• Important Details: *SYLLABUS*

Updates

• 08/03 - Our final exam is tomorrow at 1 PM! An email reminder has been sent out and all materials are now available on Collab! Good luck studying!
• 08/01 - The answers for the third quiz have been posted under Resources on Collab.
• 07/25 - The answers for the second quiz have been posted under Resources on Collab.
• 07/17 - The answers for the first quiz have been posted under Resources on Collab.
• 07/11 - You should obtain the textbook from Amazon or the UVa bookstore prior to the start of class!
• 07/11 - Please read the syllabus thoroughly, and bring any questions to our first class. Thank you.
• 07/11 - You will need paper and something to write with for most every class.
• 07/11 - You will need to complete all readings as scheduled in preparation for every class.

Other

• Theoretical astrophysicist Sean Carroll explains a bit about the Arrow of Time and the Multiverse.
• The following are two awesome simulations displaying the Large-Scale Structure (LSS) of the universe: one from the famous Millenium Simulation and another from the musically interesting Gravitas.
• Check out these two neat videos displaying how the Planck satellite accumulates data on the CMB here and here.
• In case you weren't aware, the universe is expanding; but try not to get depressed about it.
• The famous clip of Neil DeGrasse Tyson explaining "spaghettification", a.k.a. death-by-black-hole.
• A quick musical tour of the ISS can be found here. Remember, this sort of video/travel was not available to Einstein; it should immediately convince you that free-falling frames are (the only?) inertial ones!
• A very visual demonstration of the difference between Galilean and Lorentz transforms (SR) can be found here.
• Interactive demos for the Michelson-Morley Experiment and time dilation with a light-clock, as provided by the UVa Physics department.
• Here are two useful videos that demonstrate the audio and optical Doppler Effect. Additionally, find an interactive demo of it here.
• Two other inspiring images from a cosmological standpoint as we leave Earth: the photo "Pale Blue Dot", and its parent series of photos from Voyager I, "Family Portrait" and its diagrammatical portrait.
• From our first class, a hopefully impressive cosmological photograph: The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF).
• Collab website: https://collab.itc.virginia.edu/portal/site/astr3480_11su
• The entire Universe conceptulized and visualized in an interactive cartoon and a short video.
• This is what the Universe actually looks like from where we stand in it, if you removed the Earth from beneath your feet and had long-exposure-capable, sensitive eyes.
• Here are some interesting blogs/websites you might find useful during our class and discussions: Astronomy Picture Of the Day, Bad Astronomy, Cosmic Variance, and then there are more "journalistic" sites like the NY Times Science Times, Scientific American, etc.
• There are Public Nights hosted by the Astronomy Department at McCormick Observatory on 7/1, 7/15, and 8/5. You might enjoy attending one of them.

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