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PH1600: Introductory Astronomy
Lecture 15: Star Clusters
PH1600: Introductory Astronomy
Lecture 15: Star Clusters
Next Lecture: Star Death & Black Holes
School: Michigan Technological University
Professor: Robert Nemiroff
Online Course WebCT pages:
http://courses.mtu.edu/
This class can be taken online ONLY, class
attendance is not required!
You are responsible for…
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Lecture material
Listed wikipedia entries
 But not higher math
APODs posted during the semester
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APOD review every week during lecture
Completing the Quizzes
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Homework quizzes 1 - 7, Midterm already due
Homework 8 released later (Wednesday)
See WebCT at http://courses.mtu.edu/
Wikipedia entries:
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HR Diagram
Cepheid variable
Open cluster
Globular cluster
4
Cepheid variable stars
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Longer periods means greater
absolute brightness
See link:
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNPAlAZ_iKY
5
Andromeda Nebula: Var!
Credit: Mount Wilson Observatory Historical Archive
APOD: 1996 April 6
The Cepheids of M100
Credit: NASA, HST, W. Freedman (CIW),
R. Kennicutt (U. Arizona), J. Mould (ANU)
APOD: 1996 January 10
Open Clusters
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Young
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< 1 billion years
Light dominated by biggest blue stars
10 – 1,000 stars
Found in Galactic Plane
All stars born at the same time
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All stars at the same distance
M45: The Pleiades Star Cluster
Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler
APOD: 2006 January 9
Perseid Fireball Over Japan
Credit & Copyright: Katsuhiro Mouri & Shuji Kobayashi
(Nagoya City Science Museum / Planetarium)
APOD: 2004 August 13
Open Cluster NGC 290: A Stellar Jewel Box
Credit: ESA & NASA; Acknowledgement: E. Olszewski (U. Arizona) HST
APOD: 2008 August 3
The M7 Open Star Cluster in Scorpius
Credit & Copyright: Allan Cook & Adam Block, NOAO, AURA, NSF
APOD: 2005 April 6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Open_cluster_HR_diagram_ages.gif
In the Center of the Trapezium
Credit: J. Bally, D. Devine, & R. Sutherland, D. Johnson (CITA), HST, NASA
APOD: 2005 July 10
Star Clusters Young and Old
Credit & Copyright: Chris Hetlage
APOD: 2006 September 10
Open Star Clusters M35 and NGC 2158
Credit & Copyright: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope,
J.-C. Cuillandre (CFHT), Coelum
APOD: 2003 December 15
A Star Cluster in Motion
Credit: Adam Block (NOAO)
APOD: 2002 July 30
The Rosette Nebula in Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Sulfur
Credit: T. A. Rector, B. Wolpa, M. Hanna (AURA/NOAO/NSF)
APOD: 2000 January 11
Inside the Eagle Nebula
Credit & Copyright: T. A. Rector & B. A. Wolpa, NOAO, AURA
APOD: 2006 February 26
Globular Clusters
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Oldest things known in the universe
10,000 – 1 million stars
All born at the same time
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All have the same distance
All are relatively dim
Not confined to our Galactic Plane
Blue stragglers once a mystery
The Colorful Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi
Credit: Adam Block, KPNO Visitor Program,
NOAO, AURA, NSF
APOD: 2007 September 3
Globular Cluster M3 from WIYN
Credit & Copyright: S. Kafka & K. Honeycutt (Indiana University), WIYN, NOAO, NSF
APOD: 2006 March 12
M3: Inconstant Star Cluster
Credit & Copyright: J. Hartman & K. Stanek (Harvard CfA)
APOD: 2004 October 12
M13: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
Credit & Copyright: Eddie Guscott
APOD: 2004 May 11
NGC 5139: Omega Centauri
Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
APOD: 2007 April 19
Blue Stragglers in NGC 6397
Credit: Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA), A. Cool (SFSU) et al., NASA
APOD: 2003 August 8
NGC 1818: A Young Globular Cluster
Credit: Diedre Hunter (Lowell Obs.) et al., HST, NASA
APOD: 2002 December 29
M55: Color Magnitude Diagram
B.J. Mochejska, J. Kaluzny (CAMK), 1m Swope Telescope
APOD: 2001 February 23
The Sombrero Galaxy from HST
Credit: Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI /NASA)
APOD: 2006 January 15
M13: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
Credit & Copyright: Eddie Guscott
APOD: 2004 May 11