Astronomía (AST 0112)

Semester 1, 2020

Prof Roberto Puddu

R
oberto.puddu@uc.cl
 Sabes algo de inglés?

How is your English?

• AST0112 will be taught in English.
(quiza preferias AST0111-1/2 en español?)
That is me!
• PhD in Expermental
Physcs in Rome
• Post-doctoral in AIUC-PUC
• Collaborator at ACT, SO,
CCAT-prime ground
experments

• Cerro Toco, San Pedro de Atacama

• 5.200 msnm
• Medición del Fondo Cósmico
• Telescopios de precisión
• Temperatura Criogénica
What I do: optical analysis
for large telescopes
AST 0111- Astronomia Franz Bauer (P.
 Por qué elegiste este ramo?

Why did you choose this course?

A. Learn the constellations, use a telescope, ...
B. Study the solar system (Sun, planets, moons, etc.) and
extrasolar planets, life
C. Study exotic objects (WD, NS, BHs), galaxies, the Universe,
...
D. Take a course in English.
E. Learn about UFOs, astrology, the unexplained ...
 What year in University are you?

A. Year 1
B. Year 2
C. Year 3
D. Year 4
E. PUC is my second home, ok?
1. The Earth? preguntas
2. Solar system?
3. Stars?
4. Galaxies?
5. The Universe?
6. Time?
7. What is Life?
8. What is intelligence?
9. What is the future of humanity?
10.What is science?
11.What is a telescope?
12.What is astronomy?
When we speak of science in
general, what do we mean?

 Science strives to formulate and

answer questions about the world
around us.

 A good scientist questions everything.

 There are many branches of science,

one of which is Astronomy
 Astronomy
Physics as a science is a description of the world. Essentially, physics is a
collection of descriptive laws using mathematics as its “language”

(numbers are very important in science -> quantify)

Astronomy (Astrophysics) is the branch of physics that tries to describe the

Universe and the objects in it (e.g., everything outside of the Earth).

Astronomy uses the laws of physics and mathematics (+ those of chemistry,

geology and biology), but is limited to experiments that can typically only be
carried out from our particular location in the universe.

Tools of Astronomy: observational experiments, theoretical deduction

Astronomy is a science because it applies the scientific method.

Astronomy as a science is very old and very young (almost everything we hold as
true today about the Universe has been developed by living astronomers). In this
sense, we live in an rich era of exploration and discovery (‘Golden Age’ for
Astronomy)

Astronomy can be “relatively” affordable (we all can observe the sky).
Scientific Method
 What is NOT science?
1. Science is NOT a process that can solve all kinds of problems and questions:
Science is limited to solving problems about the natural world => by definition cannot
address issues in the supernatural realm, nor subjective issues of values and ethics.
Scientific explanations must be potentially disprovable => supernatural explanations
cannot be used, since they are not disprovable (such forces, by definition, do not
predictably follow the laws of nature). Whatever results occur in any test can be attributed
to those nebulous forces, effectively ending any further efforts to explain.
2. Science is NOT a process that can ignore rules:
Science must follow certain rules; otherwise, it's not science (futbol is not futbol if you
constantly use your hands).
3. Science is NOT a process that seeks the “truth” or “facts”:
The goal of science is to come as close as possible to understanding the cause-effect
realities of the natural world. It's never "truth" or "facts", which can mean different things to
different people.
4. Science is NOT a process that attempts to prove things:
The process of science, when properly applied, actually attempts to disprove ideas
(tentative explanations)... a process called "testing" or "challenging". If an idea survives
testing, then it is stronger, and more likely to be an accurate explanation of observations.
 What is NOT science?
5. Science is NOT a process that produces certainties, or absolute facts:
Science is a process which can only produce "possible" to "highly probable" explanations
for natural phenomena; these are never certainties.
With new information, tools, or approaches, earlier findings (theories, or even facts) can be
replaced by new findings.
6. Science is NOT a process that can always be relied upon due to its total
objectivity and internal self-correction:
Science can be done poorly, just like any other human endeavor. We are all fallible, some
of us make fewer mistakes than others, some observe better than others, but we are still
subjective in the end. Scientists try to establish internal self-correction mechanisms (e.g.,
scientific method) to increase the reliability of its result.
7. Science is NOT a process that is always properly used:
Unfortunately, science can frequently be misused. Because it works so well, there are
those who apply the name of science to their efforts to "prove" their favorite cause, even if
the rules of science were not followed. Such causes are properly labeled
"pseudosciences". Also, some scientists have been known to do fraudulent work, in order
to support their pet ideas. Such work is usually exposed sooner or later, due to the peer
review system or the work of other scientists.
 What is NOT science?
8. Science is NOT a process that is free from values, opinions or bias:
Scientists are people, and although they follow certain rules and try to be as objective as
possible, both in their observations and their interpretations, their biases are still there.
Unconscious racial bias, gender bias, social status, source of funding, or political leanings can
and do influence one's perceptions and interpretations.
9. Science is NOT a process in which the product (understanding) can rely on faith or
belief:
The product of science (probable explanations for natural phenomena) should always be based
on observations carefully analyzed and tested. The high confidence we have in science comes
from the many successful applications to real-life problems (e.g. in medicine, space exploration,
chemistry and technology).
10. Science is NOT a process in which one solution is as good as another, or is simply
a matter of opinion:
Science is based on rigorous analysis and fair-test comparisons of alternative explanations,
using discriminate criteria, e.g., confirmation by multiple independent lines of evidence, leading
to one "optimal" solution. It is possible for several theories to explain current observations, but
ideally each can be tested and refined with further observations.
11. Scientific Theories are not "tentative ideas" or "hunches":
The word "theory" is often used this way in everyday conversation (vs. hypothesis), but a theory
in science refers to a highly probable, well-tested comprehensive explanation, usually for a large
collection of observations.
Qué noticia astronómica reciente te acuerdas?

What recent astronomy news have you heard?

EHT imaging of the SMBH shadow in M87!
shadow is 40 x 109 km diameter (2x event horizon) , 6.5 x 109 solar masses  
Observaste por un telescopio alguna vez?

Have you ever looked through a telescope?

We will undertake a “laboratory” for the class can be done at PUC’s
Observatorio Santa Martina in Lo Barnechea.
Do astronomers spend all of their time looking
through telescopes?
 How many stars are there in our
galaxy? In the universe?

~250 billion (2.5e11) stars

~100 billion (1e11) galaxies in “observable” universe

=> so ~2.5e22 total stars in “observable” universe

 Space is largely empty?

While the density of space is extremely low (fewer atoms per

cubic cm than the best vacuum on Earth), there are still a
large variety of molecules in it.

There are >130 known molecules discovered in space, and

1000s more waiting to be discovered (e.g., fullerene
“buckyballs”).
 There is no gravity in space?

There is gravity in space just as on the Earth. Wherever there

is mass, there is gravity! If there was no gravity, then a
satellite would not stay in orbit around the Earth or fall toward
the Earth into our atmosphere. The concept of zero gravity
comes from the fact that you are continually falling toward (or
around in an orbit) the Earth.
How much time does it take light to travel
1 Astronomical unit (1AU)?
(what is an AU? => Sun-Earth distance)
A. Speed of light x 1 AU
B. Speed of light / 1 AU
C. 1 AU / Speed of light
D. 1 light-year
E. I do not know.
 When we look at the Sun,
what are we seeing?
(1AU=1.5x10 cm, c=3x10 cm/s)?
13 8

A. The Sun as it is right now

B. The Sun as it was 8 minutes ago
C. The Sun as it will be 8 minutes from now
D. The Sun as it was 1 year ago
E. Energy generated ~20k-50M yrs ago.
 AST 0112
• Distances
• Movements & Time
• Radiation
• Planets
• Stars
• Galaxies
• The Universe
ASTRONOMIA
 AST 0112
• Evaluation:

• Homeworks: 1 every ~1 week

• Semester Project/Lab: Due to June 19
• First Interrogación: to be defined
• Second Interrogación: to be defined
• Exam: to be defined
• Final Grades = { 0.2 HW + 0.2 SP + 0.15 I1 +0.15 I2 + 0.3 EX }
 AST 0112
• Help Sessions:
These begin Friday Aug 23.

• Labs:
Ask about these in your help session.

• Helpers:
Jonathan Quirola (jquirola@astro.puc.cl) +
Jennifer Fienco (jkfienco@uc.cl)
All resources should be available via the course webpage

Bibliografía

Almost any text covering an introduction to Astronomy will be useful, as

long as it is not very old (+10 yrs?).

Best:
• J. Bennett (et al.), The Cosmic Perspective, Fundamentals, Cummings, 2010 (digital)
• http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/General_Astronomy (nearly complete, but few missing entries)
 Theme Big Picture

1. Scales of time
TIME

It can be a difficult concept to define

Time as a physical variable
The origin of time from the Big Bang: T=0
The feeling of time: irreversible
The concept/equality of time and space
 40
Time and Space
30

20
T (minutes)

10

0 Earth Mars
 Scale of Time
 All evidence suggests that the Universe was not static but had a
beginning: A great explosion dubbed the “BIG BANG”
 This event defines T=0
Scientific Notation
 The Big Bang occurred ~1.4x10 yrs ago.
10
13.790.000.000
 This is the largest time scale we will cover.
 From T=0, the Universe has been expanding, and T grows.
 We observe the Universe: light arrives to us from all sides.
 We find that the speed of light is finite and measurable, and nothing
appears to travel faster than the speed of light.
 Thus we can only observe the Universe out to a certain distance.
 The further light has to travel, the longer it takes. Thus the light we see
today comes from objects in the past (“time machine”).
magine that you simultaneously receive satellite transmissions from two people
iving on different planets that orbit different stars. Both people are celebrating
heir 21st birthday. Which is the most plausible interpretation that could be made
rom your transmissions?

A. Both people are the same age but at different distances to you.
B. The people are actually different ages but at the same distance to you.
C. The closer person is actually the older of the two people.
D. The farther person is actually the older of the two people.
Astronomers observe a bright supernova explode in the Andromeda Galaxy (the
nearest big galaxy in our own “local” group of galaxies; located 2.6 million lyr
away). The remnant of such an explosion will disperse in about 10,000 yrs.

A. The supernova remnant still exists now, and we will watch it disperse
over the next 10,000 Earth years.
B. The supernova remnant has already dispersed, but we will watch the
light from it disperse over the next 10,000 Earth years.
C. The image of the supernova dispersing does not reach us for another
2.59 million years.
D. We will never see the supernova remnant because it has already
dispersed.
 Scale of Time
-13790000000 yr Big Bang
-12000000000 yr Our Galaxy forms
-4500000000 yr The Sun and Earth form
-4000000000 yr 1st living cell
-500000000 yr 1st vertebrate
-100000000 yr Dinosaur extinction
-2000000 yr 1st humans
-50000 yr Social organization
-5000 yr Written language
-500 yr Columbus travels
-100 yr Radio
-50 yr Computers
-40 yr Professor
-20 yr Students