6B15PHY

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

“ If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect

wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long
for the endless immensity of the sea.”

Antoine de Saint Exupery

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

 provide foundation knowledge of Astrophysics for

students advancing in an astronomy or M. Sc. (Physics)
degree.
 illustrate key concepts in physics using the medium of
astronomy where the Universe becomes our laboratory
for studying physics at the largest scales and the
extremes of density and temperature.
 appreciate the vastness of the universe that we live in
and hence develop a realistic outlook of life.
 Aware of the opportunities available in this vast area of
Physics.
 LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students will have developed and be able to demonstrate

:

 basic scientific competency to solve mathematical

problems in basic astrophysics.
 basic knowledge of the foundations of Astronomy &
Astrophysics.
 basic astrophysics data analysis skills using software
designed to simulate astronomical observations.
 written communication skills.
 THE SYLLABUS

Book for Study:

An Introduction to Astrophysics - Baidyanath Basu.
ASTRONOMY
“The science which treats of the constitution, relative
positions, and motions of the heavenly bodies; that is, of
all the bodies in the material universe outside of the
earth, as well as of the earth itself in its relations to
them.”
 From the Greek word astron ‘star” nomos law / culture
ASTROPHYSICS
 Branch of Astronomy that deals with the origin,
evolution and physical properties of celestial objects
such as luminosity, size, mass, density, temperature,
chemical composition etc.
 It is a combination of Astronomy and Physics.

 ASTROLOGY?
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE
 An imaginary/apparent sphere surrounding the observer on which the
stars and other heavenly bodies appear to lie.
 The observer’s position ( or the earth itself in a large sense) is taken
to be the centre of the celestial sphere whose radius is indefinite.
 It resembles the dome of a planetarium on which the artificial stars
lie.
 All stars are on the surface of the celestial sphere.
 The axis of the celestial sphere is aligned with Earth's axis.
 The celestial equator is concentric with Earth's equator.
 Because of the tilt of Earth's axis, Sun's path is tilted with respect to
the celestial equator. Sun's path is called the ecliptic.
 Sun moves approximately one degree along the ecliptic in one day.
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE
SOME FUNDAS…

 Sidereal day: The earth rotates about a diameter, called axis,

from west to east in 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. This
period is called a Sidereal day.

 Diurnal rotation: Due to the rotation of the earth about its axis
from west to east, the observer is carried eastward constantly.
As a result, the celestial sphere appears to rotate from east to
west. This apparent daily rotation of the celestial sphere is
called diurnal rotation or motion.
As a consequence of earth’s rotation the celestial
sphere appears to rotate in the opposite
direction. This apparent daily rotation of the
celestial sphere is called diurnal rotation.

PARALLELS OF
DECLINATION
OR
SAMA KRANTHIKA
VRUTHAM
SOME FUNDAS…
 Great circles: All circles on a sphere whose plane pass through
the center of the sphere. e.g. The equator of earth is chosen as
the fundamental great circle to fix locations.
 Celestial Axis : The axis of diurnal motion of the celestial
sphere. It is parallel to the axis of rotation of the earth.
 Celestial Poles: The points where the celestial axis meets the
celestial sphere - the North Celestial Pole or North Pole (P)
and the South Celestial Pole or South pole (P’).
SOME FUNDAS…

 Celestial Equator: The great circle of the celestial sphere

perpendicular to the celestial axis, with P and P’ as the poles.

 Celestial Horizon: The tangent plane to the surface of earth, at

the position of the observer, produced in all directions meets
the celestial sphere along a great circle, called the celestial
horizon.

 Zenith and Nadir: The direction of a plumbline (i.e. direction

of gravity) at the position of the observer produced both ways
meets the celestial sphere in two points Z and Z’. The point Z
above the observer is called Zenith and the point Z’ below the
observer is called Nadir. Z and Z’ are the poles of the Celestial
horizon.
 CELESTIAL HORIZON
The tangent plane at the position of the observer to the surface of the
earth produced in all direction meets the celestial sphere along a
great circle. This great circle is called the Horizon. Horizon divides
the celestial sphere in to two hemispheres called visible and invisible
H/S
 RISING AND SETTING
Entry of a celestial body to the
visible hemisphere from the
invisible hemisphere is called rising
and the opposite movement is
called setting.
horizon
CONSTELLATIONS
 Group of bright stars in the sky into various patterns for easy
identification.
 The IAU has recognized 88 constellations spread across the
entire sky.
 Astronomers use many imaginary lines for mapping the sky.
 One such line is the Ecliptic.
 It is the apparent path of the sun through the sky due to the
orbital motion of earth around the sun.
 The moon and the planets are mostly seen within a zone of 8o
on either side of this imaginary line .
 This belt shaped region in the sky on either side of the ecliptic
is known as the ‘Zodiac’ - Circle of animals.
THE ZODIAC
ZODIAC
 Astrologers have divided the zodiac into 12 equal parts
of 30o each, forming the 12 constellations of the zodiac.-
signs(rasis) of European Zodiac
 There are 27 ‘Nakshatras’( Lunar mansions)- Groups of
stars in the sky based on the daily motion of the moon in
the sky.(By Indians)
 Nakshatras are constellations on the path of the moon.
ZODIACAL CONSTELLATIONS (RASHI)
 Astrologers have divided the zodiac into 12 equal parts
of 30o each, forming the 12 constellations of the zodiac.-
signs(rasis) of European Zodiac
 Aries - Mesha, Taurus - The bull ( Vrisha), Gemini, the
twins (Mithuna), Cancer, the Crab ( Karkata), Leo, the
Lion (Simha), Virgo, the virgin (Kanya), Libra, the
Scale(Tula), Scorpius, the scorpion (Vrischika),
Sagittarius, the Archer ( Dhanu), Capricorus, the Seagoat
(Makara), aquarius, the water bearer (Kumbha) and
Pisces, the Fishes (Meena)
SOME FUNDAS…
 Celestial Meridian: The great circle passing through the
Zenith, Nadir and the celestial poles.
 East & West points: The meeting points of the Celestial
Equator and the Horizon- E & W.
 North and South points: The meeting points of the Meridian
and the Horizon - N & S.
Note: N, S, E & W are called Cardinal points.
 Visible and Invisible Hemispheres: The horizon divides the
CS into to two hemispheres-The observer on the surface of
earth cannot see the objects in the hemisphere below the
horizon, called invisible hemisphere. The objects in the
hemisphere above the horizon are visible and hence called the
visible hemisphere.
 The rising and setting of a star is due to entry and transit
between these hemispheres.
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE
Z- Zenith,
Z’- Nadir
P- North Celestial Pole
P’- South Celestial Pole
N- North Point
S- South Point
E- East Point
W - West Point.
QERW - Celestial Equator
NEWS - Celestial Horizon
ZPZ’P’ - Celestial Meridian
LL’Ω Y - The Ecliptic
Ω - First Point of Libra(AE)
Y - First Point of Aries(VE)
σ - The star.
σ X- Altitude
Z σ - Zenith distance
<NZσ - Azimuth
PσM- Declination Circle
σM - Declination
<QPσ - Hour Angle
YM - Right Ascension
 SOME FUNDAS…
 The Ecliptic: Due to the annual revolution of the earth around
the sun, the sun appears to move along a great circle of the CS
which is inclined to the celestial equator at an angle of about
23o27’. This great circle of sun’s apparent motion is called the
Ecliptic.
 Equinoctial Points: These are the two points where the ecliptic
and the equator intersect.
 First Point of Aries (vernal equinox): The point through which
the sun crosses the equator from south to north during its annual
motion. It occurs at March 21st marking the beginning of spring
season.
 First Point of Libra (autumnal equinox): The point through
which the sun crosses the equator from north to south during its
annual motion. It occurs on September 23rd marking the
beginning of autumn season.
 WHAT’S UP FOR YOU?
Observer Coordinates
 Horizon – the plane
you stand on
 Zenith – the point
right above you
 Meridian – the line
from North to
Zenith to south
 …DEPENDS WHERE YOU ARE!

 Your
local sky –
your view depends on your location on earth
 CNP
ZENITH

LOCAL SOUTH
LOCAL NORTH

CSP
Why do we always see the same face of moon?

 It takes 27.3 days for Moon to rotate once about its axis. But
this is exactly equal to the time required for Moon to revolve
one time around Earth.
 Thus, Moon revolves around Earth at the same rate that it
rotates about its own axis. This is why we always see the same
side of Moon. We will always see the same craters when we
look at Moon through the telescope. If we want to see a
different part of Moon, we would have to go to a different
location on Earth.
POSITION OF ECLIPTIC ON THE
CELESTIAL SPHERE
 Earth axis is tilted w.r.t. ecliptic by 23 ½ degrees
 Equivalent: ecliptic is tilted by 23 ½ degrees w.r.t. equator!
  Sun appears to be sometime above (e.g. summer
solstice), sometimes below, and sometimes on the celestial
equator
 FOUR POINTS ON THE ECLIPTIC
 There are four important points on Sun's path (i.e. ecliptic).
These are:
1. Summer solstice
2. Autumnal equinox
3. Winter solstice
4. Vernal equinox
SUMMER SOLSTICE ( BEGINNING OF DAKSHINAYAN)
When sun is at its highest declination above the celestial
equator. This occurs on approximately June 21. For those
of us who live in the northern hemisphere, we call this the
first day of summer. For those who live in the southern
hemisphere, this is their first day of winter.
AUTUMNAL EQUINOX (SHARATH SAMPAAT)
At one intersection of the celestial equator and ecliptic,
midway between summer and winter as sun moves from
northern declinations to southern declinations.
WINTER SOLSTICE ( BEGINNING OF
UTHARAYAN)
When sun is at its lowest declination below the celestial
equator. This occurs on approximately Dec 21. For those
of us who live in the northern hemisphere, we call this the
first day of winter. For those who live in the southern
hemisphere, this is the first day of summer.
VERNAL EQUINOX (VASANTHA SAMPAAT)
At one intersection of the celestial equator and ecliptic,
midway between winter and summer as sun moves from
southern declinations to northern declinations.
NOTE

 The celestial equator and the ecliptic are fixed great

circles of the celestial sphere, i.e. they are independent of
the position of the observer.
 The horizon, meridian and the zenith are different for
different positions of the observer.
 THE CELESTIAL COORDINATES
 Used to locate a celestial object in space - distance and direction.
 The direction of an object (i.e. its position on the celestial sphere)
can be assigned in terms of two angle coordinates, just like the
latitude and longitude used for fixing positions on the surface of
earth.
THE PRIME MERIDIAN
LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
BASED ON THE CHOICE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL
GREAT CIRCLE ON THE CS AND THE REFERENCE
POINT (ORIGIN), THERE ARE MAINLY THREE
COORDINATE SYSTEMS USED:
1. THE HORIZONTAL SYSTEM
2. THE EQUATORIAL SYSTEM
3. THE ECLIPTIC SYSTEM
 THE HORIZONTAL SYSTEM (ALTAZIMUTH SYSTEM)
 In this system, the fundamental great circle chosen is the celestial
Horizon and the origin of reference is the North point.
 Altitude(a) and azimuth (A)are defined as the coordinates in this
system.
 In fig, the arc σ X- representing the angular distance of the star
from the horizon is called its altitude. It varies from 0o to 90o on
either side. The complementary arc,
Z σ = 90o-a is called zenith distance.
 The angle NZσ between the meridian and the great circle through
the star is called the Azimuth of the star. It is also represented by
the arc NX of the horizon.
 Azimuth is measured from N eastwards or westwards through 0o to
180o.
THE HOIZONTAL SYSTEM

a - Altitude ( 0 to 90 degree)
Zenith (Z)
A -Azimuth. ( 0 to 180 degree)
Meridian

A Zenith distance

σ
N a

X
Celestial
Horizon

Nadir (N)
 Advantages of the Horizontal System:
 It is a very convenient system and hence is used by amateur
astronomers with small telescopes.
 Being a visible system of coordinates, azimuth and altitude can
be easily calculated.

Drawbacks of the Horizontal System:

 Since the horizon at different locations on the earth are
different, the coordinates of the same star at the same time are
different for observers located at different places. i.e., this
system is defined for a particular place on earth.
 Due to the diurnal motion of the CS, the coordinates of a given
star at a given place vary from instant to instant. Hence this
system is not suitable for making permanent star charts.
 THE EQUATORIAL SYSTEM
 In this system, the fundamental great circle chosen is the celestial
equator and the reference point is the vernal equinox (First point of
Aries).
 Right Ascension and Declination are the coordinates in this
system.
 The angular distance of the star from the equator, represented by
the arc σM is called the Declination of the star.
 Declination of the star is positive if it is north of equator and
negative if its is south of the equator.
 The arc Pσ is called the North Polar Distance of the star.

 The arc of the equator YM between the vernal equinox(Y) and the
foot of the declination circle is called Right Ascension (R.A). It
varies from 0o to 360o (or 0 h to 24 h)
THE EQUATORIAL SYSTEM
α - Right Ascension (0 h to 24 h)
δ -Declination.

Pole of the Equator (P)

σ
δ
α
M
Celestial
Equator
Vernal Equinox
 THE EQUATORIAL SYSTEM
RIGHT ASCENSION & DECLINATION
ADVANTAGES OF THE EQUATORIAL SYSTEM
 Since the First Point of Aries shares the common diurnal
motion as the stars, both the Right ascension and the
Declination of the star remain unchanged. Hence it is useful for
making permanent star charts.
 As the points Y and the equator are same for all places,
coordinates are not affected by the change of place of the
observer.
 It is useful in pointing a telescope to a celestial object. Using
equatorially mounted telescopes that can be rotated about the
polar axis at the sidereal rate, one can follow the object and
keep it constantly in the field of vision.
THE ECLIPTIC SYSTEM
 In this system, the fundamental great circle chosen is the
ecliptic- which is inclined to the celestial equator by 23o27’ and
the First Point of Aries is the reference point.
 The coordinates of the star in this system are called celestial
longitude and celestial latitude.
 If a great circle is drawn through the pole of the ecliptic and the
star σ, then the angular distance of σ from the ecliptic measured
along this great circle is called the Celestial Latitude(β). It varies
from 0o to 90o.
 The β is positive if the star is to the north of the ecliptic and
negative if the star is to the south of the ecliptic.
 The arc of the ecliptic intercepted between the vernal equinox
and the foot of the above great circle is called Celestial
Longitude (λ). It is measured eastwards from
0o to 360o.
THE ECLIPTIC SYSTEM

β-Celestial Latitude

Pole of the Ecliptic λ-Celestial Longitude.

σ
β
λ

Ecliptic
Vernal Equinox
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Zenith
Meridian
Ecliptic
Star
North
Pole
First Point of Equator
Libra(AE)

Horizon

First Point of
Aries (VE)
South
Pole
Nadir
STELLAR MOTIONS