In this computer-based exercise, students analyze realistically simulated X-ray spectra of a supernova remnant and determine the abundances of various elements in them. In the end, they will find that the elements necessary for life on Earth -- the iron in their blood, the calcium in their bones -- are created in these distant explosions. The product consists of both downloadable software (PC only) and a user's manual, with sections for both teachers and students.

This course focuses on three particularly interesting areas of astronomy that are advancing very rapidly: Extra-Solar Planets, Black Holes, and Dark Energy. Particular attention is paid to current projects that promise to improve our understanding significantly over the next few years. The course explores not just what is known, but what is currently not known, and how astronomers are going about trying to find out.

This simulation shows the first 20 milliseconds in the life of a neutron star which is formed in a Type II supernova. After an initial collapse phase, the neutron star becomes unstable to convection. The resulting convective motions destroy the spherical symmetry of the star and rapidly mix the inner regions. In addition, the neutrino flux from the neutron star will be non-spherical and will be significantly enhanced by the convective motions. This may have major implications for the Type II supernova mechanism. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics. The computational grid contained 300 zones in radius and 200 zones in angle. The inner 200 zones in radius were uniformly spaced, ranging from the inner boundary at 25 km to 175 km. The outer 100 zones were non-uniformly spaced and stretched to 2000 km. Only the inner 200 zones are plotted. The inner boundary was treated as a hard sphere. At the outer boundary, zero gradients for all the variables were assumed. Periodic boundary conditions were used along the sides of the grid. The following sequence shows the density evolution for 20 milliseconds after the shock stalls. The density is plotted on a log scale. Values range from 10^9 gm-cm^3 at the outer boundary to 1.4 x 10^12 gm-cm^3 at the inner boundary.

This simulation shows the first 20 milliseconds in the life of a neutron star which is formed in a Type II supernova. After an initial collapse phase, the neutron star becomes unstable to convection. The resulting convective motions destroy the spherical symmetry of the star and rapidly mix the inner regions. In addition, the neutrino flux from the neutron star will be non-spherical and will be significantly enhanced by the convective motions. This may have major implications for the Type II supernova mechanism. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics. The computational grid contained 300 zones in radius and 200 zones in angle. The inner 200 zones in radius were uniformly spaced, ranging from the inner boundary at 25 km to 175 km. The outer 100 zones were non-uniformly spaced and stretched to 2000 km. Only the inner 200 zones are plotted. The inner boundary was treated as a hard sphere. At the outer boundary, zero gradients for all the variables were assumed. Periodic boundary conditions were used along the sides of the grid. The following sequence shows the mixing of composition which results from the convective motions. The variable plotted is the electron fraction Ye, which ranges from 0.2 to 0.5.

This simulation shows the first 20 milliseconds in the life of a neutron star which is formed in a Type II supernova. After an initial collapse phase, the neutron star becomes unstable to convection. The resulting convective motions destroy the spherical symmetry of the star and rapidly mix the inner regions. In addition, the neutrino flux from the neutron star will be non-spherical and will be significantly enhanced by the convective motions. This may have major implications for the Type II supernova mechanism. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics. The computational grid contained 300 zones in radius and 200 zones in angle. The inner 200 zones in radius were uniformly spaced, ranging from the inner boundary at 25 km to 175 km. The outer 100 zones were non-uniformly spaced and stretched to 2000 km. Only the inner 200 zones are plotted. The inner boundary was treated as a hard sphere. At the outer boundary, zero gradients for all the variables were assumed. Periodic boundary conditions were used along the sides of the grid. The following sequence shows the temperature structure for 20 milliseconds after the shock stalls. The minimum temperature is approximately 1.35 MeV. The maximum temperature varies from 6 MeV at the beginning of the calculation to 10 MeV at the later times.

Quantitative introduction to physics of the solar system, stars, interstellar medium, the Galaxy, and Universe, as determined from a variety of astronomical observations and models. Topics: planets, planet formation; stars, the Sun, "normal" stars, star formation; stellar evolution, supernovae, compact objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes), plusars, binary X-ray sources; star clusters, globular and open clusters; interstellar medium, gas, dust, magnetic fields, cosmic rays; distance ladder; galaxies, normal and active galaxies, jets; gravitational lensing; large scaling structure; Newtonian cosmology, dynamical expansion and thermal history of the Universe; cosmic microwave background radiation; big-bang nucleosynthesis. No prior knowledge of astronomy necessary. Not usable as a restricted elective by physics majors.

This course includes Quantitative introduction to physics of the solar system, stars, interstellar medium, the Galaxy, and Universe, as determined from a variety of astronomical observations and models. Topics: planets, planet formation; stars, the Sun, "normal" stars, star formation; stellar evolution, supernovae, compact objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes), plusars, binary X-ray sources; star clusters, globular and open clusters; interstellar medium, gas, dust, magnetic fields, cosmic rays; distance ladder; galaxies, normal and active galaxies, jets; gravitational lensing; large scaling structure; Newtonian cosmology, dynamical expansion and thermal history of the Universe; cosmic microwave background radiation; big-bang nucleosynthesis. No prior knowledge of astronomy necessary. Not usable as a restricted elective by physics majors.

Applications of physics (Newtonian, statistical, and quantum mechanics) to fundamental processes that occur in celestial objects. Includes main-sequence stars, collapsed stars (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes), pulsars, supernovae, the interstellar medium, galaxies, and as time permits, active galaxies, quasars, and cosmology. Observational data discussed. No prior knowledge of astronomy is required.

This humorous OLogy article introduces kids to the Sun. The big star answers 15 questions, including: Your agent told me that you're the biggest star in the universe. Is that true? I know you star types tend to be touchy about age, but how old are you? Actually, I'm curious to know how stars begin. What's your story? Let's turn to a delicate subject. How do stars die? In Hollywood, I meet a lot of people filled with hot air. What gases are inside you?

The following calculation shows the development and evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which develop behind the supernova blast wave on a time scale of a few hours. The initial model was chosen to provide a good representation for the progenitor star for Supernova 1987A. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics on a two-dimensional spherical grid with rotational symmetry about the vertical axis and equatorial symmetry about the horizontal axis. The grid contained 800 zones in the radial direction and 400 zones in the angular direction and was allowed to expand homologously with the explosion to maintain as high a resolution as possible in the unstable layer during the evolution. The following sequences show the evolution of the density distribution as well as the distribution of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen within the ejecta to illustrate the amount of mixing caused by the instability. Each sequence shows the evolution in two reference frames. In the first frame, the size of the plot expands with time as the grid expands. For the second reference frame, the size of the plot is kept fixed with the time so that more detail can be seen in the unstable layer.

The following calculation shows the development and evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which develop behind the supernova blast wave on a time scale of a few hours. The initial model was chosen to provide a good representation for the progenitor star for Supernova 1987A. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics on a two-dimensional spherical grid with rotational symmetry about the vertical axis and equatorial symmetry about the horizontal axis. The grid contained 800 zones in the radial direction and 400 zones in the angular direction and was allowed to expand homologously with the explosion to maintain as high a resolution as possible in the unstable layer during the evolution. The following sequences show the evolution of the density distribution as well as the distribution of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen within the ejecta to illustrate the amount of mixing caused by the instability. Each sequence shows the evolution in two reference frames. In the first frame, the size of the plot expands with time as the grid expands. For the second reference frame, the size of the plot is kept fixed with the time so that more detail can be seen in the unstable layer.

The following calculation shows the development and evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which develop behind the supernova blast wave on a time scale of a few hours. The initial model was chosen to provide a good representation for the progenitor star for Supernova 1987A. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics on a two-dimensional spherical grid with rotational symmetry about the vertical axis and equatorial symmetry about the horizontal axis. The grid contained 800 zones in the radial direction and 400 zones in the angular direction and was allowed to expand homologously with the explosion to maintain as high a resolution as possible in the unstable layer during the evolution. The following sequences show the evolution of the density distribution as well as the distribution of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen within the ejecta to illustrate the amount of mixing caused by the instability. Each sequence shows the evolution in two reference frames. In the first frame, the size of the plot expands with time as the grid expands. For the second reference frame, the size of the plot is kept fixed with the time so that more detail can be seen in the unstable layer.

The following calculation shows the development and evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which develop behind the supernova blast wave on a time scale of a few hours. The initial model was chosen to provide a good representation for the progenitor star for Supernova 1987A. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics on a two-dimensional spherical grid with rotational symmetry about the vertical axis and equatorial symmetry about the horizontal axis. The grid contained 800 zones in the radial direction and 400 zones in the angular direction and was allowed to expand homologously with the explosion to maintain as high a resolution as possible in the unstable layer during the evolution. The following sequences show the evolution of the density distribution as well as the distribution of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen within the ejecta to illustrate the amount of mixing caused by the instability. Each sequence shows the evolution in two reference frames. In the first frame, the size of the plot expands with time as the grid expands. For the second reference frame, the size of the plot is kept fixed with the time so that more detail can be seen in the unstable layer.

The following calculation shows the development and evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which develop behind the supernova blast wave on a time scale of a few hours. The initial model was chosen to provide a good representation for the progenitor star for Supernova 1987A. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics on a two-dimensional spherical grid with rotational symmetry about the vertical axis and equatorial symmetry about the horizontal axis. The grid contained 800 zones in the radial direction and 400 zones in the angular direction and was allowed to expand homologously with the explosion to maintain as high a resolution as possible in the unstable layer during the evolution. The following sequences show the evolution of the density distribution as well as the distribution of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen within the ejecta to illustrate the amount of mixing caused by the instability. Each sequence shows the evolution in two reference frames. In the first frame, the size of the plot expands with time as the grid expands. For the second reference frame, the size of the plot is kept fixed with the time so that more detail can be seen in the unstable layer.

The following calculation shows the development and evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which develop behind the supernova blast wave on a time scale of a few hours. The initial model was chosen to provide a good representation for the progenitor star for Supernova 1987A. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics on a two-dimensional spherical grid with rotational symmetry about the vertical axis and equatorial symmetry about the horizontal axis. The grid contained 800 zones in the radial direction and 400 zones in the angular direction and was allowed to expand homologously with the explosion to maintain as high a resolution as possible in the unstable layer during the evolution. The following sequences show the evolution of the density distribution as well as the distribution of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen within the ejecta to illustrate the amount of mixing caused by the instability. Each sequence shows the evolution in two reference frames. In the first frame, the size of the plot expands with time as the grid expands. For the second reference frame, the size of the plot is kept fixed with the time so that more detail can be seen in the unstable layer.

The following calculation shows the development and evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities which develop behind the supernova blast wave on a time scale of a few hours. The initial model was chosen to provide a good representation for the progenitor star for Supernova 1987A. The calculation was performed using the Piecewise-Parabolic Method for hydrodynamics on a two-dimensional spherical grid with rotational symmetry about the vertical axis and equatorial symmetry about the horizontal axis. The grid contained 800 zones in the radial direction and 400 zones in the angular direction and was allowed to expand homologously with the explosion to maintain as high a resolution as possible in the unstable layer during the evolution. The following sequences show the evolution of the density distribution as well as the distribution of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen within the ejecta to illustrate the amount of mixing caused by the instability. Each sequence shows the evolution in two reference frames. In the first frame, the size of the plot expands with time as the grid expands. For the second reference frame, the size of the plot is kept fixed with the time so that more detail can be seen in the unstable layer.