Astronomy 126: Stars in the Interstellar Medium

Prof. David Cohen

Spring 2013
Friday 2:00 to 5:00
Science Center 113

Announcements

This week we'll meet on Friday. I think we'll be able to start at 1:15.

David will bring the snack.

Archive of old announcements.

Assignments

Our fourteenth assignment - on the multiphase interstellar medium - is available. Your work is due in class.

Here is the reading for this week: (1) Field, Goldsmith, and Habing, "Cosmic Ray Heating of Interstellar Gas," Ap.J.L., 155, L149; (2) McKee, "The Multiphase Interstellar Medium," ASP Conf. Ser., 80, 292, 1995; (3) Cox, "Overall Models of the Interstellar Medium," 11th IAP Astrophysics Mtg., 233, 1996; (4) Cox, "Crumbling Canons," Nature, 375, 185, 1995; (5) Bland-Hawthorn and Reynolds, "The Intercloud Medium" (also linked below); (6) McKee, "Global Structure of the Multiphase Interstellar Medium," 11th IAP Astrophysics Mtg., 223, 1996.

Here is some interesting information about aspects of the multiphase ISM paradigm (note that that third item is the 5th reading in this week's assignment):

Meeting about the multiphase ISM from a few years ago. You can check out the talk titles ("program" link and also the abstracts, if you wish).

A schematic of the interactions among different components. From this interesting looking theory paper.

A section of an article on gas in galaxies, on the intercloud medium.

Archive of old assignments.

Upcoming Events

Check the departmental colloquium schedule.

There are telescope public viewings the second Tuesday of each month, at the Peter van de Kamp Observatory. The next one is on May 14, at 9 PM. Further information is available. I'd welcome help from any of you in running these events.

Class Information

Our textbook will be An Introduction to Modern Stellar Astrophysics by Ostlie and Carroll. We will supplement it extensively with chapters from Spitzer's and also Osterbrock's classic ISM textbooks, plus some conference and research papers. These - and several other - books are on the reserve shelf, which is just to the right of the front door of Cornell. It's a low shelf, and though it's near the door, you have to walk around to access front of the shelf.