This is an image of M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, which is the same galaxy shown on the home page. Here, it is observed in infrared at a wavelength of about 15 microns.

Lecture Notes

What's this course about?: 01/29/07
Measurement, astronomical distance: 01/31/07
Motions and Seasons: 02/02/07
Laws of Nature: 02/05/07
Kepler and Galileo: 02/07/07
Newton's Laws of Motion: 02/09/07
Newton's Laws of Gravity, Tidal Force: 02/12/07
The Nature of Light: 02/16/07
Blackbody Radiation & Spectra: 02/21/07
Quantum Mechanics & Doppler Shift: 02/23/07
How Stars Work (Part I): 02/26/07
How Stars Work (Part II): 03/02/07
Energy generation and magnetic fields: 03/05/07
Exam discussion, magnetic fields: 03/07/07
Properties of Stars (Part I): 03/09/07
Properties of Stars (Part II): 03/12/07
Star Formation: 03/14/07
Disks and angular momentum: 03/16/07
Stellar evolution (low-mass stars): 03/26/07
Stellar death: 03/28/07
Stellar pulsation and supernovae: 03/30/07
Neutron stars and Pulsars: 04/02/07
Pulsars and Black Holes: 04/04/07
Black Holes and Special Relativity: 04/06/07
General Relativity: 04/09/07
Telescopes: 04/17/07
Our Galaxy: 04/18/07
Galaxies: 04/20/07
Internal properties of galaxies: 04/23/07
Types of external galaxies: 04/25/07
Distances to galaxies: 04/27/07
Large scale structure and MORE Dark Matter: 04/30/07
Galaxy formation and Active Galaxies: 05/04/07
Feeding the Monsters!: 05/07/07
Cosmology and the Big Bang: 05/09/07
Big Bang Cosmology: 05/11/07
Early Universe and Final Fate: 05/14/07

Note:

The dates indicate the first presentation. Often, each set of notes cover more than one class meeting.