Lecturers: Lectures: Announcements:
Rien van de Weygaert,
Kapteynborg ZG 186, Zernike Campus tel. 3634086, weygaert@astro.rug.nl
The lecture schedule will be:
Monday 19:05-21:00 hoorcollege/lecture
Academiegebouw, vd Leeuwzaal
Friday 15:00-17:00 hoorcollege/lecture (4 classes), werkcollege/tutorial (4 classes)
Academiegebouw, vd Leeuwzaal
First lecture on monday November 12, Academiegebouw
Second lecture on friday November 16, Academiegebouw)
Third lecture on monday November 19, Academiegebouw.
Tutorial lecture friday November 23, Academiegebouw, vdLeeuwzaal
Lecture monday November 26: cancelled (conference ltrip lecturer).
Lecture friday November 30: cancelled (conference ltrip lecturer).
Extra lecture: thursday December 13, 19:00-21:00, Academiegebouw, vd Leeuwzaal.
Extra lecture: thursday December 20, 19:00-21:00, Harmoniecomplex, 1313.0309
Lecture room changes:
Dec. 14, friday, 15:00-17:00 5419.0119, Kapteynborg, Zernike campus
Dec. 20, thursday, 19:00-21:00 1313.0309, Harmoniegebouw
Dec. 21, friday, 15:00-17:00 5419.0119, Kapteynborg, Zernike campus
Jan. 18, friday, 15:00-17:00 5419.0119, Kapteynborg, Zernike campus
Jan. 17, thursday, 19:00-21:00 NO lecture (unlike mentioned in the schedule)
Jan. 18, friday, 15:00-27:00 Cosmic Debates; Kapteynborg, Zernike campus, 5419.0119
Exam: tuesday January 22, 14:00-17:00; Bernoulliborg 5161.0165
studying the recession of galaxies at the Mt. Wilson 100inch telescope
Literature:
The course will be based on
lecture notes/slides (see below)
book:
Cosmos, An Illustrated History of Astronomy and Cosmology
John North
2nd ed., 2008, Univ. Chicago Press (paperback)
additional books you may want to consult (ie., do not buy, these are not course books):
Cosmology, the Science of the Universe
Edward Harrison
2nd ed., 2000, Cambridge Univ. Press
Conceptions of Cosmos:
From Myths to the Accelerating Universe: A History of Cosmology
H. Kragh
2013, Oxford Univ. Press
the History and Practic of Ancient Astronomy
James Evans
1998, Oxford Univ. Press
Ancient Cosmologies
eds. C. Blacker, M. Loewe
1975, George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
Selection of key scientific publications in cosmology:
- Hubble E., 1929, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sciences, Vol. 15, 168-173
a relation between distance and radial velocity among extra-galactic nebulae
- Penzias A.A., Wilson R.W., 1965, Astrophys. J., 142, 419-421
a measurement of excess antenna temperature at 080 Mc/s
- Dicke R.H., Peebles P.J.E., Roll P.G., Wilkinson, D.T., 1965, Astrophys. J., 142, 414-419
Cosmic Black-body Radiation
Kepler's Geometric Model of the Cosmos
Lecture Notes & Exam Material: Tutorials:
The course is based upon the lecture notes. The content of these is the exam material.
Below you find a listing of the notes, for you to download in 3 formats (pptx, pdf, pdf with 2 slides per page).
Generals pptx
Generals pdf
Fundamental Questions pptx
Fundamental Questions pdf
Cosmology Timeline pptx
Cosmology Timeline pdf
Heavenly Rhythms pptx
Heavenly Rhythms pdf
Gods & Myths pptx
Gods & Myths pdf
Order in the Cosmos pptx
how Babylonians and Greeks rationalized the heavens
Order in the Cosmos pdf
how Babylonians and Greeks rationalized the heavens
the Universe Mechanized pptx
Hellenistic Cosmology
the Universe Mechanized pdf
Hellenistic Cosmology
the Universe Mechanized pptx
the Antikythera Mechanism
the Universe Mechanized pdf
the Antikythera Mechanism
the Scientific Revolution pptx
the Scientific Revolution pdf
Gravity, ruler of the Universe pptx
Gravity, master of the Universe pdf
the Big Bang pptx
the Big Bang pdf
the Expanding Universe pptx
the Expanding Universe pdf
the Early Universe pptx
the Early Universe pdf
Cosmology Awareness Poll, assignment
Cosmology Awareness Poll, group list
Cosmic Debates, assignment
Cosmic Debates, group list
Essay Topics: Exam:
Part of the course requirements is a 10 page (individual) or 15 page report (2 people) on a specific cosmological topic. The essays
should be written individually or in groups of two.
Topics may be on Physical Cosmology (ie. the present-day scientific cosmology), cosmological contributions
by a range of scientists, cosmology of a range of philosophers/philosophies, cosmology in various cultures, cosmology
in different religions and cosmology in an artistic context.
The following list contains a large list op suggestions for a topic. In addition, you may define your own topic, on the
condition it will be approved by the lecturer.
In all cases, before starting the work on your essay, consult the lecturer to 1) inform with whom you write the essay, 2) the
topic of your choice. The list of topics you find on:
Cosmology Essay Topics pdf
In case the topic has already been claimed by another group, I may ask you to find another topic.
The exam will be in the form of
written exam (tuesday Jan. 22, 14:00-17:00)
essay on a topic of cosmology, 10 pages (individual) or 15 pages, groups of 2 students (see above)
For the Written Exam, on tuesday Jan. 22 (multiple choice, 50 questions)
the following material will have to be studied:
Lecture notes, lect1 up to lect10 (download from this page, see above)
* lect1, Fundamental Questions
all slides
* lect1a, Cosmology Timeline:
read thoroughly, appreciate time/epochs of cosmological developments
* lect2, Heavenly Rhythms
all slides
* lect3, Gods and Myths
all slides
* lect4, Order in the Cosmos
all slides
* lect5, The Universe Mechanized
all slides
* lect5a, The Universe Mechanized, the Antikythera Mechanism
read thoroughly, appreciate context and significance Antikythera Mechanism
* lect6, Scientific Revolution
all slides
- * lect7, Gravity
all slides
- * lect8, the Big Bang
all slides
* lect9, the Expanding Universe
slides 1 -71
slides 72-118 on accelerating universe: read thoroughly
* lect10, the Early Universe
slides 49-89 on problems of standard Big Bang, and Inflation
Exam examples: 10 typical questions of a Cosmic Origins exam:
Exam example questions
Lecture Schedule:
(provisional, changes possible)