Syllabus
ABCD Card

Galaxies are massive collections of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter. They are both the birthplace of stars and planets and the signposts of the universe. By studying what happens inside galaxies, we are able to understand the conditions under which stars form. By studying the galaxies themselves, we can understand how the environment shapes their structure and makeup. By studying the distribution of galaxies, we gain insight into the structure and evolution of the universe as a whole. In this class, we will undertake a detailed, quantitative study of galaxies, with particular attention to the environment in which galaxies form and evolve and their place in the universe as a whole.

The schedule for the course is below. Note that links to problem sets and materials will become active as the term goes on.

Week of	Topic	Reading	Problem Set
Feb 19	Foundations & Fundamentals	Ch. 1
Feb 26	The Milky Way	Ch. 2	Problem Set 1 30MA – NED
March 4	The Milky Way (cont.)	Ch. 2	Problem Set 2 30MA (use right click -> Save As on files below) 30MA – Data File Gnuplot Demo
March 11	Properties of Large Galaxies	Ch. 3.1 – 3.3
March 18	Scaling Relations and Galaxy Populations	Ch. 3.4 – 3.8	Problem Set 3 30MA – GalaxyZoo
March 25	Photometry & Galaxy Properties	Ch. 3.9 – 3.10	Problem Set 4 Surface Photometry Python Code (Right Click-> Save Link As) SDSS Images (Right Click-> Save Link As): NGC 7817 NGC 5831
April 1	Galaxy Properties (cont.)	Ch. 3.9 – 3.10
April 8	Review (Friday)
April 15	Exam (Tuesday) + AGN	Ch. 5
April 22	AGN (cont.) + Dark Matter (no class Friday)	Ch. 5	Problem Set 5
April 29	Large Scale Structure	Ch. 6
May 6	Galaxy Evolution (no class Tuesday)	Ch. 6	Tully-Fisher Lab
May 13	Cosmology	Ch. 4 & 7	Problem Set 6
May 20	Cosmology (cont.) A Tale of Many H0	Ch. 4 & 7
May 27	Exam Equation Sheet