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Introduction to Astrophysics

Yale,, Spring 2007 , Prof. Charles Bailyn

Updated On 02 Feb, 19

Overview

Planetary Orbits - Our Solar System and the Pluto Problem - Discovering Exoplanets: Hot Jupiters - Planetary Transits - Microlensing, Astrometry and Other Methods - Direct Imaging of Exoplanets - Introduction to Black Holes - Special and General Relativity - Tests of Relativity - Special and General Relativity - Stellar Mass Black Holes - Pulsars - Supermassive Black Holes - Hubbles Law and the Big Bang - Omega and the End of the Universe - Dark Matter - Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe and the Big Rip - Supernovae - Other Constraints: The Cosmic Microwave Background - The Multiverse and Theories of Everything

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Lecture 12: Stellar Mass Black Holes

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Lecture Details

FrontiersControversies in Astrophysics (ASTR 160)

One last key concept in Special Relativity is introduced before discussion turns again to black celestial bodies (black holes in particular) that manifest the relativistic effects students have learned about in the previous lectures. The new concept deals with describing events in a coordinate system of space and time. A mathematical explanation is given for how space and time reverse inside the Schwarzschild radius through sign changes in the metric. Evidence for General Relativity is offered from astronomical objects. The predicted presence and subsequent discovery of Neptune as proof of General Relativity are discussed, and stellar mass black holes are introduced.

0000 - Chapter 1. Invariance in Special Relativity
1010 - Chapter 2. Invariant Intervals and the Schwarzschild Metric
2101 - Chapter 3. Schwarzschild Sign Changes and Space-Time Reversals
3627 - Chapter 4. Evidence for General Relativity in Astronomy

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website httpopen.yale.educourses

This course was recorded in Spring 2007.