Stellar Astrophysics
HET611
Overview
To enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into a course from the provider.
Read before you start
Level of study: What does Postgraduate mean?
Postgraduate
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Domestic student fee:
$1,600.00 (AUD)
International student fee:
$1,825.00 (AUD)
Description
Following on from HET603, this unit aims to cover the physical processes underlying stellar properties and the principles behind models of stellar evolution.
Enrolment Restriction
In order to enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into one of the following courses:
If you wish to seek approval to enrol in this unit without being accepted in a course, please contact OUA regarding the process.
Prerequisites
Recommended prerequisites
You are recommended to have completed the following unit(s) or have equivalent knowledge before starting this unit:
- HET603 — Exploring Stars and the Milky Way
You should complete introductory tertiary-level mathematics & physics before commencing in this unit.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- understand the classification schemes of stars, their physical parameters and the importance of the HR diagram
- understand the properties and processes of stellar interiors and stellar atmospheres
- understand the mechanism of star formation and the evolution of stars from the main sequence through to the RGB and AGB phase
- have a working knowledge of the processes and properties of high mass stellar remnants, including supernovae, planetary nebulae, white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes
- solve mathematical problems related to the physical processes that underlie stellar properties and evolution
- discuss these stellar astrophysical concepts in a non-technical manner understandable to the general public
- research an astronomy topic in depth, using dependable sources of astronomical information on the internet and refereed journal articles.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Classifying stars |
| 2 | Stellar energy: gravitational contraction versus fusion, stellar nucleosynthesis, reaction rates, PP chain, CNO cycle, triple alpha process |
| 3 | Hydrostatic equilibrium and radiation pressure |
| 4 | Protostars |
| 5 | Main sequence stars: low mass and high mass stars, energy generation, PP chain versus CNO cycle; end of hydrogen core burning and lifetime on the MS |
| 6 | Evolution off the main sequence |
| 7 | Supernovae: type Ia and type II supernovae, light curves, explosive nucleosynthesis, supernovae remnants |
| 8 | Neutron stars |
| 9 | Stellar mass black holes |
| 10 | Pulsating stars |
| 11 | Binary stars |
| 12 | Stellar clusters |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Instructional Methods
- Discussion Forum/Discussion Board
- Embedded Multimedia
- Online Quizzes/Tests
- Online assignment submission
- Standard Media
- Web links
Textbooks are subject to change within the academic year. Students are advised to purchase their books no earlier than one to two months before the start of a unit.
Click on the titles of the listed books below to find out more:
Required textbooks
By:Ostlie Dale A.
ISBN: -
Format:Print
Supplier:Go to Unibooks
Recommended textbooks
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
This unit is an approved elective in the following courses:
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
