to download the PDF file.
PHYS 390 - Introduction to Astrophysics is a third year course for science students at Simon Fraser University. The lectures are stored as PDF files and can be read by Adobe Acrobat Reader (click to download a free copy from Adobe). Canadian spelling conventions are used.
Click to download the PDF file.
Assignments and examinations
Copies of old exams are available for the following years.
The exams are stored in PDF format.
2002
2008
Lectures 1 and 2 - The big picture
Lecture 3 - Stellar luminosities
Lecture 4 - Orbits and masses
Lecture 5 - The expanding universe
Lecture 6 - A tour of the planets
Lecture 7 - Age of the solar system
Lecture 8 - Tidal forces
Lecture 9 - Planetary atmospheres
Lecture 10 - Elementary particles
Lecture 11 - Interactions and cross sections
Lecture 12 - Energy and temperature
Lecture 13 - Thermal distributions
Lecture 14 - Photons
Lecture 15 - Stars
Lecture 16 - Stellar lifetimes
Lecture 17 - Nuclei
Lecture 18 - Reactions I - Tunneling
Lecture 19 - Reactions II - Rate equations
Lecture 20 - Reactions III - Thermonuclear processes
Lecture 21 - Hydrogen reactions in stars
Lecture 22 - Energy production in stars
Lecture 23 - Photon gas
Lecture 24 - Stellar interiors
Lecture 25 - Star formation
Lecture 26 - A star's birth
Lecture 27 - Evolution on the main sequence
Lecture 28 - Degenerate matter
Lecture 29 - White dwarfs and neutron stars
Lecture 30 - Morphology of galaxies
Lecture 31 - Kinematics of galaxies
Lecture 32 - Galaxy formation and evolution
Lecture 33 - Temperature and time
Lecture 34 - Evolution of the early universe
Lecture 35 - Universal helium abundance
Lecture 36 - The first microsecond
