Copyright © Michael Richmond.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
PHYS 374, Introduction to Astrophysics: Fall 2026
This material can be found online at URL
http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys374/phys374.html
Outline/syllabus for the course, class schedule, etc.
Tentative schedule for the quarter.
- Week 1:
The refereed literature, ADS. HR diagrams (I)
- Week 2:
Reading papers, making graphs. HR diagrams (II)
- Week 3: No class - Labor Day
- Week 4:
Rotation curves and strange kinematics
Find a paper by Rubin, Ford and Thunnard published
in the year 1980. Read section 2, look at the figures,
and examine the conclusions (especially the first point).
- Week 5:
The distance-velocity relationship (I)
Find a paper by Hubble published in 1929 by the
National Academy of Sciences. It is 6 pages long.
Read it, make a list of any questions you have,
and be prepared to explain portions of it to to the class.
- Week 6:
The distance-velocity relationship (II)
- Week 7:
Redshift Wrangler -- an RIT project
- Week 8:
Exoplanets (I)
- Week 9:
Exoplanets (II)
- Week 10:
Beyond graduate school
- Week 11:
Little Red Dots (I)
- Week 12:
Little Red Dots (II)
- Week 13:
Student presentations (I)
- Week 14:
Student Presentations (II)
Homework
This page maintained by Michael Richmond.
Last modified Aug 23, 2026.
Copyright © Michael Richmond.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
