The Department of Physics of The University of Hong Kong offers
several general education courses of introductory astronomy, with
course titles ``Nature of the Universe I & II''. These are
the lecture notes of those courses. The Chinese version is translated
by The Hong Kong Space Museum. No prior knowledge in astronomy, physics
or higher mathematics is required to understand these notes.
The lecture notes are divided into two parts: the first
and second semesters. In the first semester, we focus on the
observational aspect of astronomy and our solar system.
In the second semester, we will discuss our own Sun, stars and their
evolution, galaxies and cosmology.
Lecture Notes for the First Semester
Lecture Notes for the Second Semester
Related Links
Textbooks
- J.M. Pasachoff, Astronomy: From the Earth to the Universe,
5th ed., (Saunders, 1998).
- J.M. Pasachoff, Contemporary Astronomy, (Saunders, 1989).
- M.A. Seeds, Foundations of Astronomy, 4th ed., (Wadsworth, 1997).
- M. Zeilik, Astronomy: The Evolving Universe, 7th ed., (Wiley, 1994).
Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Shiu-Sing Tong and Prof. Ming-Chung Chu of
Department of Physics,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong for their great help in
preparing the early version of the lecture notes. Artificial Intelligence
and Computer Application Laboratory,
University of Science and Technology
of China has helped us to develop the framed version of the web pages.
We get most of the photos from
National Optical Astronomy Observatories,
Space Telescope Science Institute,
NASA,
JPL,
Carnegie Institution of Washington,
The Anglo-Australian Observatory and
Space Environment Center.
We also thank many colleagues and students for their very constructive
comments and suggestions. This work is partially supported by
Teaching Development Grants of
University Grants Committee.
K.S. Cheng,
H.F. Chau,
K.M. Lee.
Copyright
Materials in this project is not for sale and can be freely distributed,
provided without modification. The text and the illustrations, with proper
credits, may be used for non-profit educational or informational purposes.
They may not be used to state or imply the endorsement by the Department
of Physics, The University of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Space Museum,
Leisure and Cultural Services Department. These materials cannot be used
for commerical purposes.
Copyright of the photos is owned by the corresponding institutions or
photographers.
Copyright of the chinese text is owned by Hong Kong Space Museum,
Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
Copyright, 2000, Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong.
| Authors |
Kwong-Sang Cheng, Hoi-Fung Chau and Kai-Ming Lee |
| Translation by Hong Kong Space Museum |
Ki-Hung Chan |
| Art Design |
Tak-Kuen Chu |
| Photo Organizer |
Anisia Tang |
| Web Page Technician |
Wing-Chung Kwok |
Department of Physics,
The University of Hong Kong
in association with
Hong
Kong Space Museum,
Leisure and Cultural Services
Department