Chapter 2
NASA's "Eyes on the Solar System" and other cool simulations:https://eyes.jpl.nasa.gov/
(Useful for visualizing the ecliptic plane.)
Chapter 3
For Lab Ch03a Forces and Motion using PhET:https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/forces-and-motion-basics/latest/forces-and-motion-basics_en.html
For Lab Ch03c Universal Gravitation using PhET:
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/gravity-force-lab-basics/latest/gravity-force-lab-basics_en.html
For Lab Ch03d Planet Orbits using PhET:
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/gravity-and-orbits/latest/gravity-and-orbits_en.html
Chapter 4
For Lab Ch04 Intro to Waves:https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/waves-intro/latest/waves-intro_en.html
Chapter 5
For Lab Ch05a Blackbody Radation with PhET:https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/blackbody-spectrum/latest/blackbody-spectrum_en.html
For Lab Ch05b Detecting Planets:
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/ways-to-find-a-planet/
For WS05-3 Doppler Shift watch this video:
Summary of the Nebular Theory of how planetary systems are formed:
Halverson's note: This video is OK conceptually, but the artwork is flawed. Big black dots represent dust and gas and the protostar is much too large relative to the accretion disk.
Supercomputer animation of a molecular cloud contracting and becoming a cluster of protostars:
More info on StarForge: https://starforge.space/
Amazing supercomputer simulations of the formation of the solar system:
Notice the how the protoplanets make rings of empty space in the accretion disk. This has been seen by JWST around other protostars. Notice how Jupiter and other planets fling hundreds of minor planets into deep space. This is one way the anglar momentum of the solar system was greatly reduced, and it allowed the planets to migrate from way far out to their current obits.
Chapter 6
For WS06-2 Formation Temperatures of the Planets:https://astronomy.beamappzone.com/?m=simulations
Scroll down to Solar System Characteristics and select Planet Formation Temperatures Plot Be sure to click the View by Flash Emulator button. (Don't click the advertisments which say "Start here" or "Open")
Useful simulation of solar system:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/overview/
Useful feature: COMPARE SIZE. Click on a planet then click on "Compare Size" at the bottom. Works best if you click on Earth first.
Older but more controllable simulation of solar system:
https://space.jpl.nasa.gov/
Chapter 10
For Lab 10-2 HR Diagram the preferred software is downloaded and installed on your computer. It's the NAAP Labs, which you can get here:https://astro.unl.edu/nativeapps/
OR you can use this slightly buggy web page:
https://astro.unl.edu/naap/hr/animations/hr.html
Easy video explanation of parallax distances:
Chapter 11
Video showing magnetic field lines from ordinary magnets. (Skip ahead to 1 min 47 sec for horseshoe magnet)For Lab 11-1 Sunspots go to Spaceweather Live:
https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en.html
Later for this lab you will need the data for October 17, 2014 which is here:
https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/archive/2014/10/17/dayobs.html
Chapter 13
For Lab 13-1 Time Dilation:https://javalab.org/en/special_relativity_en/
Videos about falling into a black hole. Amazing.
https://jila.colorado.edu/~ajsh/insidebh/schw.html
The detailed explanations about how to think about black holes are worth studying. I learned a lot!
For Lab 13-2 Black Holes:
Extreme example of gravitational lensing. How many lensed galaxies can you find?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abell_1689#/media/File:New_Hubble_view_of_galaxy_cluster_Abell_1689.jpg
The black hole simulation
https://oseiskar.github.io/black-hole/
Free book, in PDF format, about Special Relativity:
https://www.eftaylor.com/spacetimephysics/
Free book, in PDF format, about General Relativity:
https://www.eftaylor.com/exploringblackholes/
These books, by MIT professor Edwin F. Taylor and Princeton professor John Archibald Wheeler are excellent! Definitly worth looking at, even if you aren't planning to be an astronomer.
Chapter 14
For homework Ch14 number 8 here is the video to watch. Balloon analogy to expanding Universe:Mount Wilson project or field trip
Before visiting Mount Wilson watch this Huell Howser video (one hour):https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2010/06/08/desert-adventure-californias-gold-142/
Read the history of Mount Wilson. What did Hubble do with the giant telescopes?
https://www.mtwilson.edu/history/
Griffith Observatory project or field trip
Since parking at Griffith Observatory is $10 PER HOUR (expensive!), here is the LA City bus to the observatory:https://www.ladottransit.com/dash/routes/obslf/obslf.html
Griffith Observatory hours:
https://griffithobservatory.org/visit/
Moon Project
Moon rise and set times, phases:https://griffithobservatory.org/explore/observing-the-sky/whats-in-the-sky/the-moon/
Sun rise and set times:
https://griffithobservatory.org/explore/observing-the-sky/whats-in-the-sky/the-sun/
Telescope Project
Make your own telescope:https://halverscience.net/telescopes/your_telescope_2023/your_telescope_2023.html