RANDY L. PHELPS

This is the Star Formation Web Assignment

For this assignment, please look through the "lecture" notes for "Star Formation".  These notes contain the material, in condensed form, that I will expect you to become familiar with.  There are also web links that you should explore as part of this web-based assignment.  Together my notes, along with the links, will allow you to answer the questions below that will form the basis of the exam questions regarding star formation.

After undertaking this web assignment, you should be comfortable with the following material:

• What is the "Standard Model" of star formation, and what are its predictions?
• What observations support the "Standard Model"?
• What parts of the electromagnetic spectrum should be used to study star formation and why?
• What techniques are used to search for extrasolar planets?

Additionally, after undertaking this web assignment, you should be able to answer these questions, among others:

• In what part of the electromagnetic spectrum does one detect Giant Molecular Clouds?
• There are four stages of star formation, according to the "Standard Model".  What occurs during each phase?
• What are Herbig-Haro Objects?
• What are bipolar outflows? 
• Have bipolar outflows been observed?
• What are accretion disks / circumstellar disks?
• How are accretion disks / circumstellar disks detected?
• How does the concept of the center-of-mass allow us to detect orbital motion of small objects around larger ones?

The above questions, and similar ones, will form the basis of the exam questions for this section of the course.  It is, therefore, to your advantage to undertake this assignment.