Astronomy 1021 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Inverse-Square Law, Atomic Mass, Adaptive Optics

• School: Western University
• Department: Astronomy
• Course: Astronomy 1021
• Professor: Chris Racknor

Document Summary

Astronomy notes chapter 5: light, the cosmic messenger. A mix of all the colours in the rainbow. The number of imes that any piece of the rope moves up and down each second. Because light can interact with both electrically charged paricles and magneic ields, we say that light is an electromagneic wave. The longer the wavelength of light, the lower its frequency and energy. The speed of light is about 300,000 kilometres per second. All ordinary mater is made up of atoms. Atoms form together to create molecules, compared to atoms molecules have more complicated sets of energy, can rotate and vibrate. Fundamental paricles with negaive electric charge; gives the atom its size. Paricles found in atomic nuclei with posiive electrical charge. Individual paricle of light, characterized by wavelength and frequency. A patern of moion that can carry energy without carrying mater along with it. Electrons in atoms are restricted to paricular energy levels.