Lecture 1

Lecture 1

            Alexei Vladimir Filippenko discovered that the universe is accelerating. However he did not win the Nobel Prize, his student, Adam Riess did. Alan Guth discovered inflation, which states that the universe expanded, but for a very short time. The universe grew from the size of a proton to the size of a grapefruit. Mike Turner discovered there is a field, actually discovered by Einstein that is neither getting weaker or stronger but simply always constant and present. The Einstein- Turner-Filippenko Field pushes everything outwards with a stronger and stronger force until everything is ripped apart, called the Big Rip.

            Chapter 1

• Star- a large glowing ball of gas that generates heat and light through nuclear fusion.
• Planet- a moderately large object that orbits a star; it shines by reflecting light. A planet may be icy, rocky, or gaseous in composition.
• Moon- an object that orbits a planet.
• Asteroid- a relatively small and rocky object that orbits a star.
• Comet- a relatively small and icy object that orbits a star.
• Solar(Star) System- a star and all the material that orbits it, including its planets and moons.
• Nebula- an interstellar cloud of gas and/or dust.
• Galaxy- a great island of stars in space, all held together by gravity and orbiting a common center.
• Universe- the sum total of all matter and energy, that is , everything within and beyond the galaxies.