This PDF by Nora Mills Boyd, Siska De Baerdemaeker, Kevin Heng,
and Vera Matarese is an explication of how the theory and observation balance
within astrophysics. Items under discussion include laboratory astrophysics, the
problem with the Hubble constant, and also how theory plays a game of
give-and-take with observation in stellar population synthesis. Discussions on
epistemological lessons extracted from gravitational-wave astrophysics are also
present, covering simulation practices, idealisations in computer modeling, and
verification of data. Discussing the philosophical implications of observational
black hole astrophysics and entity realism in extragalactic studies, it ends
with reflections by a theoretical astrophysicist, providing an all-encompassing
view into the foundations and methodologies that guide todays astrophysical
research.
Author(s): Nora Mills Boyd, Siska De Baerdemaeker, Kevin Heng,
Vera Matarese
This is a lecture note by Prof. Jesse Kroll, focusing on chemical
transformations in trace species of Earth's atmosphere. The note highlighted how
human activity impacts both air quality and climate-from covering major concepts
such as photochemistry and ozone-depleting compounds to aerosol chemistry. The
note provides a comprehensive summary of what drives atmospheric chemistry, from
sources and sinks of greenhouse gases to names and processes. The paper is
designed for better understanding of the atmospheric processes concerning
anthropogenic influences and their implication in environmental science.
Professor Nigel Mason
discusses in his paper the chemical origins of life, covering the synthesis of
nucleobases and DNA. Included in this also are the historical experiments, such
as Urey-Miller, and examines the chemistry of prebiotic types in conditions
similar to those prevailing on early Earth. This note covers important results
with regard to the question of life on Mars: investigations about meteorites
from Mars and ozone formation and depletion. It is an interesting overview of
astrochemical processes that could well have led to the origin of life on Earth
and elsewhere in the universe, founded on a blend of experimental data and
theoretical insights.