Astronomy 537 Galaxies and their Evolution (CRN 82463) Syllabus: Spring 2026

Course Credits: 3

Course Description and Goals: We will learn about galaxies, starting with our own Milky Way Galaxy and then moving out in the Universe to explore the wide variety of galaxies. We will cover such topics as galaxy formation, feedback mechanisms, and evolutionary paths. Along the way we will make use of multi-messenger views from the cosmos and we will practice with astronomical tools for analysis and interpretation.

Pre-Requisites: ASTR 421

Instructor: Prof. Greg Taylor; gbtaylor@unm.edu; web page leo.phys.unm.edu/~gbtaylor

Course Text: Galaxies in the Universe, Sparke and Gallagher, 2nd edition

Class Time: Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30 - 9:45am Class Location: PAIS 1160. This is an in-person class.

Office Hours: Monday 10am-11am, Thursday 9am-10am. Room 3236 in PAIS, or by appointment. For quick questions catch me before or after class.

Homework: There will be a few homework assignments throughout the semester. These will be chosen to reflect the sort of problems you might come across during research - analyzing a data set or coming up with a simple simulation to model data. The use of AI (ChatGPT or other) is encouraged. There will also be a number of paper reviews. For these everybody is expected to read the paper and then somebody will be assigned to give a short review of the paper and lead the discussion in class. As faculty, or even if working at a national laboratory, we all need to teach. To that end we will have a teaching exercise as part of this class. You will select a topic at the beginning of class and then prepare a 30 minute lecture and present it to class.

Lectures: I will present lectures in powerpoint, with occasional derivations. These lectures and the syllabus can be found at the class web page http://leo.phys.unm.edu/~gbtaylor/astr537/ that you are reading now. Students are expected to read selected papers and lead a discussion of them in class. Some material drawn from my own research, or current events, may not be covered in the book. We will also practice problem-solving using worksheets. I will ask questions from time to time during lecture. Your participation in responding, and in asking questions of your own, is strongly encouraged.

Grades: There will be two midterms, each worth 20%, worksheets worth 10%, homework worth 10%, paper discussions worth 20% and a teaching exercise worth 20%. Please take note of the dates of the exams in the syllabus. Make-up exams will only be given if arrangements are made in advance of the exam date. On tests and worksheets please attempt every problem and show your work as I do give partial credit.

Accommodation Statement: In accordance with University Policy 2310 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's attention, as he/she are not legally permitted to inquire. Students who may require assistance in emergency evacuations should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow. Contact Accessibility Resource Center at 277-3506 for additional information.

Schedule of Topics and Reading Assignments
Date Topic Reading Homework
21 Jan Introduction to Galaxies Chap. 1
26 Jan Our Milky Way Galaxy I Chap. 1
28 Jan Stars in the MW Chap. 2
2 Feb Neutral Hydrogen in the MW Chap. 2 Paper#1
4 Feb Dust in the MW Chap. 2 HW#1 due
9 Feb Magnetic fields in the MW Chap. 2 Paper#2
11 Feb Molecules in the MW
Teaching Topics Due 		Chap. 2
16 Feb The Local Group Chap. 4 Paper #3
18 Feb Spiral Galaxies I Chap. 5
23 Feb Spiral Galaxies II Chap. 5 Paper #4
25 Feb Elliptical Galaxies Chap. 6
2 Mar Black Holes and Feedback Chap. 6 Paper #5
4 Mar Exam #1 Chap. 1-7
9 Mar Galaxy Formation Chap. 8
11 Mar Galaxy Groups and Clusters Chap. 8
14-22 Mar Spring Break
23 Mar cD Galaxies Chap. 8
25 Mar Large Scale Structure Chap. 8
30 Mar Epoch of Reionization Chap. 8Paper #6
1 Apr Active Galaxies I Chap. 9
6 Apr Active Galaxies II Chap. 9 Paper #7
8 Apr Quasars Chap. 9
13 Apr Lyman-alpha Forest Chap. 9 Paper #8
15 Apr Extragalactic backgrounds
Draft Lecture Slides Due 		Chap. 9
20 Apr TBD Chap. 9 Paper #9
22 Apr Cosmic Explosions Chap. 9
27 Apr Exam#2
29 Apr Teaching Exercise
4 May Teaching Exercise
6 May Teaching Exercise



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