# ASTR 310 Reference Log

Tracks references, datasets, and visuals used in ASTR 310 materials, their verification status, and any human spot-check requirements. Provenance is labeled at one of three explicit levels throughout: **(1) live-verified this session** (fetched/extracted from a primary or authoritative source during this course's production), **(2) standard published/literature value not re-verified this session** (flagged for human spot-check), or **(3) synthetic/instructor-provided placeholder**. No purely synthetic (non-literature) numeric data is used anywhere in this package; every real-world number is either level 1 or level 2.

## Textbook

- OpenStax Astronomy 2e (openly licensed; local extracted copy `references/openstax-astronomy-2e-extracted.txt`; problem index `references/source-indexes/openstax-astronomy-2e-problem-index.md`). Chapter numbers cited in ASTR 310 materials are the **published edition's native chapter numbers**, cross-checked against the local extracted text's own embedded figure/table numbering (e.g. "Figure 3.6," "Figure 18.11"), following the ASTR 230 precedent for resolving the source index's internal -1 chapter-numbering offset. Status: chapter alignment verified for Chapters 3, 5, 15-18; several ASTR 310 topics (the Planck-function derivation, the Boltzmann/Saha equations, the virial theorem, tidal-force derivation, the vis-viva equation, the Eddington luminosity) are **not covered at the introductory level in OpenStax Astronomy 2e at all** and are developed here from first principles instead; this is stated explicitly in `syllabus.html`, `schedule.html`, and each affected lecture's slides/notes rather than presented as an OpenStax-sourced result.

## Real Data Used in Labs/Problem Sets

| Dataset | Used in | Source | Verification Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Centauri A mass (1.0788 M⊙), radius (1.223 R⊙), luminosity (1.5059 L⊙), T_eff (5,748 K); Alpha Centauri B mass (0.9092 M⊙), radius (0.864 R⊙), luminosity (0.4981 L⊙), T_eff (5,154 K); AB orbit (P = 79.762 yr, a = 23.299 AU, e = 0.51947, i = 79.243°, parallax = 750.81 mas, distance = 1.3319 pc) | Lectures 02, 07, 08, 09, 13, 14; Labs 01, 04, 05, 06, 07; PS 04 (via Sirius comparison) | Wikipedia "Alpha Centauri" article, retrieved live this session (2026-09-24), citing Akeson, R. et al. (2021), *AJ* 162, 14, "Precision millimeter astrometry of the α Centauri AB system," and the U.S. Naval Observatory Sixth Catalog of Orbits of Visual Binary Stars (Hartkopf & Mason 2008) | **Level 1: live-verified this session.** This is the primary real-binary dataset for the course. |
| Proxima Centauri's orbit about the Alpha Centauri AB barycenter: period ≈ 511,000 yr, periastron ≈ 4,100 AU, apastron ≈ 12,300 AU, eccentricity ≈ 0.5, mass 0.1221 M⊙ | Lecture 12, Lab 06 | Same Wikipedia "Alpha Centauri" fetch this session, citing Kervella, P., Thevenin, F. & Lovis, C. (2017), *A&A* 598, L7, "Proxima's orbit around α Centauri" | **Level 1: live-verified this session.** |
| Sirius A: T_eff = 9,940 K, R = 1.711 R⊙, L ≈ 25.4 L⊙, mass ≈ 2.063 M⊙; Sirius AB visual-binary orbit: P = 50.13 yr, a = 19.78 AU | PS 01, 04, 05, 07 | Standard Hipparcos-era/visual-binary literature values (general astronomical knowledge, consistent with SIMBAD and the Washington Double Star Catalog); Sirius B's own parameters were independently verified via live fetch during ASTR230's production (Bond et al. 2017, *ApJ* 840, 70) and are carried forward here unchanged with that provenance intact | **Level 2 for Sirius A and the AB orbital elements** (not independently re-verified this session; flagged for spot-check against SIMBAD/the Washington Double Star Catalog). **Level 1 for Sirius B's own parameters**, carried forward from ASTR230 where they were live-verified. |
| M15 velocity dispersion (σ ≈ 12.0 km/s), half-light radius (≈ 4.2 pc), commonly cited dynamical mass (≈ 5.6 × 10⁵ M⊙); 47 Tucanae velocity dispersion (≈ 11.5 km/s), half-light radius (≈ 3.8 pc), dynamical mass (≈ 6.4 × 10⁵ M⊙) | Lecture 06, Lab 03, PS 03 | Standard published Galactic globular-cluster literature values (general astronomical knowledge, consistent with the Harris 1996/2010-revision catalog) | **Level 2: not independently re-verified this session.** Human spot-check against the Harris catalog is required before instructional use. |
| Standard solar-model central pressure (≈ 2.477 × 10¹⁶ Pa) and core temperature (≈ 1.57 × 10⁵ K) | Lecture 05, 06, Lab 03 | Standard published standard-solar-model literature values | **Level 2: not independently re-verified this session.** |
| Io: mass (8.9319 × 10²² kg), radius (1,821.6 km), semimajor axis (421,700 km), eccentricity (0.0041); Europa: mass (4.7998 × 10²² kg), radius (1,560.8 km), semimajor axis (671,100 km), eccentricity (0.009); Jupiter mass (1.89819 × 10²⁵ kg), mean density (1,326 kg/m³) | Lecture 10, Lab 05, PS 05 | Standard published solar-system literature values (general astronomical knowledge, consistent with JPL Solar System Dynamics/NASA Planetary Fact Sheets) | **Level 2: not independently re-verified this session.** Human spot-check against the JPL Solar System Dynamics database is recommended before instructional use. |
| Earth, Moon: masses, radii, mean densities, and Earth-Moon orbital distance | Lecture 07, 10, Lab 04, 05 | Standard published solar-system constants (widely reproduced, uncontroversial) | **Level 2: not independently re-verified this session** (values are standard textbook constants). |

## Synthetic Data

No purely synthetic (non-literature) numeric data is used in ASTR 310; every real-world dataset above is either live-verified this session (level 1) or a standard published literature value flagged for spot-check (level 2). Physical constants (G, c, h, k, σ, Thomson cross-section) are CODATA/standard values, not independently re-verified this session but not astronomically variable quantities requiring the same spot-check treatment as catalog data.

## Visuals

Lecture-specific SVG diagrams are generated programmatically per lecture (see `src/generate_astr310_content.py`) and are schematic/explanatory rather than photographic; no external image licensing is required.

## Human Spot-Check Checklist Before Instructional Release

- [ ] Confirm Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima Centauri orbital elements and stellar parameters against SIMBAD/Gaia DR3 and the cited Akeson et al. (2021) and Kervella et al. (2017) papers directly (this session's fetch was from Wikipedia's synthesis of those sources, not the primary papers themselves).
- [ ] Confirm Sirius A's parameters and the Sirius AB orbital elements against SIMBAD/the Washington Double Star Catalog.
- [ ] Confirm M15 and 47 Tucanae velocity dispersions, half-light radii, and dynamical masses against the Harris (1996, 2010 revision) Galactic globular cluster catalog.
- [ ] Confirm Io, Europa, and Jupiter parameters against the JPL Solar System Dynamics database or NASA Planetary Fact Sheets.
- [ ] Confirm the standard-solar-model central pressure and core temperature against a current published solar-interior model (e.g., a recent standard solar model paper).
- [ ] Verify exact OpenStax Astronomy 2e section/page numbers against the adopted print or PDF edition, and confirm which topics (virial theorem, Boltzmann/Saha, tidal forces, vis-viva, Eddington luminosity) are correctly documented as extending beyond OpenStax's introductory coverage.