ASTRONOMY

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the fascinating subject of astronomy with an emphasis on the study of the Sun and other stars. Topics covered include the motions of the sky, a survey of the history of astronomy from Kepler to Einstein, gravity, radiation and matter, astronomical instrumentation, the Sun, stars, star formation, stellar evolution, galaxies and cosmology.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the fascinating subject of astronomy with an emphasis on the study of the Earth and the other planets in the solar system. Topics covered include the motions of the sky, a survey of the history of astronomy from the Greeks to Einstein, phases of the moon, eclipses, gravity, the formation of the solar system, the Earth, Terrestrial and Jovian planets, their moons, asteroids, meteoroids, comets and a discussion of extrasolar planets around other stars.

This survey course covers the same material as Astronomy 1, but includes a laboratory section covering hands-on astronomical activities. The laboratory portion includes observations of the sky, computer simulations, the construction of simple astronomical instruments and analyzing publicly available astronomical data from the internet.

This is a 4-unit introductory level lab course with a similar curricular depth and breadth to its comparable 3-unit lecture course Astronomy 2. In the lab component, students begin by re-creating many historical, first-ever human discoveries and measurements that helped to develop the scientific method: the size of Earth, Moon, and Sun, their relative distances, the scale of planetary orbits, phases, diameters, densities, masses, surface features, atmospheres, and rates of rotation. The labs also engage students in basic observations of the sky, computer simulations, and analysis of archival data from public domain sky surveys and surface maps by robotic NASA rovers and orbiting probes. The course material is a single semester survey of the origin and evolution of planetary systems such as our own Solar System including the latest leading theories of planetary topography, atmospheres, interiors, moons, comets, asteroids, and aurorae produced by the interaction of planetary magnetism and particle outflows from the Sun.

This course surveys the latest ideas concerning the origin and evolution of life on earth and discusses how these ideas are influencing our search for life on other planets in our solar system and elsewhere in the Universe. Topics covered include the chemical and biological basis of life, the search for life on Mars, extrasolar planets and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).

This course will stress naked-eye astronomy and the historical development of astronomical thought, from the stone age to modern times. Students will learn about celestial motions and how these motions have shaped various cultural views, and how cultural beliefs and values shaped interpretations of the phenomena seen. We will see how eclipses of the sun and moon helped mark important epochs of time, and how solar and lunar motions were used to help create calendars. The class will study the development of astronomy in western European cultures, American cultures (North America, Mesoamerica, and South America), and non-western cultures (Asia, Africa).