Description of Courses
AST ASTRONOMY (School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences)
106. The Solar System - 3-2-4
Survey of the solar system, including the sun, the major planets and their satellites, the asteroid belt, the Kuiper belt, and the Oort cloud. Recommended for general-education requirement in science. Credit not allowed toward concentration I physics major.
107. Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology - 3-2-4
Survey of the universe beyond the solar system. Stars, stellar evolution, novae and supernovae, neutron stars, black holes, normal and active galaxies, and simple cosmological models. Recommended for general-education requirement in science. Credit not allowed toward concentration I physics major.
120. The Copernican Revolution - 3-2-4
A detailed look at the science of the Copernican Revolution. This watershed in the history of science is used as a model of how science, ancient and modern, operates and what it can and cannot tell us. The hypotheses and theories of Nicholas Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei will be featured centrally, and many seminal observations of these scientists will be reproduced in laboratory sessions. Approved for the general-education requirement in science.
121. The Discovery of Galaxies- 3-2-4
Galactic astronomy from the Seventeenth Century to the early Twentieth Century. Examines changing ideas about the place of our solar system within the Milky Way galaxy and the existence of other galaxies. Emphasizes the historical development of new theories and how those theories were evaluated. Intended to satisfy general-education requirement in science for non-science majors.
412. Astrophysics - 3-0-3
Quantitative treatment of basic astronomical principles. Topics include cosmological models, galaxies, stars, the interstellar medium and the solar system. Emphasis on observational techniques and data analysis. PR: PHY 307WI.