Astronomy (ASTR)
Courses
ASTR 1345. INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY I. 3 Hours.
ASTR 1345 and ASTR 1346 constitute a one-year sequence for any student who is interested in learning his/her place within the astronomical universe. The first semester consists of an essentially descriptive treatment of the apparent motions and properties of members of the Solar System including the Sun, the planets and their moons, comets and rockets, and satellites as well as the mechanics and evolution of the Solar System. The laboratory work includes the use of astronomical telescopes for observation.
ASTR 1346. INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY II. 3 Hours.
Follows ASTR 1345 and focuses on the science of stars and galaxies. Properties of light are applied to the understanding and classification of stars and to determining their distances. Topics include nuclear reactions, binary stars, variable stars, exploding stars, black holes, and star clusters. The course concludes with the structure of the Milky Way and the role galaxies play in modern cosmological theories. The laboratory work includes telescopic observations.