Astronomy Course Outline
Educational Goals:
Students will:
- Develop an appreciation and understanding of the ways in which astronomical knowledge in particular, and scientific knowledge in general, is obtained.
- Develop an awareness of the universe around them—from the microscopic to the largest known structures.
- Engage in direct astronomical observations
- Connect observational data to astronomical concepts and theories.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
- Make observations of the sky, observing the motions of celestial objects.
- Prepare written reports analyzing their observations.
- Apply basic mathematical concepts to the motions of stars, planets, etc.
- Utilize a variety of print, electronic, and internet resources to explore the field of Astronomy.
Content Topics:
- Ancient Astronomy
- Ptolemaic and Copernican model of the solar system
- Birth of modern Astronomy (Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Newton)
- Optics and instrumentation
- Solar system - planets, minor objects, sun
- Stars - types, astrometry and the HR diagram
- Binary stars and clusters
- Variable Stars: Nebulae; Novae; Supernovae
- Stellar Evolution: white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes
- Galaxies; dark matter; quasars
- Cosmology - background radiation; dark energy; models of the Universe
- Life in the Universe
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