- Introduction to Astronomy

Catalog description

An introductory course in astronomy, intended for any student who wishes to better understand the nature of the universe. Topics may include the history of astronomy, naked eye observations, the planets and moons, the origin of the solar system, stellar classification, stellar evolution, galactic astronomy, and cosmology. Class and laboratory work will explore the physical and observational background for these topics with an emphasis on the quantitative nature of modern astronomy. Three classroom hours and one two-hour laboratory each week. This course satisfies the quantitative reasoning general education requirement. No previous training in physics is expected; mathematical preparation is assumed to include high school algebra and trigonometry.