GENERAL ASTRONOMY: SOLAR SYSTEM 5

Catalog description

Non-technical introduction to astronomy, focusing on the search for life in the universe. The course starts with examination of the planets, moons, and other small bodies which make up our solar system, and continues to the scientific search for life elsewhere in the universe, including the thousands of planets we have found orbiting other stars. Topics include the nature of light, the atom, and telescopes; an examination of the planets and their moons and rings, dwarf planets, comets, asteroids, and meteors; catastrophic events (including the impact that may have killed the dinosaurs); the search for planets and life around other stars, the challenges of space travel, and evidence-based views on extraterrestrial contact. No background in science or math is assumed.