The Art and Science of Astronomy

Catalog description

This interdisciplinary course examines how art and science relate in efforts to understand and visualize the cosmos. It traces how discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics have correlated with specific visual technologies and visual techniques, ranging from telescope observations through astrophotography to computational simulations. It explores how aesthetic strategies structure scientific practices of observation and representation, as well as how artists draw on scientific methods and images for creative experimentation. It asks how the mutual influence between science and art shapes the norms and assumptions of both, changing how we image and imagine what exists beyond the limits of ordinary perception.