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Dec 11, 2024
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Spring 2020 Official General Catalog [Archived Catalog]
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AST 113 - Introductory Astronomy
This course covers the development of our modern understanding of the astronomical universe from planets and stars to galaxies and cosmology. It is a broad introduction to Astronomy including the historical development of astronomy; the basic physics of gravity, light, and atoms; telescopes; planets, moons, and other objects in our solar system; the Sun and other stars; the evolution of stars; the Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies; distant quasars and other active galaxies; the expanding universe; and cosmology based on the Big Bang theory.
Credits: 4
Hours
3 Class Hours, 3 Laboratory Hours
Course Profile
Learning Outcomes of the Course:
Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
- Explain the motion of the planets, Sun, and stars in the sky as seen from different locations on Earth.
- Describe the motion of the Moon and how it creates tides and eclipses.
- Describe the development of astronomical theories and models, from early Greek observations through the Copernican revolution to modern day.
- Use and understand the underlying concepts of astronomical tools such as telescopes, spectrometers, and star charts.
- List the members of the solar system, describe their characteristics, and explain theories concerning their information.
- Explain the structure of the Sun, the production of solar energy, and the interaction of the Sun with the Earth.
- Explain the methods used to measure stellar distances, masses, luminosities, diameters, densities, and populations.
- Explain stellar evolution from cloud collapse through main sequence lifetime to compact object creation.
- Describe the structure, formation, and evolution of the Milky Way and other galaxies, including active galaxies.
- Describe the universe and its evolution in the Big Bang model.
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