Courses

Examines principles of modern astronomy for nonscience majors, summarizing our present knowledge about the Earth, Sun, moon, planets, and the origin of life. Offers opportunities to attend nighttime observation sessions at Sommers-Bausch Observatory and Fiske Planetarium. Similar to ASTR 1010, without lab. Also similar to ASTR 1030. Formerly ASTR 1110. Students may receive credit for only one of ASTR 1000, 1110, 1010, or 1030. Meets MAPS requirement for natural science: nonlab. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Introduces principles of modern astronomy for nonscience majors, summarizing our present knowledge about the Earth, Sun, moon, planets, and origin of life. Requires nighttime observation sessions at Sommers-Bausch Observatory. Similar to ASTR 1000, but with additional lab experience. Also similar to ASTR 1030. Students may receive credit for only one of ASTR 1010, 1000, 1110, or 1030. Meets MAPS requirement for natural science: lab or non-lab. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Introduces principles of modern astronomy for nonscience majors, summarizing our present knowledge about the Sun, stars, birth and death of stars, neutron stars, black holes, galaxies, quasars, and the organization and origins of the universe. May require nighttime observation sessions at Sommers-Bausch Observatory. Similar to ASTR 1200, but with recitation and sequence link to ASTR 1010. Also similar to ASTR 1040. Students may receive credit for only one of ASTR 1020, 1200, 1120, or 1040. Prereq., ASTR 1010 or 1000. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Covers principles of modern astronomy summarizing our present knowledge about the Earth, Sun, moon, planets, and origin of life. Requires nighttime observation sessions at Sommers-Bausch Observatory. Required in ASTR major/minor. Prereq. or coreq., Calculus I (MATH 1300 or APPM 1350). Students may receive credit for only one of ASTR 1030, 1010, 1000, or 1110. Similar to ASTR 1010 and 1000, but taught at a higher intellectual level, including a significant amount of quantitative analysis. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Covers principles of modern astronomy summarizing our present knowledge about the Sun, stars, birth and death of stars, neutron stars, black holes, galaxies, quasars, and the organization and origins of the universe. May require nighttime observing sessions at Sommers-Bausch Observatory. Required in ASTR major/minor. Prereq., ASTR 1030. Prereq. or coreq., Calculus I (MATH 1300 or APPM 1350). Students may receive credit for only one of ASTR 1020, 1040, 1200, or 1120. Similar to ASTR 1020 and 1200 but taught at a higher intellectual level including a significant amount of quantitative analysis . Includes a Recitation. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Examines principles of modern astronomy for nonscience majors, summarizing our present knowledge about the Sun, stars, neutron stars, black holes, interstellar gas, galaxies, quasars, and the structure and origins of the universe. Offers opportunities to attend nighttime observation sessions at Sommers-Bausch Observatory. Formerly ASTR 1120. Similar to ASTR 1020, without sequence link to ASTR 1010 or recitation. Also similar to ASTR 1040. Students may receive credit for only one of ASTR 1200, 1120, 1020, or 1040. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Documents the numerous ways in which observational astronomy and cosmology have been features of ancient cultures. Includes naked eye astronomy, archaeoastronomy, ethnoastronomy, concepts of time, calendrics, cosmogony, and cosmology. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science or human diversity.

Introduces modern cosmology to nonscience majors. Covers the Big Bang; the age, size, and structure of the universe; and the origin of the elements and of stars, galaxies, the solar system, and life. Approved for arts and sciences CORE curriculum: natural science.

Discusses reasons for making astronomical observations from space, scientific goals, practical requirements for placing instruments in space, politics of starting new programs, and selected missions. Prereq., ASTR 1010, 1020, 1000, or 1200. Approved for arts and sciences CORE curriculum: natural science.

Black holes are one of the most bizarre phenomena of nature. Students are introduced to the predicted properties of black holes, astronomical evidence for their existence and formation, and modern ideas about space, time, and gravity. Approved for the arts and sciences CORE curriculum: natural science.

Introduces the basics of atmospheric and space sciences, space exploration, spacecraft design, rocketry, and orbits. Students design, build, and launch a miniature satellite on a high altitude balloon. Explores the current research in space through lectures from industry. Recommended prereqs., APPM 1360 or MATH 2300 and PHYS 1120 or ASTR 1040. Same as ASEN 1400. Similar to ASEN 4500. Prerequisites: Restricted to Astronomy or Physics majors only.

Introduces practical research skills and provides orientation to computational tools commonly used in research by astrophysicists and planetary scientists, including Unix and IDL.

May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., instructor consent.

Discusses the scientific basis for the possible existence of extraterrestrial life. Includes origin and evolution of life on Earth; possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system, including Mars; and the possibility of life on planets around other stars. Prereq., one-year sequence in a natural science. Same as GEOL 3300.

Lab course in astronomical observation and instrumentation. Hands-on exercises include obtaining and analyzing multi-wavelength data, basic optical design and instrumentation, and statistical analysis of data, with emphasis on imaging applications. A significant number of night time observation sessions are required. Prereq. or coreq., Calculus 2 (MATH 2300 or APPM 1360), one year of college physics, and one year of college astronomy. Restricted to Astrophysics majors only. Elective for APS major and minor. Prerequisites: Restricted to Astrophysics majors only.

Lab course in observation and instrumentation. Hands-on exercises include obtaining and analyzing multi-wavelength data, optical design and instrumentation, and statistical analysis, with emphasis on spectroscopy. A significant number of night time observation sessions are required. Prereq., ASTR 3510 or instructor consent. Restricted to Astrophysics majors only. Elective for APS major and minor. Prerequisites: Restricted to Astrophysics majors only.

Covers the origin of planetary systems and their dynamical evolution. Topics include the physics and chemistry of planetary formation, orbital mechanics, and extrasolar planets. ASTR 3710, 3720, and 3750 may be taken in any order. Prereqs., PHYS 1110 and 1120, and calculus (MATH 1300 and 2300, or APPM 1350 and 1360). Elective for APS major and minor.

Explores the physics and chemistry of the atmospheres of Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan. Examines evolution of the atmospheres of Earth, Venus, and Mars; and the escape of gases from the Galilean satellites, Titan and Mars; the orbital characteristics of moons, planets, and comets. Uses recent results of space exploration. Elective for APS major and minor. Prereqs., PHYS 1110 and 1120,and either MATH 1300 and 2300, or APPM 1350 and 1360. Same as ATOC 3720.

ASTR 3730 and 3830 provide a year-long introduction to physical processes, observations, and current research methods in stellar, interstellar, galactic, and extra-galactic astrophysics, with astronomical applications of gravity, radiation processes, spectroscopy, gas dynamics, and plasma physics. Prereqs. or coreqs., PHYS 2130 or 2170, and MATH 2400 or APPM 2350. Elective for APS major and minor.

Special and general relativity as applied to astrophysics, cosmological models, observational cosmology, experimental relativity, and the early universe. Prereqs. or coreqs., PHYS 2130 or 2170, and MATH 2400 or APPM 2350. Elective for APS major and minor.

Approaches the physics of planets, emphasizing their surfaces, satellites, and rings. Topics include formation and evolution of planetary surfaces, history of the terrestrial planets, and dynamics of planetary rings. Both ASTR 3720 and ASTRr 3750 may be taken for credit in any order. Prereqs., PHYS 1110 and 1120, and calculus (MATH 1300 and 2300, or APPM 1350 and 1360). Elective for APS major and minor.

Explores the physical processes linking the Sun and planets, emphasizing solar radiative and particulate variability and the response of planetary atmospheres and magnetospheres. Topics include the solar dynamo, solar wind, coronal mass ejections, cosmic ray modulation, magnetospheres, aurora, the space environment, and climate variability. Prereqs./coreqs., PHYS 2130 or 2170 and MATH 2400 or APPM 2350. Recommended prereq., PHYS 3310. Elective for APS major and minor.

Covers analytical and numerical techniques used in scientific data analysis, including statistical analysis, error analysis, functional fitting, spectral analysis, image processing, and testing theoretical compliance. Examples are from space-based and ground-based astronomy. The computer laboratories are based on IDL which is introduced in the course. Prereqs. or coreqs., ASTR 1040 or equivalent, PHYS 1120 or equivalent, and MATH 2400 or APPM 2350.

ASTR 3730 and 3830 provide a year-long introduction to physical processes, observations, and current research methods in stellar, interstellar, galactic, and extragalactic astrophysics, with astronomical applications of gravity, radiation processes, spectroscopy, gas dynamics, and plasma physics. Prereqs. or coreqs., ASTR 3730, and PHYS 2130 or 2170, and MATH 2400 or APPM 2350. Elective for APS major and minor.

Investigates chemical and isotopic data to understandthe composition of the solar system: emphasis on the physical conditions in various objects, time scales for change, chemical and nuclear processes leading to change, observational constraints, and various models that attempt to describe the chemical state and history of cosmological objects in general and the early solar system in particular. Prereq., upper-div undergrad or grad standing in physical science. Recommended prereq., upper-div undergrad CHEM, PHYS, or MATH. Same as ASTR 5330 and GEOL 4330.