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Astronomy Courses
- ASTR S-8 Space Exploration and Astrobiology: Planets, Moons, Stars, and the Search for Life in the Cosmos
- ASTR S-35 Fundamentals of Contemporary Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe
ASTR S-8 Space Exploration and Astrobiology: Planets, Moons, Stars, and the Search for Life in the Cosmos (31489)
Class times: Tuesdays, Thursdays, noon-3 pm. Required laboratories to be arranged.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $2,700.
This course is an introduction to the cutting-edge methods astronomers and planetary scientists use to explore the solar system and other stellar systems in our galaxy, with the ultimate goal of finding life elsewhere in the cosmos. Topics include the exploration of planets done by telescopes, orbiters, and rovers; origins of life on Earth and current attempts at creating synthetic life in the lab; the discovery of planets around other stars; new observational and theoretical developments about the origin and evolution of stars and their planets. Students are introduced to the astronomical techniques used in current and planned telescopic space missions, and learn how to interpret the data from several ongoing robotic missions, such as the Mars rovers. Even more importantly, students find out about lives as scientists, learn some of the reasons why astronomers choose their career paths, and how astronomers approach and solve specific scientific problems. Prerequisites: high school algebra; some physics background is useful but not necessary. (4 credits)
ASTR S-35 Fundamentals of Contemporary Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe (31194)
Class times: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 6:30-9:30 pm. Required sections to be arranged.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $2,700.
The fundamentals of astronomy are covered in the context of contemporary research. We study five areas being actively investigated by astronomers today. Topics include stars, galaxies, and the large-scale structure of the Universe; the history of the Universe; the nature of dark matter and dark energy; and exoplanets. The course is designed to help students explore the frontiers of research in astronomy, and to get a feeling for what it is like to be an astronomer, using the new generation of ground- and space-based telescopes, combined with sophisticated theoretical techniques and computational facilities. As we study each aspect of the Universe, we ask how we came to know what we know today, what the open questions are, and how astronomers are searching for the answers to these questions. Prerequisites: high school algebra; some physics background is useful but not necessary. (4 credits)
