Course syllabus

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Course Description:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included the C-ID descriptor here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local course description, or remove this section entirely.]

This course covers topics in modern planetary and stellar astronomy, such as dwarf, jovian, terrestrial, and extrasolar planets and the life cycle of stars, black holes, and supernovae. It also includes topics on cosmology and galactic astronomy, such as dark matter, dark energy, the Big Bang, and the expansion of the Universe.

Student Learning Outcomes:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included the C-ID outcomes here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local Student Learning Outcomes, or remove it entirely.]

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • evaluate early models of the solar system using the scientific method and outline the historical events that led to our current model.
  • apply theories and models from classical physics and modern physics to explain astronomical observations, such as the motion of objects in the sky, the formation of planets, and the life cycle of stars.
  • classify the planets as terrestrial or jovian and list the characteristics of each category.
  • discuss the discovery of new Kuiper belt objects and how their existence changed our definition of what a planet is.
  • describe how extrasolar planets are detected and discuss their properties.
  • describe the structure of the Sun and its source of energy.
  • explain how astronomers collect light from distant stars and discuss what can be learned from analyzing that light.
  • classify different types of stars and galaxies, and discuss the stellar life cycle in the context of stellar evolution.
  • describe the astronomical evidence for dark matter and dark energy, and discuss their implications.
  • describe the scientific evidence and models regarding the nature and origin of the Universe, including its evolution from the Big Bang up to today.

Course Content:

[INSTRUCTORS: Insert course content.]

  • Naked eye astronomy: the motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars as seen from the Earth; seasonal changes; phases of the Moon and eclipses.
  • Scientific method and history of astronomy: geocentric and heliocentric models, Copernican Revolution, and Kepler's laws.
  • Physics: gravity, temperature, pressure, energy, and conservation laws.
  • Light: the nature of light, the electromagnetic spectrum, the atom and spectroscopy, telescopes on Earth and in space, and the Doppler effect.
  • Formation and evolution of the solar system.
  • The role plate tectonics, volcanism, and magnetic fields play in shaping the surfaces, habitability, and other properties of different planetary bodies.
  • Earth: internal structure, surface and atmosphere, magnetosphere, and ability to support life.
  • Terrestrial planets: characteristics of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, in comparison to Earth.
  • Jovian planets: characteristics and properties of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
  • Comets, asteroids, and meteorites.
  • The discovery of new Kuiper belt objects and how their existence changed our definition of what a planet is. From Pluto to Eris and other dwarf planets. The Oort cloud.
  • Extrasolar planets: how to detect them. Abundance of Hot Jupiters and the habitable zone. Comparison with the solar system.
  • Einstein's relativity and particle physics fundamentals: speed of light, time dilation, quarks, and leptons. Fundamental forces of nature.
  • Sun: internal structure, nuclear fusion, solar activity, heliosphere, and the limits of the solar system.
  • Stars: classification of stars, Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagrams, main sequence, luminosity, and apparent and absolute brightness.
  • Stellar evolution: birth, life and death of stars. Stellar death: white dwarfs, neutron stars, supernovae, and black holes.
  • The Milky Way and large scale structure of our galaxy. Evolution of galaxies: galaxy formation and galaxy collisions. Spirals, Elliptical, and Irregular galaxies.
  • Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and supermassive black holes - the most energetic and farthest away objects in the Universe.
  • The astronomical evidence for dark matter and dark energy, including their implications.
  • Cosmology: large-scale structure, Cosmic Background Microwave Radiation (CMBR), cosmic evolution, the expanding Universe, the geometry of the Universe, and the fate of the Universe.
  • Astrobiology - life in the Universe, where to look, life requirements, extremophiles, and SETI.

 

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Astronomy from OpenStax, ISBN 1-947172-01-8

You have several options to obtain this book:

    You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

    Important Notes:

    • All first week assignments need to be completed and submitted by the due date to avoid possibly being dropped from the class.
    • Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) [link to your college's DSPS website] early in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact the DRC by visiting the Center (located in room A205) or by phone (541-4660 ext. 249 voice or 542-1870 TTY for deaf students). All information will remain confidential.
    • Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc.  Please see the YourCollegeName handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. [link to your college's academic honesty policies]

    Course summary:

    Date Details Due