ASTR26400 (ASTR264L) Spring 2008
04/08/2008
02/18/2008
02/14/2008
01/14/2008
01/14/2008
01/08/2008
Descriptive Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies Lab
No introductory astronomy course would be complete without an astronomy lab. Surprisingly, many major research universities do not offer a lab as part of their introductory astronomy courses. Therefore regard the lab as a special opportunity.
The primary aims of lab are to reinforce the concepts learned in lecture and to give you a greater appreciation of the night sky. We achieve this through a variety of complementary activities. These include indoor activities such as; building a working telescope, determining the composition of stars using a spectroscope, measuring distance using a laser protractor, building a scale model of the Universe, and determining how old the Universe is. When the weather is good you will have the opportunity to see Saturn, the Moon and many other objects through a telescope. No matter how many spectacular pictures you find on the web, there is nothing like seeing the rings of Saturn first hand. You will also be taught to recognize all the major constellations and to identify the planets. This is a wonderful opportunity to become an expert navigator of the night sky. You will find that this skill, once learned, is never forgotten.
Current session: NOT IN SESSION
Offering: Sem. 2. class 2, lab. 2, cr. 3 Not available to students with credit in ASTR 364.
Prerequisites:
Description: A descriptive, nonmathematical course in astronomy intened for non-physics majors. Topics include properties of stars; stellar birth and death; the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram; main sequence stars; binary systems; stellar clusters; red giants and white dwarfs, nova and supernova; neutron stars and black holes; galaxies and the cosmological red shift. Includes required observing sessions.
| Course | Title | Author | Edition | ISBN | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASTR264 | The Cosmic Perspective | Bennett, Donahue, Schneider & Voit | Latest | 0-321-505670 | Addison-Wesley |
| ASTR264L | Introductory Astronomy Lab Manual | I. Shipsey, J. Coy & B. MacCall | 6th | 0-07-353949-X | McGraw-Hill |
