Independent Study
Not available at this time
Astrophysics II:Galaxies
The application of physics to the understanding of astronomical phenomena. Physical processes in the gaseous interstellar medium: photoionization in HII regions and planetary nebulae; shocks in supernova remnants and stellar jets; energy balance in molecular clouds. Dynamics of stellar systems: star clusters and the virial theorem; galaxy rotation and the presence of dark matter in the universe; spiral density waves. Quasars and active galactic nuclei: synchroton radiation; accretion disks; supermassive black holes.
ST-Planets Around Other Stars
Thousands of planets have now been discovered orbiting other stars. Discussion will focus on selected readings from the astronomical literature covering the major detection techniques, trends in discoveries so far, implications of the discoveries, and future directions.
Hnr Indstu In Astron
Not available at this time
Independent Study
Not available at this time
Writing About Astronomy
Satisfies Junior Year Writing Requirement. The goal of this course is
to teach the writing techniques and styles that are appropriate for
the types of careers that might be pursued by an astronomy major. The
course will be composed of both a set of short writing assignments and
longer assignments, and some of these assignments will be orally
presented to the class. All students will critique the talks, and
some written assignments will be exchanged between students for peer
editing and feedback. Some papers will require analysis of
astrophysical data.
Hnr Indstu In Astron
Not available at this time
Independent Study
Not available at this time
Stars And Galaxies
An introductory course appropriate for science majors, engineering majors, and students with a strong math and science background. Topics include: the observed properties of stars and the methods used to determine them, the structure and evolution of stars, the end-points of stellar evolution, our galaxy, the interstellar medium, external galaxies, quasars, and cosmology. Prerequisite: 1 semester of calculus. (Gen.Ed. PS)
Planetary Science
Introductory course for physical science majors. Topics include planetary orbits, rotation and precession; gravitational and tidal interactions; interiors and atmospheres of the Jovian and terrestrial planets; surfaces of the terrestrial planets and satellites; asteroids, comets, planetary rings; origin and evolution of the planets. Prerequisites: 1 semester of calculus and 1 semester of a physical science.