Introduction to Astronomy

Upon completion of the course the student will be able to:

1. describe the scientific method, and explain how it is applied to the study of the universe
2. identify major paradigm shifts in the historical development of astronomy
3. identify major stars, constellations, and commonly used coordinate systems for viewing the sky
4. explain the cycles of the sky (Earth, Moon, and Sun system) including: seasons, eclipses, tides, phases of the Moon, and precession
5. state Kepler’s Three Laws, Newton’s Three Laws and Newton’s universal law of gravitation and demonstrate understanding of these laws through the solution of problems
6. identify and explain features and properties of light including: wave-particle duality, speed of light, reflection, refraction, scattering, and the Doppler effect
7. explain the appearance of atomic spectra using the Bohr model of the atom
8. explain the operation of telescopes
9. explain the currently accepted model of the formation and evolution of the solar system
10. discuss the characteristics of the various bodies in the solar system
11. identify prominent features of the Sun including: sunspots, the solar cycle, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections
12. explain how the spectrum from a star can be used to determine characteristics of the star such as: temperature, composition, size, radial velocity, and rotational speed
13. explain the features of a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram including: luminosity, temperature, radius, apparent magnitude, spectral class and luminosity class
14. explain how binary star systems are used to determine the diameter and mass of stars
15. discuss and explain different methods used to determine distances to stars and galaxies including: stellar parallax, spectroscopic parallax, and standard candles (Cepheid Variables, Type I supernova)
16. explain how stars are formed, the role of fusion in energy production, and the evolution of stars as they age
17. discuss and explain the death of stars, and the formation of white dwarf stars, neutron stars, and black holes
18. discuss the consequences of general relativity near a massive object such as: spaghettification, time dilation, gravitational redshift, and the event horizon of a black hole
19. classify galaxies based on their appearance
20. explain the currently accepted model of cosmology including: the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, and the acceleration of the rate of expansion of the universe
21. explain the significance of Hubble’s Law
22. discuss the likelihood of alien life, and the challenges involved with the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI)