Course Description, Outcomes, and Required Materials

ASTR 010 - General Astronomy Lecture

Course Description

  • CRN:  60009

  • Number of Units: 3.0

  • Prerequisites: No prerequisites other than an enthusiasm to learn new things.

  • Co-requisites: None

  • Advisories: TBA

 

Course Description:

This course covers topics in: modern planetary science including dwarf, Jovian, terrestrial, and extra solar planets; and stellar astronomy including  life cycle of stars, black holes, and supernovae. It also includes additional topics on cosmology and galactic astronomy,  such as dark matter, dark energy, the Big Bang, and the expansion of the Universe.  We will focus on archaeoastronomy, cosmology, galactic astronomy, stellar evolution, and astrobiology.

 

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to demonstrate the following activities:

  • 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.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

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 extra-solar 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.

 

Required Course Materials and Technology

       Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!

       Click on Astronomy from OpenStax Links to an external site.

You have several options to obtain this book:

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

 

Required Technology

Teaching and learning online is dependent on technology. The following sections provide basic guidelines for determining if you have the right equipment to support online learning and teaching, but we'd also like to caution that technology is dynamic, and needs may change dependent upon tools and resources you use.

If you are super comfortable troubleshooting technology, go for it! If, however, technology is not your passion, identify the campus instructional technology people that can help you, and keep their number handy. 

Internet Connection

Although Canvas has been carefully crafted to accommodate low bandwidth environments (Minimum of 512kbps), we recommend a Broadband/DSL connection to most effectively view the online videos and participate in video conferences.

Computer 

In addition to an adequate internet connection, you will need a fairly recent Mac or PC (preferably not more than three years-old) with a current operating system to complete some of the course activities. Because it is built using web standards, Canvas runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or any other device with an up-to-date web browser. An up-to-date browser not only provides a better user experience, it also protects your data (and your students!). To ensure your computer is up-to-date, please run the OEI Computer readiness test. (Links to an external site.)

Canvas also provides minimum requirements for your computer:

We know that not every campus provides up-to-date equipment to their faculty and staff. The good news is that much of the content in this course is fully accessible from the Canvas App, which you can download for free. We suggest you try out not only the Canvas student app, but also the Canvas teacher app. Both work wonderfully on tablets and smartphones. 

Webcam and Microphone

We may be in different places across the state (and maybe even across the world!), but we still want to see and hear you! We will be using Zoom in this class, which is enhanced by using a camera and microphone. Most computers have integrated cameras and mics, but please check your computer to ensure both work and to familiarize yourself with the settings. 
 

Adobe Reader

Some material in this course may be presented in PDFs. To view these materials, you will need the most current version of Adobe Reader (Links to an external site.).

Word Processor

You may have assignments in this class that prompt you to use a word processing application. There are numerous options available when it comes to word processing software; we have included links to three free options you may use: Microsoft Office 365 (Links to an external site.), Google Docs (Links to an external site.), and Apache Open Office (Links to an external site.). 

 

 

 

 

Students, click on the "Next" button in the lower right corner of your screen to move to the next page.>>>