AST - Astronomy

Designed for non-science majors. Topics include naked-eye observations, planetary motion, the solar system, and the origin, structure and evolution of stars, galaxies and the universe. Satisfies general distribution requirements. Lecture only.

This course is an introduction to the physics of astronomical phenomena, including celestial dynamics, the interaction of electromagnetic radiation and matter, planets, stellar structure, stellar evolution, stellar remnants, galaxies, dark matter, cosmology, and the history of the Universe. Lecture only.

Astrobiology is a cross-disciplinary study, bringing together biology, astronomy, oceanography, atmospheric science, chemistry, planetary science, and geology to study the origins of life in the universe. In this course we will examine the origins of life on Earth, the synthesis of organic molecules in space, the origin of solar systems and the possibility of life on other worlds. Lecture only.