Astronomy (Astr) 1
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ASTRONOMY (ASTR) 1 ASTR 102. Introduction to Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology. 3 ASTRONOMY (ASTR) Credits. The sun, stellar observables, star birth, evolution, and death, novae and ASTR 61. First-Year Seminar: The Copernican Revolution. 3 Credits. supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes, the Milky Way This seminar explores the 2,000-year effort to understand the motion galaxy, normal galaxies, active galaxies and quasars, dark matter, dark of the sun, moon, stars, and five visible planets. Earth-centered cosmos energy, cosmology, early universe. Honors version available gives way to the conclusion that earth is just another body in space. Requisites: Prerequisite, ASTR 101, or pre- or co-requisite, PHYS 117 Cultural changes accompany this revolution in thinking. or 119; Permission of the instructor for students lacking the pre- or co- Gen Ed: PL, NA, WB. requisites. Grading status: Letter grade Gen Ed: PL. Same as: PHYS 61. Grading status: Letter grade. ASTR 63. First-Year Seminar: Catastrophe and Chaos: Unpredictable ASTR 102H. Introduction to Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology. 3 Physics. 3 Credits. Credits. Physics is often seen as the most precise and deterministic of sciences. The sun, stellar observables, star birth, evolution, and death, novae and Determinism can break down, however. This seminar explores the rich supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes, the Milky Way and diverse areas of modern physics in which "unpredictability" is the galaxy, normal galaxies, active galaxies and quasars, dark matter, dark norm. Honors version available. energy, cosmology, early universe. ASTR 63H. First-Year Seminar: Catastrophe and Chaos: Unpredictable Requisites: Prerequisite, ASTR 101, or pre- or co-requisite, PHYS 117 Physics. 3 Credits. or 119; Permission of the instructor for students lacking the pre- or co- Physics is often seen as the most precise and deterministic of sciences. requisites. Determinism can break down, however. This seminar explores the rich Gen Ed: PL. and diverse areas of modern physics in which "unpredictability" is the Grading status: Letter grade. norm. ASTR 105H. Time, Tides, and the Measurement of the Cosmos. 3 Credits. ASTR 89. First-Year Seminar: Special Topics. 3 Credits. This course is focused on medieval foundations of modern cosmology Special topics course content will vary each semester. and is designed to take advantage of the opportunities available for Repeat rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same enriched learning in England. The course is problem-based, e.g. How did term for different topics; 6 total credits. 2 total completions. people reckon calendars, time, and tides, both for navigation and daily life, Grading status: Letter grade. before clocks and the printed word? Gen Ed: PL, WB. ASTR 101. Introduction to Astronomy: The Solar System. 3 Credits. Grading status: Letter grade. Celestial motions of the earth, sun, moon, and planets; nature of light; ground and space-based telescopes; comparative planetology; the earth ASTR 105. Time, Tides, and the Measurement of the Cosmos. 3 Credits. and the moon; terrestrial and gas planets and their moons; dwarf planets, This course is focused on medieval foundations of modern cosmology asteroids, and comets; planetary system formation; extrasolar planets; and is designed to take advantage of the opportunities available for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Honors version available enriched learning in England. The course is problem-based, e.g. How did Gen Ed: PX. people reckon calendars, time, and tides, both for navigation and daily life, Grading status: Letter grade. before clocks and the printed word? Honors version available Gen Ed: PL, WB. ASTR 101L. Introduction to Astronomy Laboratory: Our Place in Space. 1 Grading status: Letter grade. Credit. Observing with robotic telescopes in Chile, Australia, and around the ASTR 111L. Educational Research in Radio Astronomy. 1 Credit. world: planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, binary and variable Permission of the instructor. One-week field experience at the National stars, supernovae, star-forming regions, star clusters, and galaxies; the Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, WV, for experiential seasons, the Galilean revolution; the cosmic distance ladder; the Great education (EE) credit. Observing with radio telescopes and antennae: Debate; dark matter; Hubble's Law; dark energy. supernova remnants, star-forming regions, normal and active galaxies, Requisites: Pre- or corequisite, ASTR 101. quasars, solar system objects (sun, moon, Jupiter), radio spectroscopy. Grading status: Letter grade. Gen Ed: EE- Field Work. Grading status: Letter grade. ASTR 101H. Introduction to Astronomy: The Solar System. 3 Credits. Celestial motions of the earth, sun, moon, and planets; nature of light; ASTR 202. Introduction to Astrophysics. 3 Credits. ground and space-based telescopes; comparative planetology; the earth This introductory astrophysics course will focus on the use of classical and the moon; terrestrial and gas planets and their moons; dwarf planets, mechanics, gravitational physics, and the physics of radiation to asteroids, and comets; planetary system formation; extrasolar planets; interpret and explain astronomical observations. Course covers stellar the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). structure, stellar formation and evolution, galaxies, and cosmology with Gen Ed: PX. an emphasis on quantitative problem solving. Grading status: Letter grade. Requisites: Pre- or corequisite, PHYS 119. Grading status: Letter grade. 2 ASTRONOMY (ASTR) ASTR 205. The Medieval Foundations of Modern Cosmology. 3 Credits. ASTR 505. Physics of Interstellar Gas. 3 Credits. This course will examine science as it emerged and developed in the Surveys the physical processes governing the interstellar medium (ISM), West starting in the 13th century. We will use example problems from which takes up the "refuse" of old stars while providing fuel for young cosmology that are relevant today. stars forming. Covers the processes regulating the galactic gas budget Gen Ed: PL, WB. and the corresponding observational diagnostics. Topics: radiative Grading status: Letter grade. transfer, line formation mechanisms, continuum radiation, gas dynamics, ASTR 301. Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology. 1 Credit. star formation. Stellar observables; galaxies; novae; cosmology; the early universe. This Requisites: Prerequisites, ASTR 202 or ASTR 301, MATH 383, and one-credit course can be taken with ASTR 102 for students who wish to PHYS 331. major or minor in astrophysics. Grading status: Letter grade. Requisites: Pre- or corequisites, ASTR 102, and PHYS 117 or 119; ASTR 511. Atomic and Radiative Processes in Astrophysics. 3 Credits. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites. This course covers key topics in electromagnetism, radiative transport, Grading status: Letter grade. and thermal and statistical mechanics in the context of astrophysics, ASTR 390. Research and Special Topics for Juniors and Seniors. 1-12 such as stellar and planetary interiors and atmospheres, stellar evolution Credits. (including star formation and death), stellar populations, and the early Permission of the instructor. To be taken by honors candidates and other universe. qualified juniors and seniors. Requisites: Prerequisite, ASTR 202; Pre- or corequisite, PHYS 412. Gen Ed: QI. Grading status: Letter grade. Repeat rules: May be repeated for credit. 12 total credits. 4 total ASTR 512. Astrophysical Dynamics. 3 Credits. completions. This course provides a broad overview of astrophysical principles Grading status: Letter grade. underlying stellar and planetary dynamics; N-body dynamics of star ASTR 501. Astrophysics I (Stellar Astrophysics). 3 Credits. clusters, galaxies, and dark matter; fluid dynamics of astrophysical An introduction to the study of stellar structure and evolution. Topics plasmas; and dynamics of the Universe and spacetime. covered include observational techniques, stellar structure and energy Requisites: Prerequisites, ASTR 202 and PHYS 401. transport, nuclear energy sources, evolution off the main-sequence, and Grading status: Letter grade. supernovae. ASTR 519. Observational Astronomy. 4 Credits. Requisites: Prerequisites, ASTR 202 or ASTR 301, MATH 383, and An introduction to modern techniques in observational astronomy with PHYS 331; permission of the instructor for students lacking the an emphasis on optical and near-infrared wavelengths. Topics covered prerequisites. include celestial coordinates, practical python for astronomy, telescopes Grading status: Letter grade. and CCDs, spectroscopy, astrostatistics, and mining large astronomical ASTR 502. Astrophysics II (Modern Research in Astrophysics). 3 Credits. surveys. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week. An introduction to modern research in astrophysics based on scientific Requisites: Prerequisite, ASTR 102 or 202; Pre- or corequisite, PHYS 331; journal articles addressing a current topic of interest in galactic or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. extragalactic astrophysics, including training in computer modeling and Grading status: Letter grade. statistical analysis, culminating in the completion of a research project. ASTR 701. Stellar Interiors, Evolution, and Populations. 3 Credits. Requisites: Prerequisites, ASTR 202 or ASTR 301, and MATH 383; pre- or Stellar structure and evolution, including equations of stellar structure,