Required Topics - Astronomy

ASTR 1303 - Stellar Astronomy

Topics marked with * may also be covered in ASTR 1304

I.  Fundamentals

a. Celestial coordinate system * 

b. Newton's Laws of Motion and Gravity 

c. Light and Matter * 

i. Wave-particle duality of light 

ii. Electromagnetic spectrum 

iii. Luminosity and Brightness 

iv. Kirchoff's Laws 

v. The Bohr Model of the atom 

vi. Astronomical Spectroscopy 

d. Telescopes * 

II.  Properties of Stars

a. The Sun * 

b. Nuclear fusion 

c. Magnitude system 

d. Spectral types 

e. The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram 

f. Binary stars and stellar mass 

g. Star clusters 

III.  Process of stellar evolution

a. High-mass vs. low-mass stars 

b. Stellar remnants 

i. white dwarfs 

ii. novae and supernovae 

iii. neutron stars and pulsars 

iv. black holes 

IV.  Galaxies

a. Structure of the Milky Way 

b. Types of galaxies 

c. Theories of galaxy formation 

d. Quasars and active galaxies 

V.  Cosmology

a. The expansion of the universe 

b. The Big Bang Theory 

ASTR 1304 - Solar Astronomy

Topics marked with * may also be covered in ASTR 1303

I.  Fundamentals

a. Angle measure * 

b. The origin of the seasons 

c. Apparent retrograde motion 

d. Solar System Models 

i. Geocentric models 

ii. Heliocentric models 

e. The Renaissance 

i. Discoveries of Galileo * 

ii. Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion * 

iii. Newton's Laws of Motion and Gravity* 

f. Solar System Exploration 

II.  The Inner Planets (emphasis on comparison and contrast)

a. Earth 

b. the Moon 

c. Mercury 

d. Venus 

e. Mars 

III.  The Outer Planets (with emphasis on comparison and contrast)

a. Jupiter 

b. Saturn 

c. Uranus 

d. Neptune 

e. The satellites of the outer planets 

f. Ring systems 

            IV.  Minor bodies

a. Pluto 

b. Asteroids 

c. Comets 

d. Meteors 

V.  Summative topics

a. The origin of the solar system, including the Earth and the Moon 

b. The search for extrasolar planets * 

c. Possibilities for extraterrestrial life *