Introduction to Astronomy I

(UTRGV ASTR-1401)

Course Information (Fall 2025 Version)

Contact Information:

Email: ryan.oelkers(at)utrgv.edu
Phone: 956.882.6617
Office: BINAB 2.140
Office Hours: Monday 11:00 AM - 12:30PM in BINAB 2.140 or on ZOOM
Classroom: Biomed Rsrch Prof Bldg (BBRHB) 1.222
Lecture Time: Monday and Wednesday from 09:30 AM to 10:45 AM

(Left) A view from Estacion Astrofisica de Bosque Alegre. The small hexagon at the center of the image is the camera system I built for my PhD dissertation. The image is from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Image Credit & Copyright

Photogragh: Sebastian D' Alessandro; Constellations: Judy Schmidt

Please note: You will need to be logged into your UTRGV Microsoft 365 account to access the course material.

Course Syllabus

A copy of the course syllabus can be found here.

Course Textbook

You can find a copy of the free, open-source textbook here.

Course Schedule

The lecture slides are available through the links below. Generally, they will follow the textbook.

Date Topic (click link for slides) Relevant Chapters Homework

09/03/2025 Introductions & Common Misconceptions -- --

09/08/2025 The Scientific Method 1

09/10/2025 The Universe at Large 1

09/15/2025

09/17/2025

09/22/2025

09/24/2025

09/29/2025

10/01/2025

10/06/2025

10/08/2025

10/13/2025

10/15/2025

10/20/2025

10/22/2025

10/27/2025

10/29/2025

11/03/2025

11/05/2025

11/10/2025

11/12/2025

11/17/2025

11/19/2025

11/24/2025

11/26/2025

12/01/2025

12/03/2025

12/08/2025

12/17/2025 Final Exam from 08:00AM - 09:45AM in BBRHB 1.222