ASTRO 1101 - The Nature of the Universe

(PBS)

Fall. 3 credits.

Forbidden Overlap: Students may not receive credit for both ASTRO 1101 and ASTRO 1103. Limited to 30 students per disc sec.

T. Herter.

Introduces students to the cosmos. The birth, evolution, and death of stars, the formation of the chemical elements, and the nature of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes are discussed. An introduction to the theories of special relativity and general relativity is given. The course covers the search for other worlds outside the solar system and the possible existence of life and intelligence elsewhere in the universe. Modern theories of cosmology are presented, and the origin, structure, and fate of the universe are discussed. Most of the course notes as well as sample exams and simulations are made available on the web.