It provides an understanding of visual effects that dramatically enriches our appreciation of what we see. The study of color, light, and optics has applications to photography, art, natural phenomena, and technology. We also study the eye as both an optical and an image-processing instrument. After this introduction it considers the historical development of astronomy from antiquity to the 17th century. The last quarter of the course is devoted to the space-age exploration of the solar system.
Laboratory exercises help to familiarize students with basic astronomical concepts.