Examples of topics include telescopes, the distances to stars, the spectra of the stars, star clusters, the Hubble expansion, and the large scale structure of the Universe. Discovery through observation, hypothesis, and quantitative analysis are emphasized. The course is built around laboratory exercises which emphasize acquisition of quantitative data, searching for patterns and order in those data, developing hypotheses or models to account for the patterns, and then the critical evaluation of these ideas with an understanding of uncertainty.
Students work in pairs and collaborative learning is stressed.
The laboratory titles are listed below, and are designed to complement the content and sequence of Astronomy 103 . As an example, the Expansion of the Universe lab begins with students comparing results of a pre-lab exercise introducing the Doppler Shift and spectra of galaxies. From these students measure redshifts, which when combined with distances produces the Hubble diagram. From this they derive the Hubble constant and the age of the Universe. Previous Astron 100 or Astron 103 or consent of instructor acceptable for entry into course.