A study of astronomy beginning with its historical roots and leading to our current understanding of the sun and other components of the solar system, stars, galaxies and the universe.
Students study the night sky and methods used by astronomers.
Three hours lecture and two hours laboratory per week. Some evening laboratories are required. This course is a general astronomy course presented at a level suitable for general education. Some use is made of basic high school algebra and although many of the calculations made in the laboratory are made using computers, a calculator is useful in the lab. Topics covered include a history of the ideas associated with astronomy, a study of the solar system, stars and galaxies and cosmology.