Outcomes:

After completing this class, students should be able to:

• Compare and contrast the historical contributions of Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Einstein to the development of astronomy
• Identify the following: “celestial sphere” imaginary lines and points: zenith, celestial pole, celestial equator, altitude, azimuth, right ascension and declination.
• Explain the special arrangement of the sun, moon, and earth to explain lunar phases, and both solar and lunar eclipses.
• Compare and contrast Newton’s view of gravity with Einstein’s
• Explain the basic makeup of the Bohr model of the atom
• Explain the basic function of telescopes and classify telescopes in terms of refractor vs. reflector
• Name the several characteristics unique to each planet in the solar system.
• Compare and contrast the theories for the origin of Earth’s moon.
• Describe the formation of the solar system
• Relate the various ways stars die to the star’s mass.
• Explain the relationship between the interior layers of the sun in relation to the creation/transfer of energy
• Explain the processes by which astronomers measure stars’ mass, temperature, size, distance, chemical makeup, and speeds.
• Compare and contrast Terrestrial versus Jovian planets
• Describe the origin and nature of white dwarf stars, neutron stars, and black holes.
• Compare and contrast asteroids and comets as members of the solar system
• Identify the relationships between moons, planets, stars, the solar system, the Milky way, galaxies, and the Universe.
• Describe the Hubble law and relate its significance to the understanding of the Universe.
• Explain the evidence for the Big bang.
• Compare and contrast the open, closed, and flat Universe theories, and explain the current state of evidence for these theories.
• Explain the problems with the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence and the current status of this search..