ASTR 111. Concepts in Astronomy I: Planetary Science and the Sky.
(3-0-3); I, II.
This course represents an introduction to the study of astronomical phenomena: motions of the sky, Newtonian physics, celestial mechanics, matter and energy, structure and scale in the universe, and planetary science including comparative planetology, planetary evolution, interiors, topography, geology, and atmospheres, vagabonds of the solar system (comets, asteroids and Kuiper Belt objects), and the potential for catastrophic collision. We will also investigate extrasolar planetary systems and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe.