The Big Questions of Astronomy
ASTRON 1
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
We will discuss the big questions of astronomy that have engaged scientists and the general public alike for centuries: How did the universe begin? What is the ultimate fate of the Sun? How do planets form? Is there life outside the Solar system? Students will engage with these questions through readings and problems based on contemporary questions and cutting edge research in astronomy and astrophysics. We will discuss how astronomy has evolved to use a combination of observations, laboratory experiments, and physical theory to try to understand the vast and dynamic cosmos we inhabit.
Class Notes
We will seek an understanding of the physical basis for our vast and dynamic universe by studying the big questions that have motivated astronomy for millennia: What shapes the night sky that we see? How do stars work? How did the universe begin? What is the ultimate fate of the Sun? How do planets form? Is there life beyond Earth? Students will engage with these questions through readings, problems, and in-class experiments that reveal the breadth and physical underpinnings of astronomical phenomena. Students will have the opportunity to undertake their own observations in the college’s astronomy lab.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
