Example Course Sequences
Selected labs for typical one semester introductory astronomy courses.
Overview
Planetary Motions and the Night Sky
Phases of the Moon
Gravity and Orbital Motion
Light, Color, and Filters
Solar Energy and the Habitable Zone
Stars and the H-R Diagram
Star Clusters and the Ages of Stars
Gravity and Black Holes
Mapping the Milky Way Galaxy
Spiral Galaxies and Star Formation
Evolution of Galaxies
The Hubble Law and the Expansion of the Universe
The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
Solar System
Quantitative Reasoning: A Trip to Mars
Phases of the Moon
The North Star and Precession
What Causes the Seasons: Earth’s Tilted Axis
What’s in a Day? Solar and Sidereal Rotation
Planetary Motions and the Night Sky
Rotation of the Sun
Solar Energy and the Habitable Zone
Bulk Density and Planet Composition
Gravity and Orbital Motion
Gravitational Interactions in the Solar System
Radial Velocity and Exoplanets: The Doppler Technique
Photometry and Exoplanets: The Transit Technique
Stars, Galaxies, & Cosmology
Quantitative Reasoning: Exploring Nearby Stars
Gravity and Orbital Motion
Light, Color, and Filters
Colors of Stars
Stars and the H-R Diagram
Star Clusters and the Ages of Stars
Nuclear Fusion and Energy in Stars
The Effects of Interstellar Dust on Starlight
Spiral Arms and Star Formation (or Dark Matter)
Evolution of Galaxies
The Hubble Law and the Expansion of the Universe
Look-back Time and the Evolving Universe
The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
Life in the Universe
Quantitative Reasoning: Exploring Nearby Stars
What Causes the Seasons: Earth’s Tilted Axis
What’s in a Day? Solar and Sidereal Rotation
Gravity and Orbital Motion
Light, Color, and Filters
Stars and the H-R Diagram
Nuclear Fusion and Energy in Stars
Solar Energy and the Habitable Zone
Radial Velocity and Exoplanets: The Doppler Technique
Gravitational Interactions in the Solar System
Photometry and Exoplanets: The Transit Technique
Bulk Density and Planet Composition
Honors/Majors Course
The North Star and Precession
Images and Telescopes
Observatories Around the World
Gravitational Interactions in the Solar System
Spectroscopy
Atoms and Electrons: Absorption and Emission
Radial Velocity and Exoplanets: The Doppler Technique
Stars and the H-R Diagram
Star Clusters and the Ages of Stars
Nuclear Fusion and Energy in Stars
Spiral Galaxies and Dark Matter
Look-back Time and the Evolving Universe
Expansion and the Age of the Universe
The First Three Minutes