ASTR-231: General Astronomy

Students who successfully complete the assignments should be able to:

1. Describe the observed motions of the stars, the Sun, the Moon and planets and explain the causes of these motions whether actual or apparent due to the motion of Earth.
2. Describe the theory of gravitation and apply the theory to planetary motion.
3. Describe the differences between the two types of planets and explain how the theories of their formation account for these differences.
4. Identify the factors responsible for the parallel course of evolution of terrestrial planets and explain how these factors caused the current differences in the surface conditions of the planets.
5. Identify the information that can be determined from the examination of light and describe what and how it tells us about the sources of the light.
6. Describe the process of nuclear fusion in the core of a star and the affect its progression has on the life of a star and other important consequences of the reaction.
7. Explain the process of how the Temperatures, distance, brightness, composition, size and mass of stars are determined from the available data.
8. Plot and analyze a Hertzsprung-Russel Diagram and categorize stars by type based on their properties.
9. Describe the changes that occur during stellar evolution as a result of their causes for both low and high-mass stars. *
10. Describe the basic types of galaxies based on their morphology and when possible determine the relative ages of different types.
11. Explain the Hubble Law, what it can be used for and what it tells us about the universe.
12. Outline the current state of Cosmology focusing on how well theories fit the available data.

• Core objective to assess critical thinking