AS 180 - Astronomy

Credit Hours: 3

A one-semester course designed to acquaint the student with the solar system and selected topics from studies of the stars and nebulae. Topics include the beginnings of astronomy, Ptolemy to Newton, earth and moon system, tools and methods of the astronomer, planets and satellites, comets and meteors, stars, stellar systems, galaxies and cosmology. AS 180 with AS 181 satisfies a science lecture laboratory requirement for science and non-science majors.

Fulfills SUNY General Education – Natural Sciences.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

describe the major topics treated by modern astronomers (e.g., planetary evolution);
explain the basic terms used by astronomers (e.g., nebulae, asteroids);
locate required information (e.g., planetary data) in reference books; and
read graphs and interpret them.

Concurrent Registration: AS 181
F/S (C, N, S)