Ph 121 General Astronomy

An introductory historical, descriptive, and interpretative study of astronomy. Emphasis on the basic scientific methods as they apply to astronomical problems. Detailed examination of the earth, followed by a survey of the other members of the solar system. Survey of the stars, their types, grouping, and motions. Models for the evolution of the Universe and the possibility of life elsewhere. The nature of light, the types of information it carries, and the types of devices used to detect it. This is the first course in a sequence of two: Ph 121 and Ph 122 which need not be taken in sequence.