GEMS 206 - The Night Sky

The primary goal of this course is to understand the unique features of various astronomical objects in our night sky, such as bright stars, double stars, planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, emission nebulae, globular clusters, and galaxies. Through various hands-on activities, we will understand the day-to-day and annual changes in our night sky. About a third of the course involves field work in which we are able to make observations with the naked eye and by imaging objects using the Harry F. Frissel Observatory. We will learn what a star is by exploring stellar formation and evolution. A large collection of stars form a galaxy like our Milky Way. Yet galaxies fall into different classification groups that have specific characteristics.

Credits: 2
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Attributes: Natural Science II (NS2)