GS 107 Astronomy Course Outcomes
GS 107 Astronomy
Course Outcomes
Upon completing this course a student should be able to:
- Describe and explain the observed daily and long-term motion of objects (sun, moon, planets, stars).
- Sketch the ecliptic and identify locations of the sun, moon and planets for various times of the year.
- Assign correct values for right ascension and declination for each of the items above.
- Explain how astronomical distances are determined using parallax and luminosity techniques.
- Sketch and explain the relationships of objects in solar and lunar eclipses. This includes partial, total and annular eclipses.
- Use a star chart with planets to sketch the relative positions of sun, moon, planets and constellations.
- Discuss the contributions of Ptolemny, Copenicus, Kepler, Tycho, Galileo and Newton to astronomy.
- How continuous and non-continuous spectra are formed. How spectra can be used to identify elements, temperature, and radial velocity.
- Discuss the general structure of the solar system, especially commenting on the patterns within that structure.
- Show how the structure of the solar system can be used to evaluate various theories of planetary evolution.
- Identify the balance between radiation and gravity in various types of stars, and relate this to the aging process.
- Sketch the H-R Diagram, and use this to determine distance and discuss the evolution of a stellar object.
- Discuss binary stars and how they can be used to determine masses of stars, and diameters of stars.
- Show how novas, supernovas, neutron stars, white dwarfs, red giants, and black holes relate to stellar masses and ages.
- Sketch a Hubble diagram, and show how this information is consistent with the "Big Bang" cosmology