1504 General Astronomy. An introduction to the concepts of modern astronomy. The solar system, the sun and stars, the Milky Way and other galaxies, current theories of the origin, evolution and fate of the universe. Not for major credit. Students cannot receive credit in both 1504 and 1514. (F, Sp, Su) [II-NL]
1514 General Astronomy with Laboratory. An introduction to the concepts of modern astronomy. The solar system, the sun and stars, the Milky Way and other galaxies, current theories of the origin, evolution, and fate of the universe. Not for major credit. Students cannot receive credit in both 1504 and 1514. Laboratory (F, Sp, Su) [II-LAB]
2513 Observatory Methods. Corequisite: Physics 1215 or 2524, or permission of instructor. Elements of astronomy. Includes celestial coordinates, time, catalogs, star charts, magnitudes and color indices, an introduction to telescopes and detectors, electromagnetic radiation and basic atomic physics, error analysis, elements of astronomical optics. (F)
3103 Stars. Prerequisite: 2513 or permission of instructor. Stellar properties and stellar evolution. Includes fundamental properties of stars (temperature, luminosity, mass) and how to determine them, star formation, main sequence, post main sequence, supernovae, black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs, binary stars. (F)
3113 Galaxies and Cosmology. Prerequisite: 2513 or permission of instructor; 3103 strongly recommended. Galactic and extragalactic astronomy. Includes the Milky Way galaxy, the interstellar medium, normal and active galaxies, clusters of galaxies, cosmology. (Sp)
3190 Topics in Astronomy. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of subject matter; maximum credit nine hours. (F, Su)
3990 Independent Study. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: one course in general area to be studied; permission of instructor and department. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Contracted independent study for topic not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. Independent study may include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (Sp, Su)
G4303 Stellar Astrophysics. Prerequisite: 3113 or permission of instructor. Physics of stars: gas and radiation laws, stellar atmospheres and spectra, stellar interiors and evolution. (F)
4990 Independent Study. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: three courses in general area to be studied; permission of instructor and department. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Contracted independent study for topic not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. Independent study may include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (F, Sp, Su)
G5403 High-Energy Astrophysics. Prerequisite: 4303 or permission of instructor. High-energy radiation processes in astronomy: synchrotron radiation, bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton-effect. New wavebands of observation, UV, X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy. Radioastronomy: supernova remnants, pulsars, neutron stars. Radiogalaxies, active galactic nuclei, quasars. Theories of the origin of cosmic rays. (Irreg.)
G5443 Galactic Astronomy. Prerequisite: 4303 or permission of instructor. Basic properties of galaxies are explored with special focus on the Milky Way. Topics include galaxy classification and morphology, stellar populations, clusters and kinematics, interstellar medium, distributions of mass and light, spiral structure, chemical evolution, systemic rotation and galaxy mass, and distance-determining methods. (Irreg.)
G5453 Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology. Prerequisite: 3113 or 4303 or permission of instructor. Basic properties of stars. Review of observational tools for extragalactic work. Stellar content and interstellar medium in normal galaxies. Introduction to the theory of Big Bang cosmology. Comparison of observational data to cosmological predictions. The extragalactic distance scale and the age of the universe. Large scale structure: galaxy clusters and superclusters. Active galaxies -- radio galaxies and quasars. (Irreg.)
G5463 Stellar Atmospheres. Prerequisite: 4303 or permission of instructor. Local thermodynamic equilibrium. Radiative transfer, continuous absorption coefficient and model stellar atmospheres. Atomic and molecular spectroscopy and the quantitative analysis of stellar spectra. Atomic processes and departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium. Extended and expanding atmospheres, novae, supernovae. (Irreg.)
G5473 Stellar Interiors. Prerequisite: 4303 or permission of instructor. Evolution and energy balance of stars including gravitational attraction, nucleosynthesis, radiative and convective energy, transport and equilibrium, construction of stellar models for pre-main sequence and main sequence stars, and the theory of giants and white dwarfs. (Irreg.)
G5513 Interstellar Medium. Prerequisite: 4303 or permission. Processes in low-density media are explored, including the physics relevant to emission line objects such as HII and HI regions, molecular clouds, and active galaxies. Techniques for deriving chemical abundances are explored, as are interstellar absorption by gas and dust and radiation transfer. (Irreg.)
G5900 Seminar in Astrophysics. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of subject matter; maximum credit nine hours. A research seminar devoted to the study of specialized topics in astronomy and astrophysics. Topics selected will reflect the interest of the instructor and students. (Irreg.)
Updated: March 30, 2007