ASTRO 5The Sky and Planets

3 credits · Astronomy and Astrophysics · Penn State

The development of our modern understanding of the visible sky and planetary systems. Students who have passed ASTRO 1 , ASTRO 7N , or ASTRO 10 may not take this course for credit. ASTRO 5 The Sky and Planets (3) (GN) will introduce students to the wonders of the universe and help them to understand how the universe works through the laws of physics. During the semester, they will learn about the different observed motions of objects in our sky, how astronomical objects influence our concepts of time, the nature of light and spectra, how planetary systems are formed and comparative details about our solar system and other planetary systems. Many colorful images and movies of the solar system have been collected by robotic satellite missions like Voyagers I & II, the Magellan mission to Venus, Mars rovers and orbiters, the Galileo and Juno missions to Jupiter, the Cassini and Huygens missions to Saturn, and the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. These and other images will be used to convey the excitement of discovery and nature of astronomical study of the Solar System to our students.