|Spring 2010||Astronomy 110||MWF 9:30 &mdash 10:20|
We begin with a brief overview of the universe and the distances, ages, and sizes of various astronomical objects. We will then focus on our home planet and its motion, which plays a critical role in our observations the universe.
|1.1||Our Modern View of the Universe
• What is our place in the universe
• How did we come to be?
• How can we know what the universe was like?
• Can we see the entire universe?
|1.2||The Scale of the Universe
• How big is Earth compared to our solar system?
• How far away are the stars?
• How big is the Milky Way Galaxy?
• How big is the universe?
• How do our lifetimes compare to the age of the universe?
• How is the Earth moving in our solar system?
(skim rest if you wish; we'll come back to it)
|2.1||Patterns in the Night Sky
• What does the universe look like from Earth? (through p. 28, and "The Local Sky")
• Why do stars rise and set?
• Why do the constellations we see depend on latitude and time of year?
|2.2||The Reason for Seasons
• What causes the seasons?
• How do we mark the progression of the seasons?
(barnes at ifa.hawaii.edu)
16 January 2010