OUR EXPLORATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Humanity is linked to the solar system in countless ways. Our view of the solar system, how planets form, and how planetary systems evolve has fundamentally changed with the discovery of countless exoplanets around other stars. Join us in exploring the modern view of the solar system and its relation to other planetary worlds. Includes the sky and celestial motions; ancient astronomy; the Copernican revolution; gravity, orbits, and interplanetary travel; formation of solar system; survey of sun, planets and moons; asteroids, meteors and comets; origin of life.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Satisfied Quantitative Reasoning (QR) A. Not open to students with credit for ASTRON 200 . Course Designation: Core GenEd - Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning B Breadth - Physical Science Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Apply quantitative reasoning to evaluate scientific hypotheses to explain astronomical observations Audience: Undergraduate 2. Understand and apply--quantitatively--the scientific basis of astronomical concepts such as the inverse square law, Newtonian gravity, and Kepler's laws. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Understand--qualitatively--and be able to explain to a lay audience the scientific basis for the laws of stellar structure and stellar and planetary accretion Audience: Undergraduate 4. Critically evaluate qualitative scientific arguments using the scientific method Audience: Undergraduate 5. Write basic scientific prose for a variety of lay audiences Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Apply quantitative reasoning to evaluate scientific hypotheses to explain astronomical observations Audience: Undergraduate 2. Understand and apply--quantitatively--the scientific basis of astronomical concepts such as the inverse square law, Newtonian gravity, and Kepler's laws. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Understand--qualitatively--and be able to explain to a lay audience the scientific basis for the laws of stellar structure and stellar and planetary accretion Audience: Undergraduate 4. Critically evaluate qualitative scientific arguments using the scientific method Audience: Undergraduate 5. Write basic scientific prose for a variety of lay audiences Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027