PHYS101

An introduction to the astronomy of the solar system. Focuses on some foundational material which may include the celestial sphere, apparent motion of objects in the sky, angular and distance measurements, the electromagnetic spectrum, spectroscopy, and telescopes. Students also discuss the overall scale and structure of the solar system as well as the properties of the planets and major non-planetary components of the solar system, including asteroids, comets, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust. May include quantitative reasoning and problem solving, which requires the use of simple algebra. In addition, there may be an observational component using Drew's telescopes.