PHYS 2514 - Astronomy

This course explores the physical universe, and the Earth’s status as a terrestrial planet orbiting a habitable zone of a medium size star among more than 100 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, given more than 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe. The motion of objects in our night-time sky forms the basis for building models, illustrating the scientific method. Included is a descriptive look at solar systems: planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, KBOs, comets, meteorites and exoplanets. It concludes with a unit on stars: classification, life cycles, and death stages, including white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes. The compatibility of science and Christian faith is emphasized. Class 3. Lab 3. Prerequisite(s): MATH 1203 or higher.