Astronomy 102:
Solar System Astronomy

Fall Semester 2009

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Galaxies Beyond the Heart: Maffei 1 and 2
March 9, 2010

Galaxies Beyond the Heart: Maffei 1 and 2 The two galaxies on the far left were unknown until 1968. Although they would have appeared as two of the brighter galaxies on the night sky, the opaque dust of the central band of our Milky Way...


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This course starts by introducing astronomy as a science. We start as the ancients did, by looking at the sky and trying to understand the motions of the stars and planets. We will then discuss how more modern astronomers have approached the problem by learning how to analyze light. Once we have our astronomical background firmly established, we will start studying the closest planet, the Earth. We will then move outward, comparing and contrasting the planets that make up the Solar System.

By the end of the semester, you should not only have a good understanding of the solar system and it's members, but should also have a broad enough knowledge in astronomy to understand how most modern astronomical discoveries are made, even if the details are beyond the level of this course.