CVCC Academic Programs

The emphases in this course will be on providing a conceptual understanding of topics related to the Sun, other stars, star clusters, galaxies, and the Universe itself. In particular, I want to orient this course toward students who are planning to pursue study in a scientific field, but not necessarily astronomy or physics. We will make somewhat extensive use of mathematics in the form of ratio reasoning and geometry. We will also employ computers and the Internet.

How would you like to discover a new asteroid? If you stick with this course, you will be in for a treat you would not get taking this course anywhere else. If you've ever wondered what it's like to actually do astronomy instead of just hear about it, you're in luck. I am initiating a small research program in which I and my students will carry out an astrometry program (astrometry is the branch of astronomy dealing with precise measurements of the positions of celestial objects) for asteroids and potentially comets. We will carry out systematic searches for asteroids and there is the distinct possibility that we (or YOU) will discover an object that on one else has ever seen before. I will teach you how to use our new spohisticated telescope and CCD camera, but you have to stick with this course in order to "prove yourself". We're talking over six thousand dollars worth of toys here and I can't trust it to someone who isn't going to take the work seriously. Keep this in mind.