AST 143 - Galaxies and Cosmology

Semester Hours: 4

This course is an introduction to the science of our Universe on the largest scales. It covers the astrophysics of galaxies and the processes that shape our Universe as a whole - a field of study known as cosmology. We will explore the formation of galaxies, their interactions in clusters, and their transformation through mergers. We will explore evidence for the beginning of our Universe, its evolution through time, and what its fate may be. Our explorations will start in our own Milky Way galaxy and take us outward to the most distant quasars, back in time to the earliest echoes of the Big Bang, and up in scale to view the largest structures in the Universe. All the while we will be mindful of the effects our knowledge of the Universe has on our understanding of ourselves and humanity’s place in the Universe. A laboratory is included. Meets Scientific Discovery Intellectual Perspective requirement (SD).

Intellectual Perspective: SD
Lab Included: LB