agoss@bcc.ctc.edu, 425-564-6191
ASTR& 101 is an introductory astronomy lab class. You will learn about the sun, moon, stars, planets, galaxies, and what astronomers think about the beginning and end of the universe.
The instructor has recorded weekly lectures in streaming audio (or downloadable .wav files for iPods or mp3 devices) for students to listen to while seeing amazing pictures of astronomical objects.
Weekly assignments include answering questions from the end of each chapter (answers in the back of the book) and doing online lab exercises. NOTE: all labs are ONLINE. It is not necessary to ever come to the BCC campus.
There are four multiple-choice quizzes. Each one covers only the newest material since the last quiz, and the lowest quiz score is automatically dropped.
This is a non-math course in the sense that you will not be expected to use math or know equations for the quizzes. You WILL need to use math in the labs, though. The math that is required for the labs is simple arithmetic, and you will be told what to do step-by-step. A calculator will be handy for some labs.
The text is Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe 5th Edition (2006), by Chaisson and McMillan, (ISBN# 0-13-187165-X). You will also be required to download and run a free planetarium program that will be used for some labs.
One student wrote the following in her class evaluation: Art did an awesome job of making such a huge subject like Astronomy understandable even via online :)
Join us and learn about the wonders of the Universe!
NOTE: Either ASTR& 100 (prev ASTR 101) or ASTR& 101 (prev ASTR 105) may be taken for credit, not both.