ASTR 106

Student Learning Outcome - A student who successfully completes ASTR 106 will be able to demonstrate a non-mathematical understanding of:

  1. The origins of astronomy,
  2. Historical models of the cosmos,
  3. Pivotal figures in the advancement of astronomy,
  4. Important controversies in the history of astronomy, and
  5. The current state of astronomical knowledge.

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course.

The essence of this course is to examine the ideas and hypotheses that led to our current theories in astronomy, and to understand advances in the accuracy of the tools used for measuring the Universe and its contents.

Textbook:The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy, edited by Michael Hoskin,
published by Cambridge University Press, 1999, and additional on-line sources. The ISBN numbers for the text are:

  • ISBN-10: 0521576008
  • ISBN-13: 978-0521576000

Other texts that are useful for this course include:

  • Theories of the World from Antiquity to the Copernican Revolution: Second Revised Edition, by Michael J. Crowe
  • The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450, by David C. Lindberg
  • Discoverers of the Universe: William and Caroline Herschel, by Michael Hoskin
  • Miss Leavitt's Stars, by George Johnson