Lower-Division Undergraduate Courses
ASTR 101: Principles of Astronomy (3 units)
Prerequisites: None
Discover the universe: planets, stars, galaxies, and our place in the cosmos; the Big Bang; how stars shine; comets, meteors, nebulae, the Milky Way; black holes and other exotic objects. Not open to students with credit in Astronomy 201.
ASTR 109: Astronomy Laboratory (1 unit)
Prerequisites: Credit or concurrent registration in Astr 101 or 201.
Demonstration of astronomical principles through observations with astronomical instruments and analysis of astronomical data.
ASTR 201: Astronomy for Science Majors (3 units)
Prerequisites: Satisfaction of the entry-level mathematics requirement.
Directed toward students with a strong interest in science and mathematics. Understanding the night sky, introduction to the solar system, star formation and evolution, extrasolar planets, nature of the Milky Way and other galaxies, origin and fate of the universe.
Upper-Division Undergraduate Courses
ASTR 303: A Walk Through the Stellar Graveyard (3 units) [GE]
Prerequisites: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II. A. 1. Physical Sciences or II.A.4 Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning.
Deaths of stars and their exotic corpses to include black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. A user-friendly introduction to Einstein’s relativity theories, gravitational waves, and warped space-time.
ASTR 310: Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life (3 units)
Prerequisites: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II. A. 1. Physical Sciences or II.A.2 Life Sciences.
Structures of the planets; their surfaces, atmospheres, and satellite systems; asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. The Sun, its structure, energy production, and influence in the solar system. Life in the solar system.
ASTR 320: Solar System Astronomy (3 units)
Prerequisites: Astr 201 and Phys 197, 197L.
Structures of the planets; their surfaces, atmospheres, and satellite systems; asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. The Sun, its structure, energy production, and influence in the solar system. Life in the solar system.
ASTR 350: Astronomical Techniques (3 units)
Prerequisites: Astr 201, Mathematics 342A, and Physics 197.
Astronomical observation and optics. Data acquisition and reduction for modern astronomical instrumentation, including photometry, direct imaging, and spectroscopy. Techniques for obtaining precise measurements and determining measurement uncertainties.
ASTR 440: Astrophysics of Stars (3 units)
Prerequisites: PHYS 354. Recommended: PHYS 360.
Lives, interior structures, and physics that determine how stars work. Stellar atmospheres and spectrum of light that emerges from stars.
ASTR 450: Extragalactic Astronomy (3 units)
Prerequisites: ASTR 201 or equivalent; MATH 150, MATH 151; PHYS 195, PHYS 196, PHYS 197.
Review of basic astrophysics; flux and intensity measurements, blackbody radiation, the astronomical magnitude system, interstellar extinction, and distance determinations within the galaxy; morphological properties of galaxies; stellar populations; extragalactic distance indicators and the cosmological distance scale; introduction to cosmology.
ASTR 498A: Senior Project (1 unit)
Prerequisites: A student’s academic program must demonstrate that they are on track to graduate within one academic year.
Consists of the selection and design of an individual research project with the advice of a faculty advisor.
ASTR 498B: Senior Project (2 units)
Prerequisites: Astr 498A
The execution of an individual research project. A final written report of this work is required.
ASTR 499: Special Study (1-3 units)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Individual study. Maximum credit: six units.
Upper-Division Undergraduate Courses Acceptable for Credit Toward Graduate Degree
ASTR 510: Exoplanets (3 units)
Prerequisites: ASTR 350 and ASTR 440, or PHYS 350 and PHYS 354 with a minimum grade of B-, and consent of instructor.
Extrasolar planet detection; mass and radius determination; transits and eclipses; orbital dynamics and transit timing variations; internal and atmospheric characteristics; the exoplanet population and formation scenarios. Credit for ASTR 596 is applicable to a Master’s degree with approval from the Graduate Adviser.
ASTR 596: Advanced Topics in Astronomy (2-3 Units)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Selected topics in astronomy or astrophysics. May be repeated with new content upon approval of instructor. See Class Schedule for specific content. Credit for ASTR 596 is applicable to a Master’s degree with approval from the Graduate Adviser.
Graduate Courses
ASTR 610: Binary Stars (3 units)
Prerequisites: ASTR 450
Visual, spectroscopic, and eclipsing binary stars. Review of observational techniques. Methods of orbital analysis with applications emphasizing the determination of fundamental stellar properties, such as mass, radius, temperature, and luminosity. Implications for stellar evolution.
ASTR 630: Stellar Atmospheres and Interiors (3 units)
Prerequisites: ASTR 440 and MATH 342A
Gas thermodynamics and equations of state. Production of stellar continuum radiation and spectral lines. Theories of radiative and convective energy transport. Interior structure and evolution of stars.
ASTR 650: Galactic Structure and Evolution (3 units)
Prerequisites: ASTR 680
Stellar and gaseous structures of the Milky Way and external galaxies. Properties to include chemical evolution, color distributions, luminosity functions, mass-to-light ratios, scaling relations, and surface brightness profiles. Dark matter halos, gravitational collapse models, and hierarchical structure formation. Contents and physical state of interstellar and circumgalactic media.
ASTR 670: Foundations of Modern Cosmology (3 units)
Prerequisites: ASTR 680
Big Bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave background, early universe, expansion dynamics, extragalactic distance scale, large-scale structure, Newtonian and relativistic cosmology. Observational constraints on cosmological parameters and equation of state.
ASTR 680: Astronomical Techniques (3 units)
Prerequisites: ASTR 350 and ASTR 450
Basic methods of data acquisition and analysis. Emphasis is given to direct CCD imaging, spectroscopy, and photometry. Direct experience with telescopes and instruments at Mount Laguna Observatory and with the department’s computing and image processing facility.
ASTR 797: Research (1-3 units, Cr/NC/RP grade)
Prerequisites: Classified graduate standing.
Research in one of the fields of astronomy. Maximum credit of six units applicable to a master’s degree.
ASTR 798: Special Study (1-3 units, Cr/NC/RP grade)
Prerequisites: Consent of staff; to be arranged with department chair and instructor.
Individual study. Maximum credit of six units applicable to a master’s degree.
ASTR 799A: Thesis (3 units, Cr/NC/RP grade)
Prerequisites: An officially appointed thesis committee and advancement to candidacy
Preparation of a project or thesis for the master’s degree.
ASTR 799B: Thesis (0 units, Cr/NC grade)
Prerequisites: Prior registration in Thesis 799A with an assigned grade symbol of RP
Registration is required in any semester or term following the assignment of RP in Course 799A in which the student expects to use the facilities and resources of the University; also, the student must be registered in the course when the completed thesis is granted final approval.