ASTR 20 - The Solar System

3 units
3 hours lecture
Recommended Preparation: ENGL 84
Credit, degree applicable
Transfer CSU, UC

This course is an introduction to the major planets and the smaller members of the solar system such as moons, asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, and comets. Theories of the origin and histories of the planets are presented. The early history of astronomy and the Copernican Revolution are discussed. Sky phenomena such as the constellations, the seasons, eclipses, and planetary motions are demonstrated in the planetarium. The possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system is examined.