ASTRONOMY 2201: THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE
FALL 2013
We'll be back in Fall 2013!
Riccardo Giovanelli will teach the TR 10:10-11:25 section
Martha Haynes will teach the MWF 10:10-11:00 section
We hope to see you there!
Astro 2201 presents a general discussion of how the universe has evolved since the Big
Bang era and how our understanding of it has changed from ancient to modern
times. Several main themes are covered over the course of the semester: the evolution
of our view of the sky from that of ancient cultures to
that of space telescopes; the formation and nature of black holes; dark matter
and dark energy; and the origin, evolution, and fate of the universe. Presents a
nonmathematical introduction to these subjects and discusses uncertainties and
unresolved issues in our understanding.
The course is designed for non-scientists who are intrigued about
astronomy, cosmology and how the universe works and who like to write.
Assignments emphasize conceptual understanding through writing essays and
papers. Class meetings include discussion and in-class activities as well
as lectures.
Look at the Astro 2201 frequently asked
questions for the whole semester.
Take a look at the Cornell ExtraGalactic Group
EGG home page to find out what Professors Giovanelli and Haynes
does when they explore the universe, particularly in running
the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey.
If Riccardo or Martha look extra-sleepy today, he/she may have been observing
with the Arecibo telescope (remotely from here on campus) until the wee hours
of the morning.
ALFALFA makes use of the Arecibo telescope; it is operated by Cornell as the
National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center
-- Perhaps you saw this
telescope in the movies "Golden Eye" or "Contact".
Professor Giovanelli is the director of the
CCAT project, a submillimeter telescope to be built at an altitude of
18,000 feet in the high Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
Check out some links
to interesting sites elsewhere.
These pages have been designed by
Martha Haynes
with the early help of
Stirling Churchman (CU '99 -- Stirling majored in physics at Cornell
and then received her Ph.D. in biophysics at Stanford. She is now Assistant Professor of
Genetics at Harvard -- the student becomes the professor! Physics majors become professors
of genetics!)
Last updated on Wed Mar 27, 2013 by martha (But, don't always believe this date!)
