Earth & Sky is a 4-credit, 200-level course. The primary aim is simply to encourage students to discover the wonders of observing the night-time sky, both with the unaided eye and through telescopic observation, and to learn the basics of observational astronomy. Related topics in Earth Sciences will also be discussed, especially what we can learn by studying the Earth from orbiting satellites.

Earth & Sky is designed to appeal to non-physics and non-science majors as well as those committed to specialization in Astronomy. The discussion is non-mathematical in the sense that no detailed mathematical theories or calculations are presented or required. Students are expected to have some general knowledge of physics and astronomy (which can be acquired by background reading if necessary) and should be comfortable with interpreting simple plots.

The related course Observational Astronomy shares the same lectures as Earth & Sky but has more advanced laboratories and additional homework.

Click here to download a printable introduction to both courses.