Astronomy
Not all courses are available to SSP students. For example, some courses are offered only for graduate credit. Note especially any listed prerequisites.
- ASTR S-8 Astrobiology: An Introduction to the Search for Life in the Solar System and Around Other Stars
- ASTR S-35 Fundamentals of Contemporary Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe
ASTR S-8
Astrobiology: An Introduction to the Search for Life in the Solar System and Around Other Stars (31489)
(Syllabus) (Print version)
Alessandro Massarotti
(4 credits: UN, NC) M,W 12:30-3 pm, Center for Government and International Studies, Knafel Building, Room N050. Eight-week session. Three required laboratories to be arranged. Tuition $2,275.
Recent advances in technology and of our understanding of planetary astrophysics are increasingly making it possible to put the question "Are we alone in the Universe?" in scientific terms. More than 130 planets orbiting other stars have been found to date, and recent data from Mars confirm that the Red Planet used to have running liquid water on its surface in some distant past. Astrobiology is a new, interdisciplinary approach to planetary sciences, an approach that bundles together astronomy, geophysics, chemistry, and biology in the attempt to answer the question of life in the Universe. Among other things, students estimate how the surface temperature of planets depends on the distance to their stars, and the probability of finding planets like our own in our galaxy. Prerequisites: High school physics and chemistry recommended but not required.
ASTR S-35
Fundamentals of Contemporary Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe (31194)
(Print version)
Rosanne Di Stefano
(4 credits: UN, NC) M-Th 6-8:30 pm, Harvard Observatory, Pratt Conference Room. Short session II. Required sections T 8:30-10:30 pm. Tuition $2,275.
The fundamentals of astronomy are covered in the context of contemporary research. We study five areas that are being actively investigated by astronomers today. Topics include stars, galaxies, and the large scale structure of the Universe; the history of the Universe; the nature of dark matter and dark energy; and new observational instruments and techniques. The course is designed to help students explore the frontiers of research in astronomy, and to get a feeling for what it is like to be an astronomer, using the new generation of ground- and space-based telescopes, combined with sophisticated theoretical techniques and computational facilities. As we study each aspect of the Universe, we ask how we came to know what we know today, what the open questions are, and how astronomers are searching for the answers to these questions. Prerequisites: High school algebra; some physics background is useful but is not necessary.