Chair: Melchior Freund OSB
Faculty: Freund, Kirkman
The astronomy program fosters the study and appreciation of our solar system and the universe for liberal arts students. Courses emphasize science as a method of investigating the cosmos and a way of understanding human experiences.
Saint John's Observatory, located within walking distance of the campus, has a heated study/reference room and a deck for observing with several sizes and types of reflecting telescopes. A CCD camera is associated with one of the telescopes. These facilities provide the resources and conditions necessary for making observations supportive of astronomical research and provide students a first-hand encounter with the splendors in the night sky.
(ASTR)
211 Solar System. (4)
The sun and its satellites. Historical development of basic concepts. Present space exploration.
212 Stellar Universe. (4)
Properties of stars and their grouping. Milky Way Galaxy. Universe of galaxies. Cosmologies.
213 Night Sky Astronomical Observatory. (1)
Constellations. Survey of deep sky objects using binoculars and telescope.
271 Individual Learning Project. (1-4)
Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of department chair required. Not available to first-year students.