John Kolena
Instructor of Physics & Astronomy
Office: Bryam 443
Phone: 919-416-2767
Email: kolena@ncssm.edu@ncssm.edu
Astrophysics
Offered:
2011 Prerequisite: Final grades of B or higher in both PH306 Physics I and PH308 Physics II or in both PH352Physics with Advanced Topics I and PH354 Physics with Advanced Topics II or in PH403 AP Physics B (Web) or exemption from NCSSM core physics requirement, or permission of the Dean of Science, and MA305 Precalculus and Modeling.
Meeting pattern: 5 periods per week including lab
The emphasis in this course is on how astronomers extract physical information about stars, galaxies, and interstellar matter from observations of spectral and apparent brightness. The course covers the origin, structure, and evolution of stars like the sun. Interstellar matter, galaxies, and the universe are discussed briefly. Students are expected to integrate physics and chemistry principles into the study of stellar structure and evolution. Opportunities for telescope observation and image processing projects are available.
