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Astronomy
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Astronomy is the oldest of the physical sciences. In many early civilizations the regularity of celestial motions was recognized, and attempts were made to keep records and predict future events. The first practical function of astronomy was to provide a basis for the calendar, the units of month and year being determined by astronomical observations. Later, astronomy served in navigation and timekeeping. The Chinese had a working calendar as early as the 13th cent. B.C. About 350 B.C., Shih Shen prepared the earliest known star catalog, containing 800 entries. Ancient Chinese astronomy is best known today for its observations of comets and supernovas.
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Two introductory Astronomy courses are offered at JCCC, one on-line (ASTR 120, 3cr) and one on-campus (ASTR 122, 4cr). Both courses study the universe from the Earth, Moon, and planets to the stars and most distant galaxies. Topics include black holes, quasars, the origin of the universe, Hubble's contributions, and the possibility of life on other planets. The on-campus course includes an integrated laboratory component where students gain hands-on experience with the concepts discussed in lectures.
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Astronomy has 3 traditional branches: astrometry and celestial mechanics are the classical fields of astronomy; astrophysics is the modern field. Astrometry and celestial mechanics are so related that they may be considered a single branch.
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Astronomy majors at UH Hilo get real hands-on experience by participating in research projects with faculty members and observatory staff. Some of these projects make use of telescopes on Mauna Kea, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other observatories. UH Hilo astronomy students ... have access to the University’s own 24-inch telescope on Mauna Kea which is equipped with electronic detectors for imaging and spectroscopy. In addition, advanced students have the opportunity of internships at the various observatories with headquarters on campus.
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CSWA Women in Astronomy - Produced by the American Astronomical Society's Committee on the Status of Women. It includes the names, professional affiliations and scientific interest information of females in the disciplines of astronomy and astrophysics.
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Astronomy was revolutionized in the second half of the 19th cent. by the introduction of techniques based on photography and spectroscopy. Interest shifted from determining the positions and distances of stars to studying their physical composition (see stellar structure and stellar evolution). The dark lines in the solar spectrum that had been observed by W. H. Wollaston and Joseph von Fraunhofer were interpreted in an elementary fashion by G. R. Kirchhoff on the basis of classical physics, although a complete explanation came only with the quantum theory. Between 1911 and 1913, Ejnar Hertzsprung and H. N. Russell studied the relation between the colors and luminosities of typical stars (see Hertzsprung-Russell diagram). With the construction of ever more powerful telescopes (see observatory), the boundaries of the known universe constantly increased. E. P. Hubble’s study of the distant galaxies led him to conclude that the universe is expanding (see Hubble’s law).
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