Majors & Minors
Astronomy
Major, Minor
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Searching for extrasolar planets, observing how galaxies form and evolve, modeling nuclear reactions, contemplating the origin of the Universe — Union College astronomy is all of this and more.
There is no better place to pursue astronomy than Union College. Here, your physics and astronomy classes will be small and personal, with labs taught by full-time faculty rather than by graduate students, and instruction that is truly characterized by individual attention.
Research facilities
Our state-of-the-art equipment is comparable to what might be found at larger institutions. We have a 20-inch optical telescope equipped with CCD cameras and a spectrograph and a 7.5-foot radio telescope—both used by students. Four of our faculty members pursue astrophysics research, with specialties in galaxy evolution, active galactic nuclei, star formation and stellar nucleosynthesis.
Other learning opportunities
Astronomy students enjoy the opportunity to work with professors on cutting-edge research funded by the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation research grants.
Some of the best education a young scientist can obtain occurs outside the classroom. The Physics and Astronomy Department provides a variety of extracurricular opportunities with this in mind. Independent research with a faculty colleague is required for the degree in physics or astronomy, and many of our majors go well beyond the minimum requirements, spending summers at Union or at observatories or national laboratories doing research. The results of these student research projects have been presented at national and international conferences, and in student-coauthored articles for scientific journals.
A sampling of courses
The Solar System
An introductory discussion of contents, formation and evolution of the solar system with a special emphasis on the application of physics and the measurement of fundamental properties.
Observational Astronomy
The course work involves primarily nighttime observations with a 20-inch telescope and computer analysis of the data. Techniques covered include CCD observations, sky subtraction, spectroscopy and photometry.
Galaxies
A survey of the physical properties, dynamics and distribution of galaxies. Topics include the content, formation and evolution of the Milky Way and other galaxies.
After Union
Here is what some of our alumni have been up to:
- Astronomy educator, Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Creative technologist, Primacy
- Educator, Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Fulbright researcher, Germany
- Graduate student, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Creative technologist, Primacy
- Fulbright researcher, Germany
- Ph.D. candidate in astrobiology, Penn State
- Ph.D. candidate in astronomy, Yale University
- Ph.D. candidate in atmospheric sciences, University of Washington
