Welcome to Search for Life in the Universe AST 103 Fall 2012 Are there aliens living on other planets studying the Earth right now? This course will attempt to shed light on this fascinating question, as it surveys the universe for life. First, we need to decide what constitutes "life." We will then survey our solar system for places where life could exist. Is there life on another planet orbiting the Sun? Later, we will look beyond our solar system to other planetary systems, and consider may be good candidates for life and which are not. The course concludes by considering the chances for finding intelligent life around those distant stars, as well as the odds of their finding us.
Course syllabus Course schedule Grading practices Extra credit possibilities Homework assignments Monthly star map Tonight's Sky from NASA Late-breaking astronomical news   E-mail the instructor	Note: You are going to need Adobe Reader software to view and download some of the forms and handouts on this website.  You can download it for free by clicking here and following the instructions.  If you have trouble downloading the software, the college's computers already have the software installed.