Astronomy Outreach and Public Presentation Minor

The Astronomy Outreach and Public Presentation minor is designed to give students the necessary skills to present astronomy in a K-12 or public setting. The students will learn the science of astronomy and the fundamental technical skills for the operation of the planetarium.

The minor is 18 credits and a minimum grade of C is required in each class within the minor.

Required Courses

• AST 214 Descriptive Astronomy
• AST 225 Stars & Galaxies
• AST 226 Introduction to the Solar System
• AST 490 Planetarium Workshop
• AST 495 Planetarium Internship

AST 490 and AST 495 are variable-credit classes and the exact credit a student receives in these classes must be determined through consultation with the instructors.

The students must take at least one of the following electives to bring the total of the minor to 18 credits: PHY 205, PHY 209, AST 360, AST 375, AST 380, or AST 480.

Robert K. Wickware Planetarium

The Robert K. Wickware Planetarium is ECSU’s teaching and presentation planetarium. The facility is used for university teaching and for public and private star shows. Students in the Minor will learn how to produce and present planetarium shows and how to use the various projection systems including the state of the art Spitz System 512 Star Projector.