Wes Watters
Associate Professor of Astronomy
Planetary scientist who studies impact cratering and landscape evolution, while teaching courses about the geology and climates of rocky and icy worlds.
Planetary scientist who studies impact cratering and landscape evolution, while teaching courses about the geology and climates of rocky and icy worlds. Prof. Watters is also engaged in search for technosignatures and with understanding the role of anomalies in the history of science.
Education
- B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Current and upcoming courses
Exploring the Cosmos: Introductory Astronomy w/Lab
ASTR107
This course provides an overview of the Universe through the lens of the physical principles that help us to probe it from right here on our puny planetary perch. Topics include stars and their planetary companions, the lives and deaths of stars, black holes, galaxies, and the origin and fate of the Universe. Class meetings include a mix of lecture and daytime laboratory activities. Additional required weekly nighttime sessions (scheduled according to the weather) guide students through their own observations of the sky with both naked eyes and the historic and modern telescopes of Whitin Observatory. This course serves as a gateway to more advanced courses in our astronomy curriculum.