In my first university physics teaching job, I was given intro.
astronomy to teach even though I'd never taken an astronomy course in my
life. I managed just fine, however, NOT just because I'm a physicist, but
because I had done a lot of independent reading as a child and a teenager,
and mostly because I'd been reading Science News every week for 20 years.
Because of Science News, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was
actually current in the field at the introductory level. Without that, I
would not have done very well with teaching astronomy.
After half a dozen times through the course, I'm now very comfortable
teaching introductory astronomy for non-scientists. However, I'd hesitate
to teach astronomy at a much higher level. Yes, I could probably do it, but
I couldn't do a decent job of it unless I had easy access to a "real"
astronomer who could answer my many questions. Good teaching requires that
one have a deep understanding of the subject. One must be sufficiently
knowledgable to augment the text and to put knowledge in context. My Ph.D.
in physics does NOT mean that I automatically and magically understand all
of physics, or all applications of physics of which astronomy is an example.
To think otherwise would be arrogant foolishness. Knowledge is obtained
only by hard work, not through ownership of a diploma.
BTW, modern astronomy isn't about the myths and legends of the
constellations. These are not science, nor are they pleasant stories in
their original versions. Astronomy isn't about finding and naming the stars
and planets in the sky. This is fun, but it's like teaching bird-watching
in biology...there's little science in it. I don't spend a lot of time on
celestial navigation, because it's only of slight historical interest to
most of my students, and because the time is better spent on other topics.
Astronomy these days is about understanding the true scope of the
Universe. Thanks mostly to the HST and other spacecraft observatories, new
discoveries in astronomy/astrophysics/cosmology are occurring so fast that
it's literally impossible for the textbook publishers to keep up. Textbooks
usually start "local" with the Earth, planets, and Solar System, then move
out to stars, galaxies, and the Universe as a whole. Instead of naming
constellations, my students learn "what's out there." Most importantly,
they learn that their place in the Universe is very small...a startling
realization for most 18 to 22-year-olds.
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