ASTR 81Fundamentals of Astrophysics
Astronomy · 4 units · Undergraduate lower division (0-99)
Open to qualified sophomore and upper-division students. Students develop understanding of fundamental physical concepts such as gravity and radiation, and how these concepts connect to stars and planets. Overview of stars and stellar evolution, and tools and methods important to astrophysics such as telescopes and spectroscopy.
P/NP or letter grading.
When it runs
- Fall 2025
- Fall 2026
Scheduled, not typical — from UCLA’s Schedule of Classes, which publishes Fall 2025 through Spring 2027 and nothing before it.
Requisites
Official UCLA wording
Requisites: Mathematics 31A, 31B, and Physics 1A or 1AH.
BruinTree reads · Prerequisite
confidence 1.00 · from textRequires
Everything that has to come before this course, not just the courses named in the requisite above.
ASTR 81
- MATH 31ADifferential and Integral Calculus
- MATH 1Precalculus
- PHYSICS 1APhysics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics
- MATH 32ACalculus of Several Variables
- MATH 31BIntegration and Infinite Series
- PHYSICS 1AHPhysics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics (Honors)
- MATH 32BCalculus of Several Variables
4 direct requisites. The whole upstream is here — 16 courses over 3 levels. Every course here opens its own tree.
Unlocks
What this course is a requisite for, and what those courses lead to in turn.
ASTR 81
- ASTR 115Introduction to Galactic Astronomy
- PHYSICS 170NComputational Physics and Astronomy Laboratory
- ASTR 117Introduction to Extragalactic Astrophysics
- ASTR 127Stars from Birth to Death
- ASTR 142Data and Computation in Astrophysics
- ASTR 143Planets and Exoplanets
- ASTR 144Star Formation and Interstellar Medium
- ASTR 146Astronomical Instrumentation
7 courses list this as a requisite. The whole downstream is here — 16 courses over 2 levels. Every course here opens its own tree.