The Interstellar Medium
Covers neutral/ionized interstellar gas, molecular clouds, supernova remnants, dust, and low-density gas processes like radiation transfer and excitation.
Summary
Past student reviews · Ke Zhang
Assessment included tough weekly homework, two midterms, and a final exam, all conducted online in an open-book format.
What you’ll be able to do
Describe characteristics of various phases of the interstellar medium (ISM) and explain why these particular phases are stable.
Explain key physical processes in each phase of ISM.
For a given set of observations of spectral lines, derive basic physical properties, such as temperature, density, and the total column density of the species.
Analyze the effects and roles of dust in the ISM.
For a given set of initial physical conditions, compose equations to describe the environment, and apply these equations to predict the excitation and ionization conditions, molecular abundances, temperatures, and densities of the ISM environment.
Explain current theories on how stars and planets form to family and friends.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapASTRON 200 and (PHYSICS 241, 249,PHYSICS/E C E 235, or concurrent enrollment)
- ASTRON 200
- PHYSICS 241 · prior_or_concurrent
- PHYSICS 249 · prior_or_concurrent
- ECE/PHYSICS 235 · prior_or_concurrent
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
KE ZHANG is recorded teaching in Fall 2020, Fall 2022, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Ke Zhang
Students described the course as knowledge-intensive, with lectures that could feel dry but were supported by a knowledgeable instructor.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.41 GPA, 80.0% A/AB (n=35 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.39 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.50 GPA, 84.2% A/AB (n=19 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Ke Zhang
Assessment included tough weekly homework, two midterms, and a final exam, all conducted online in an open-book format.
Past student reviews · Ke Zhang
Attendance was required via TopHat with limited absences allowed, and the final project was noted as quite difficult.
Topics
- Interstellar gas phases and structures
- Low-density gas physics and dust interactions
- Star and planet formation theories
Skills
- Describing ISM phase stability
- Explaining ISM physical processes
- Deriving physical properties from spectral lines
- Analyzing dust effects in ISM
- Composing equations for ISM prediction
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2024— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Fall 2024
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
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Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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"requirements_status": "needs_review",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
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