Hands on Astronomy

The Universe is incredibly fascinating and enormously vast. The celestial bodies (like planets, comets, and galaxies) that make it up are very intriguing and its size can be mind-boggling.

This is an asynchronous course. There are no live meetings. This type of learning is wonderful for learners who live across different time zones and/or don’t prefer to be on camera.

In this course, students will learn about some of the objects that can be found in our Universe. Each week, a new topic will be discussed through a series of four videos to be viewed at your convenience.

With each new topic learners will also be given a fun hands-on activity to complete if desired. **The projects use simple supplies that can typically be found around the house such as paper, markers, cardboard, and paperclips. If the learner doesn't have the supplies, they are encouraged to use other items that are available to them.**

Week 1: The Stars and Our Night Sky
We will investigate the night sky and discuss stars, constellations, and other objects that are visible right in your own backyard.

Class 1-- Best Viewing Techniques (9 minutes)
Class 2--Northern Hemisphere: Summer Constellations (9 minutes)
Class 3--Northern Hemisphere: Winter Constellations (6 minutes)
Class 4--Southern Hemisphere: Summer and Winter Constellations (8.5 minutes)
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Week 2: Earth’s Moon
Earth’s moon is more than just a beautiful object to see! We will discuss the Moon’s importance and discover what causes its phases.

Class 1--Relative sizes (7.5 minutes)
Class 2--Apparent sizes (5 minutes)
Class 3-- Virtual Field Trip (Nearpod interactive feature)
Class 4--Moon phases (6 minutes)
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Week 3: Mars
Mars is the most studied planet beyond Earth. With its red surface, rugged terrain, and global dust storms, Mars is a fascinating world!

Class 1--Mars vs. Earth (6.5 minutes)
Class 2--Atmosphere (9 minutes)
Class 3-- Geography and Moons (7 minutes)
Class 4--Exploration (10 minutes)
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Week 4: Pluto, Dwarf Planets, Asteroids, and Comets
If Pluto isn’t a planet, what is it? What exactly is a dwarf planet? Are there differences between asteroids and comets? In this lesson, we will talk about these rocky bodies.

Class 1--Pluto (9 minutes)
Class 2--Dwarf Planets (8.5 minutes)
Class 3--Comets (7 minutes)
Class 4--Asteroids (5.5 minutes)
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Week 5: Exoplanets
Since the discovery of the first exoplanet PSR B1257+12, the search for planets outside of our Solar System has yielded thousands of incredible alien worlds. While it’s still unknown if any are suitable for life, detection methods and chemical analyses have allowed astronomers to better understand extrasolar systems. In this lesson, we will explore the amazing worlds outside of our Solar System.

Class 1--Exoplanet history (5 minutes)
Class 2: Detection Methods (10 minutes)
Class 5: Types (6.5 minutes)
Class 4: Examples (11.5 minutes)
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Week 6: Galaxies and Black Holes
Look out! It's a black hole! Should we be concerned that a black hole will swallow the Earth? Are there really billions more galaxies beyond our own Milky Way? These are questions that any space enthusiast has asked. In this concluding lesson, we’ll study some of the Universe's most fascinating objects: galaxies and black holes.

Class 1--Black Holes: Anatomy and detection (11 minutes)
Class 2--Black Holes: Types and formation  (3.5 minutes)
Class 3--The Milky Way (5.5 minutes)
Class 4--Galaxies (12 minutes)
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