In this sixteen week course learners will gain a foundation in the field of astronomy. We will cover key concepts such as stellar and planetary formation, galaxies, black holes, cosmology, and astrobiology.  

We will investigate questions such as:
What is the scientific method?
Why do we study space?
How do telescopes work?
What kinds of planets are there?
What is nuclear fusion?
How do galaxies form?

This is a highly interactive course. Students will learn through an image and video filled presentation and discussion. Students’ participation and questions are regularly encouraged. Classes are designed to encourage student engagement and follow their curiosity.


Week 1 – FOUNDATIONS
	The Scientific Method
	Measurements of Distance
	Earth and the Moon
	Laws of Planetary Motion
	Newton’s Laws

Week 2 – LIGHT AND MATTER
	The Electromagnetic Spectrum
	Thermal Radiation
	Spectroscopy

Week 3 – TELESCOPES
	Optical Telescopes 
	Radio Telescopes
	Space-Based Telescopes 

Week 4 – SOLAR SYSTEMS
	Our Solar System
	Formation
	Interplanetary Matter
	Other Solar Systems

Week 5 – THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS
	Atmospheres
	Magnetospheres
	Earth-Moon System 
	Mercury 
	Venus
	Mars

Week 6 – THE JOVIAN PLANETS
	Atmospheres
	Interiors
	Jupiter
	Saturn
	Uranus
	Neptune

Week 7 – DWARF PLANETS
	Atmospheres
	Structures
	Pluto
	Ceres
	Other Dwarf Planets

Week 8 – OTHER BODIES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
	Moons
	Rings
	Asteroids
	Comets

Week 9 – THE SUN
	Interior
	Atmosphere
	Sun Cycles

Week 10 – STARS
	Luminosity
	Apparent Brightness
	Mass
	Temperatures
	Sizes
	Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram 

Week 11 – INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM
	Interstellar Matter
	Star-Formation Regions
	Star Clusters

Week 12 – STELLAR EVOLUTION 
	Main Sequence Stars
	Star Birth
	Star Death
	Supernova

Week 13 – NEUTRON STARS AND BLACK HOLES
	Neutron Stars
	Pulsars
	Magnetars
	Black Holes

Week 14 – GALAXIES
	The Milky Way
	Galactic Structures
	Hubble’s Classification
	Distribution

Week 15 – COSMOLOGY
	The Early Universe 
	Formation of Nuclei and Atoms
	Inflation

Week 16 – ASTROBIOLOGY
	The Evolution of Life
	Life in Our Solar System
	Life Beyond Our Solar System
	The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence


There is no textbook for this class. All necessary learning materials will be provided in the classroom.

There are no prerequisites for this class. While we will discuss some of the mathematics used in astronomy, learners will not need to use math in this course, unless they would like to for “extra credit”.