Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space

About this course: This course is designed for anyone who is interested in learning more about modern astronomy. We will help you get up to date on the most recent astronomical discoveries while also providing support at an introductory level for those who have no background in science.

Created by:  University of Arizona

• Taught by:  Chris Impey, Distinguished Professor

  Astronomy

Level Beginner Commitment ~26 hours of lectures and assignments Language English, Subtitles: Romanian How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.8 stars Average User Rating 4.8See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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University of Arizona The University of Arizona is the state’s land-grant university and a member of the Association of American Universities—made up of just 62 universities in the country. As one of the world’s premier public research universities, the university conducts more than $625 million of research annually. Home to two allopathic medical schools in Tucson and Phoenix, the UA Tech Park, and a member of the Arizona Space Grant Consortium, the university creates an $8.3 billion economic impact for Arizona. U.S. News and World Report placed 14 University of Arizona graduate programs among the top 20 in the nation and it is one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Scholars. With its strategic academic and business plan, “Never Settle,” as its guide, the university is producing graduates who are global citizens, engaged leaders, and fulfilled individuals.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space
Here you can find all of the introductory information, course syllabus, and current announcements.


2 videos, 6 readings expand

1. Video: Welcome Video
2. Reading: About the course
3. Reading: About us
4. Reading: Social media
5. Reading: Syllabus
6. Reading: Grading policy
7. Video: Prof. Impey's Science Learning Survey Invitation
8. Reading: Course Participation and Motivation Survey

Graded: Survey Verification "Quiz"

WEEK 2


Science and History
Science combines logic and evidence to increase our understanding of the natural world, including remote and inaccessible regions of space and time.


15 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Science & History introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson one overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Vision
6. Video: 2. Discovery
7. Video: 3. Imagination
8. Video: 4. Reasoning
9. Video: 5. Uncertainty
10. Video: 6. Evidence
11. Video: 7. Scientific Method
12. Video: 8. Information
13. Video: 9. Ancient Astronomy
14. Video: 10. Calendars
15. Video: 11. Greek Science
16. Video: 12. Copernican Revolution
17. Video: 13. Kepler
18. Video: 14. Galileo

Graded: Lesson Quiz 1a (Videos 1-8)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 1b (Videos 9-14)
Graded: Writing Assignment no. 1, "Science: Past and Present"

WEEK 3


The Night Sky
Astronomy is the oldest science, and its history shows a growing realization of our insignificant status in a vast and ancient universe.


6 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Night Sky introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson two overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. The Naked Eye
6. Video: 2. Daily Motion
7. Video: 3. Annual Motion
8. Video: 4. The Moon
9. Video: 5. The Planets

Graded: Lesson Quiz 2a (Videos 1-5)

WEEK 4


The Tools of Astronomy
A continuing revolution in telescope design and construction is giving astronomers an unprecedented set of tools for exploring the universe.


15 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Tools of Astronomy introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson three overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Telescopes
6. Video: 2. Observing Limitations
7. Video: 3. Observing Solutions
8. Video: 4. Adaptive Optics
9. Video: 5. Interferometers
10. Video: 6. Detectors
11. Video: 7. Space Astronomy
12. Video: 8. Hubble Space Telescope
13. Video: 9. Hubble Images
14. Video: 10. Big Glass
15. Video: 11. Invisible Waves
16. Video: 12. Beyond Vision
17. Video: 13. Gravity Waves
18. Video: 14. Frontiers

Graded: Lesson Quiz 3a (Video 1-7)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 3b (Videos 8-14)
Graded: Writing Assignment no. 2, "Telescopes"

WEEK 5


Matter and Radiation
Astronomers harvest information across the electromagnetic spectrum, using spectra to measure the composition of distant objects and diagnose extreme physical conditions.


14 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Matter & Radiation introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson four overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Unity
6. Video: 2. Atoms
7. Video: 3. Substructure
8. Video: 4. Forces
9. Video: 5. Forms of Energy
10. Video: 6. Light
11. Video: 7. Radiation
12. Video: 8. Chemistry
13. Video: 9. Spectra
14. Video: 10. Heat Energy
15. Video: 11. Mass Energy
16. Video: 12. Gravity
17. Video: 13. Curved Space

Graded: Lesson Quiz 4a (Videos 1-7)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 4b (Videos 8-13)

WEEK 6


The Solar System
Space probes have visited most planets in the Solar System, and orbiters and rovers are homing in on the habitability of Mars. Space exploration is entering an entrepreneurial phase that might let us venture beyond the Solar System.


18 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Solar System introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson five overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Formation
6. Video: 2. Comparisons
7. Video: 3. Inner Planets
8. Video: 4. Mars
9. Video: 5. Mars and Water
10. Video: 6. Mars Up Close
11. Video: 7. Future Mars
12. Video: 8. Jovian Planets
13. Video: 9. Outer Regions
14. Video: 10. Solar System Satellites
15. Video: 11. Titan
16. Video: 12. Water Worlds
17. Video: 13. Small Bodies
18. Video: 14. Mastering Space
19. Video: 15. The Role of NASA
20. Video: 16. Commercial Sector
21. Video: 17. Future Technology

Graded: Lesson Quiz 5a (Videos 1-7)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 5b (Videos 8-13)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 5c (Videos 14-17)

WEEK 7


Exoplanets
In the last few years, thousands of extrasolar planets have been discovered, including some that are Earth-like and possibly habitable.


10 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Exoplanets introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson six overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Exoplanets
6. Video: 2. Detection and Imaging
7. Video: 3. Doppler
8. Video: 4. Transits
9. Video: 5. Characterizing Exoplanets
10. Video: 6. Earths
11. Video: 7. Kepler
12. Video: 8. Habitable Zones
13. Video: 9. Biomarkers

Graded: Lesson Quiz 6a (Videos 1-9)
Graded: Writing Assignment no. 3, "Exoplanets"

WEEK 8


Star Birth and Death



Stars are the crucibles of heavy element creation, and the chaotic regions of their birth are being understood though long wavelength observations. Gravity is the ultimate victor in the life story of any star, leaving behind the exotic end states of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes.


12 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Stars introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson seven overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Stars and Life
6. Video: 2. Star Formation
7. Video: 3. The Sun
8. Video: 4. Properties of Stars
9. Video: 5. Stellar Evolution
10. Video: 6. Nucleosynthesis
11. Video: 7. Late Stages of Evolution
12. Video: 8. Supernovas
13. Video: 9. Pulsars
14. Video: 10. Black Holes
15. Video: 11. Testing Gravity

Graded: Lesson Quiz 7a (Videos 1-6)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 7b (Videos 7-11)
Graded: Writing Assignment no. 4, "The Sun and Stars"

WEEK 9


Galaxies



The architecture of the Milky Way galaxy is that of a disk, a bulge, and a halo, with the entire assemblage bound by enigmatic dark matter. Every galaxy contains a supermassive black hole, and entire population of galaxies is sculpted by gravity into subtle structures on large scales.


12 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Galaxies introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson eight overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Milky Way
6. Video: 2. Mass and Motions
7. Video: 3. Dark Matter
8. Video: 4. The Galactic Center
9. Video: 5. Properties of Galaxies
10. Video: 6. Galaxy Distances
11. Video: 7. Active Galaxies
12. Video: 8. Large Scale Structure
13. Video: 9. Structure Formation
14. Video: 10. Cosmic Expansion
15. Video: 11. Dark Energy

Graded: Lesson Quiz 8a (Videos 1-5)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 8b (Videos 6-11)
Graded: Activity no. 1, "Galaxy Zoo"

WEEK 10


Cosmology
The expanding universe points back to an extraordinary state of extremely high density and temperature called the big bang.


11 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Cosmology introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson nine overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Scales of Space
6. Video: 2. Olbers Paradox
7. Video: 3. Old Light and Lookback Time
8. Video: 4. Contents of the Universe
9. Video: 5. Cosmology
10. Video: 6. Microwave Background
11. Video: 7. Big Bang
12. Video: 8. Early Universe
13. Video: 9. Present and Future
14. Video: 10. The Multiverse

Graded: Lesson Quiz 9a (Videos 1-10)
Graded: Writing Assignment no. 5, "Cosmology"

WEEK 11


Life in the Universe



The Earth gives us a ringside seat on the physical, chemical, geological, and biological evolution of a dynamic terrestrial planet. The abundance of terrestrial planets in remote solar systems motivates the search for life and technology elsewhere in the universe.


14 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Life in the Universe introduction video
2. Reading: Lesson ten overview
3. Reading: Lecture slide .pdfs
4. Reading: Supplementary materials
5. Video: 1. Biology
6. Video: 2. The Unity of Life
7. Video: 3. Extremophiles
8. Video: 4. Exobiology
9. Video: 5. The Origin of Life
10. Video: 6. The Evolution of Life
11. Video: 7. The Nature of Intelligence
12. Video: 8. Weird Life
13. Video: 9. Companionship
14. Video: 10. Drake Equation
15. Video: 11. Communication
16. Video: 12. Life as Computation
17. Video: 13. The Simulation Hypothesis

Graded: Lesson Quiz 10a (Videos 1-8)
Graded: Lesson Quiz 10b (Videos 9-13)
Graded: Activity no. 2, "Observing Project"