The Sun and the Total Eclipse of August 2017

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The Sun and the Total Eclipse of August 2017

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Description

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About this course: A total eclipse is one of the most spectacular sights you can ever see! It looks like the end of the world may be at hand. There is a black hole in the sky where the sun should be. Pink flames of solar prominences and long silver streamers of the sun's corona stretch across the sky. It gets cold, and animals do strange things. People scream and shout and cheer, and remember the experience their whole life. But total eclipses are important scientifically as well. They let us see parts of the sun’s atmosphere that are otherwise invisible. A total eclipse presented the first chance to test Einstein’s prediction that matter can bend space – like near a black hole. The bes…

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When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan

  • Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
  • Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.

About this course: A total eclipse is one of the most spectacular sights you can ever see! It looks like the end of the world may be at hand. There is a black hole in the sky where the sun should be. Pink flames of solar prominences and long silver streamers of the sun's corona stretch across the sky. It gets cold, and animals do strange things. People scream and shout and cheer, and remember the experience their whole life. But total eclipses are important scientifically as well. They let us see parts of the sun’s atmosphere that are otherwise invisible. A total eclipse presented the first chance to test Einstein’s prediction that matter can bend space – like near a black hole. The best total eclipse in the United States in 40 years happens August 21st, 2017. This course has two primary goals: 1) to get you excited for the total solar eclipse coming in August 2017 and prepare you and your community to safely view it 2) to provide an inviting overview of the science of the sun and the physics of light If you are most interested in preparing for the eclipse, you can hop right into Week 5! If you want the full course experience, and to get some fun scientific context for what you'll be seeing on August 21st, start with Week 1 and move through the course week by week! [Note: if you start with Week 1, you can skip through some of the repeated material once you get to Week 5.] Overall this course will prepare you to... * Safely view the total or partial solar eclipse * Help others watch safely and even make money by leading a “neighborhood watch” of the eclipse * Review fundamental sun science, including the physics of light, how astronomers study the sun, how it formed, how we know what’s inside it, and where the energy that supports life on earth is generated

Who is this class for: Anyone who wants to learn more about the sun and the rare, remarkable Total Eclipse of the Sun coming to the US on Aug. 21, 2017.

Created by:  University of Colorado Boulder
  • Taught by:  Douglas Duncan, Astronomer, Director, Fiske Planetarium

    Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Level Beginner Commitment 1 1/2 to 2 hours of study and review, each of 5 modules. There is also a final project. Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.5 stars Average User Rating 4.5See what learners said Coursework

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

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University of Colorado Boulder CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Introduction to the Sun and Eclipses



In this module we describe what causes eclipses, how rare it is for any one place to experience a total eclipse, the dramatic difference between a total or a partial eclipse, and encourage you to see the total eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. We also review the upcoming course topics, demonstrate how large the sun is, and introduce sunspots.


8 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Video: Meet astronomer Doug Duncan
  2. Video: 1. Description and video of a total eclipse - watch people and animals freak out!
  3. Video: 2. How to watch an eclipse
  4. Video: 3. Overview of Course Topics and Goals
  5. Video: 4. Eclipses of the sun.
  6. Video: 5. Total vs. partial eclipses
  7. Video: 6. How Astronomers Study the Sun. The Sun's size compared with earth.
  8. Video: 7. Sunspots and the solar activity cycle
  9. Reading: You can start final project now!
  10. Discussion Prompt: What will YOU be doing on eclipse day?!

Graded: Week 1 Quiz

WEEK 2


Most of what we know about the Sun is learned from Light



In this module we explain how astronomers use visible and invisible light (ultraviolet and X-rays) to study the sun. We learn that all light comes from atoms, and that the quantum world of atoms is like nothing you’ve ever seen! We see how the properties of light let us determine the sun’s temperature, its composition, and the important role of its magnetic fields.


7 videos expand


  1. Video: 1. Why we mostly study the sun with different kinds of light, rather than spacecraft.
  2. Video: 2. What is light? Differences between red, blue, ultraviolet, and X-ray light.
  3. Video: 3. Properties of light. White light. Kirchhoff-Bunsen laws. How color tells you temperature.
  4. Video: 4. Don’t be fooled by reflected light!
  5. Video: 5. Is light a Wave? Is it a particle? It’s both! The strange world of quantum physics.
  6. Video: 6. Spectrum lines – how they tell us what the sun is made of; the quantum origin of spectrum lines.
  7. Video: 7. How visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays reveal the sun’s photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. Magnetic fields and the solar wind.
  8. Discussion Prompt: Are you using the class discussion area to talk to other students?
  9. Discussion Prompt: Use your knowledge to convict a criminal?

Graded: Week 2 Quiz

WEEK 3


How does the Sun work? What makes it shine? What’s inside?
We can’t see inside the sun with visible light, but there are ways to infer or even see down to the sun’s center, where vast amount of energy are generated, making possible life on earth.


7 videos expand


  1. Video: 1. Review of Week 2; overview of Week 3.
  2. Video: 2. Newton's law of gravity
  3. Video: 3. The "pefect gas" law that explains temperature, pressure, and density
  4. Video: 4. Inside the sun; nuclear energy generation.
  5. Video: 5. The transport of energy from the sun's core to the surface
  6. Video: 6. Neutrinos and Sunquakes (solar seismology)
  7. Video: 7. Einstein proved right by a total eclipse - gravity warps space!
  8. Discussion Prompt: Warped space is not just for Star Trek!

Graded: Week 3 Quiz

WEEK 4


How did the sun form?
When you look at Hubble Space Telescope images of beautiful clouds of gas in space you are seeing what happened in our own solar system 4 ½ billion years ago when the sun formed. This week we explain how that process works.


7 videos expand


  1. Video: 1. What week 4 will cover
  2. Video: 2. Regions of star formation in space.
  3. Video: 3. Converting gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy heats forming stars.
  4. Video: 4. Conservation of angular momentum causes a new star to spin.
  5. Video: 5. A previous generation of stars made the elements that formed the sun and planets.
  6. Video: 6. Different kinds of stars make different elements and recyle them into the galaxy.
  7. Video: 7. The formation of the planets around the sun.
  8. Discussion Prompt: Have you started planning for eclipse day?

Graded: Quiz for Week 4

WEEK 5


The Aug. 21, 2017 “Great American Total Solar Eclipse”



This Week 5 presentation concentrates on what will happen during the Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017. It may be viewed alone, or after Weeks 1-4. Weeks 1-4 give a lot of explanation of what you will see, so I hope you take the full course, but if you are in a hurry, this week alone will prepare you.


4 videos expand


  1. Video: 1. Quick recap of weeks 1-4 and an outline of what week 5 will cover.
  2. Video: 2. Eclipses of the sun and moon. Who sees a total eclipse and who sees a partial eclipse?
  3. Video: 3. A personal description of the incredible drama of a total eclipse, how animals respond, how to watch safely.
  4. Video: 4. How to conduct neighborhood eclipse watching. How to make money and friends by being the one who prepares before eclipse day. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. How to SAFELY use binoculars with a group.
  5. Discussion Prompt: What will you do for the eclipse? Make money? Help others see it? Both?
  6. Peer Review: Planning for an Eclipse Viewing Event
  7. Discussion Prompt: Reminder - use the Forum to discuss how your project is going.
  8. Discussion Prompt: Come to the Univ. of Colorado in person?

Graded: Week 5 Quiz
Graded: Final course assignment: measuring the sun's rotation
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