The Night Sky

What is a nebula? What are Galactic redshifts? Why is the night sky dark? Have you heard of quasars, black holes, or white dwarfs? How far away are the stars? If I want to observe the night sky what telescope should I buy? Where do I start, and what are the best ones? Which ones should I avoid? These and many other questions are part of an introductory course on astronomy designed to acquaint and interest a beginner with the night sky, the basic concepts of astronomy, and the instruments for studying it. In outline the six week course looks at:

• 1. Our Observatory: the Earth – day & night, the seasons, precession, the moon
• 2. Stars: Constellations, Distances, Types, Magnitudes, Winter constellations
• 3. Stars: Binaries, Variable stars, Supernovae; Spring constellations
• 4. Stars: Nebulae, Dwarf stars, “Black holes”, Quasars; Summer constellations
• 5. Galaxies: Types, Population I & II stars, Paradoxes; Autumn constellations
• 6. Planets: Kepler’s Laws, Bode’s Law, Inferior planets; Superior planets, Retrogression, Current planets in the sky
• Power Point presentations and printed diagrams illustrate the course.