Grade levels: Adult

Astronomers are the only scientists who do not manipulate the objects they study. Instead, they do two basic things: collect light and analyze it. Accordingly, this lesson answers two basic questions: (1) What is light? and (2) What tools are used to collect it?

Students will discover the interactions of atoms and light and what spectra can tell us about a star. The fascinating history of spectral classes and the intriguing group of women who were responsible for much of our stellar classification system today is also presented.

This lesson describes the thermonuclear process in the core of the sun, identifying the layers of the interior and atmosphere showing spectacular pictures of surface features, such as granulation and sunspots. The magnetic cycle and magnetic effects on the surface are also introduced. Discussions of how the sun affects Earth’s climate conclude the lesson.

To determine how bright a star actually is, we need to know how far away it is. This lesson illustrates how to find distance to nearby stars and how to plot them on an H-R diagram. It also shows why binary stars are important for the study of stars and their mass-luminosity relation.

The study of stellar evolution is presented by examining the birth of stars. Different types of nebulae are introduced and the necessary ingredients to produce a star: dust, gas, gravity, and maybe a little push are discussed. The mass-luminosity relation is reintroduced and suggests the role that mass will play in the life and death of a star.

Astronomy: Observations and Theories explores a broad range of astronomy topics, concepts, and principles, from the motions of the visible sky to dark matter, from our own planet to the stars and galaxies.

A presentation on the foundations of astronomy, The Birth of Astronomy examines the observations, theories, and contributions of Aristotle, Ptolemy, and other ancient scientists and philosophers. Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, and Sir Isaac Newton’s contributions are discussed throughout this lesson.

This lesson describes the thermonuclear process in the core of the sun, identifying the layers of the interior and atmosphere showing spectacular pictures of surface features, such as granulation and sunspots. The magnetic cycle and magnetic effects on the surface are also introduced. Discussions of how the sun affects Earth’s climate conclude the lesson.

To determine how bright a star actually is, we need to know how far away it is. This lesson illustrates how to find distance to nearby stars and how to plot them on an H-R diagram. It also shows why binary stars are important for the study of stars and their mass-luminosity relation.

Using Earth as the archetypical example, this lesson details the stages of differentiation, cratering, flooding, and surface evolution. The impact of plate tectonics is presented as the formation and evolution of Earth is detailed. Comparisons are continuously made to the other terrestrial planets.