Free online courseDescriptive Astronomy: From Orbits to the Big Bang

Course Description

Descriptive Astronomy: From Orbits to the Big Bang is a free online course for curious minds who want a clear, descriptive tour of the universe, from the motions of nearby worlds to the largest cosmic structures.

Begin with the foundations of skywatching and orbital behavior, then explore how astronomers measure, observe, and infer the properties of distant objects. Travel through the formation of the solar system and get oriented within the inner planets, giant planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

Move outward to understand the Sun as a typical star and as a powerful engine driven by nuclear processes. Learn how starlight is analyzed to reveal composition, temperature, motion, and distance, and how surveys help map what populates the cosmos.

Discover the interstellar medium of gas and dust, the birth of stars and planetary systems, and the life cycles of stars from youth to old age. Follow stellar evolution to its most dramatic endings, including supernovae and the exotic physics of black holes and spacetime.

Then zoom out to the scale of the Milky Way and other galaxies, including active galactic nuclei and quasars, and see how galaxies evolve and are distributed across the universe. Conclude with an accessible look at Big Bang cosmology and an exploration of the scientific search for life beyond Earth.