MosleyScience.com

Astronomy is the study of everything in the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere. That includes objects we can see with our naked eyes, like the Sun, the Moon, planets in our solar system, and the stars. It also includes objects we can only see with telescopes or other instruments, like faraway galaxies and tiny particles. It even includes many unanswered questions about things we cannot see at all, like dark matter and dark energy. Astronomy combines aspects of math and physics along with observations to study how the universe was formed and the celestial bodies
that are contained within it. It is the oldest of the natural sciences with records of astronomical observations that date as far back as the 6th century BC.

​

Chances are, you come to this class already interested in astronomy and have some personal investment in its study. In this course, we will cover many aspects of the topic that include the very near-to-us objects such as our solar system - planets, moons, and star. As well, we will expand our horizons to the not-so-near phenomena such as nebulae, galaxies, comets, and the more than 4400 discovered exoplanets and their solar systems. Stellar objects, supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation are all fascinating topics that will round out our study and help to expand upon our understanding as we make our way through the course. Lastly, from time to time, we will pay tribute to those explorers who have come before us by visiting the historical significance of the last 50 years of human space flight that leads us up to today and lays the course for the next 50 years to come. As in all science courses, we will explore the universe and all its wonder, analyze the factors that promote life