About this course: This is an introductory astronomy survey class that covers our understanding of the physical universe and its major constituents, including planetary systems, stars, galaxies, black holes, quasars, larger structures, and the universe as a whole.
Created by: Caltech
Taught by: S. George Djorgovski, Professor
Astronomy
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Week 1
Welcome to The Evolving Universe!
7 videos, 2 readings, 6 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: The Oldest Science
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Oldest Science
- Video: Astronomy as a Science
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Astronomy as a Science
- Video: Messengers from the Universe
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Messengers from the Universe
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Distances and Scales
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Distances and Scales
- Video: Kepler's Laws, Newton's Laws, and Dynamics of the Solar System
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Kepler's Laws, Newton's Laws, and Dynamics of the Solar System
- Video: Celestial Coordinate Systems, Time Systems, and Earth Rotation
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Celestial Coordinate Systems, Time Systems, and Earth Rotation
Graded: Quiz 1
WEEK 2
Week 2
10 videos, 2 readings, 10 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Optical Telescopes (UV, Visible, IR)
- Video: Geometric Optics, Angular Resolution
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Geometric Optics, Angular Resolution
- Video: Detectors (UV, Visible, and IR)
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Detectors (UV, Visible, IR)
- Video: Radio Telescopes
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Radio Telescopes
- Video: X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Telescopes
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Telescopes
- Video: Non-Electromagnetic Observations
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Non-Electromagnetic Observations
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Basics and Kirchoff's Laws
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Basics and Kirchoff's Laws
- Video: The Origin of Spectroscopic Lines
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Origin of Spectroscopic Lines
- Video: Blackbody Radiation and Other Continuum Emission Mechanisms
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Blackbody Radiation and Other Continuum Emission Mechanisms
- Video: Fluxes and Magnitudes
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Fluxes and Magnitudes
Graded: Quiz 2
WEEK 3
Week 3
7 videos, 2 readings, 7 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Interstellar Medium: General Properties
- Video: Interstellar Dust: Extinction and Reddening
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Interstellar Dust: Extinction and Reddening
- Video: Star Formation
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Star Formation
- Video: Formation of Planetary Systems
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Formation of Planetary Systems
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Contents of the Solar System
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Contents of the Solar System
- Video: Formation of the Solar System
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Formation of the Solar System
- Video: Planetary Atmospheres
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Planetary Atmospheres
Graded: Quiz 3
WEEK 4
Week 4
8 videos, 2 readings, 8 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Thermodynamics of Planets
- Video: Searching for Exosolar Planets
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Searching for Exosolar Planets
- Video: Studying Other Worlds
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Studying Other Worlds
- Video: Life in the Universe
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Life in the Universe
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Stellar Structure Basics
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Stellar Structure Basics
- Video: Energy Generation in Stars
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Energy Generation in Stars
- Video: Energy Transport in Stars
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Energy Transport in Stars
- Video: The Sun Our Star
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Sun Our Star
Graded: Quiz 4
WEEK 5
Week 5
8 videos, 2 readings, 8 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The HR Diagram
- Video: Star Clusters: Probes of Stellar Evolution
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Star Clusters: Probes of Stellar Evolution
- Video: Star Clusters: Probes of Stellar Dynamics
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Star Clusters: Probes of Stellar Dynamics
- Video: The Main Sequence
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Main Sequence
- Video: Stellar Evolution After the Main Sequence
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Stellar Evolution After the Main Sequence
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: White Dwarfs and Contact Binaries
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: White Dwarfs and Contact Binaries
- Video: Supernova Types and Type 1A
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Supernova Types and Type 1A
- Video: Core-Collapse Supernovae
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Core-Collapse Supernovae
Graded: Midterm Exam
WEEK 6
Week 6
8 videos, 2 readings, 8 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Neutron Stars and Pulsars
- Video: Stellar Black Holes
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Stellar Black Holes
- Video: Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Video: Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: The Basic Properties and Components of the Galaxy
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Basic Properties and Components of the Galaxy
- Video: Galaxy Rotation and the Dark Halo
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Galaxy Rotation and the Dark Halo
- Video: The Origin of Spiral Arms
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Origin of Spiral Arms
- Video: The Local Group of Galaxies
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Local Group of Galaxies
Graded: Quiz 5
WEEK 7
Week 7
11 videos, 2 readings, 11 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Galaxy Morphology and the Hubble Sequence
- Video: Trends Along the Hubble Sequence and their Origins
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Trends Along the Hubble Sequence and Their Origins
- Video: Galaxy Interactions and Mergers
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Galaxy Interactions and Mergers
- Video: Quantifying Galaxy Properties
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Quantifying Galaxy Properties
- Video: Galaxy Scaling Relations
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Galaxy Scaling Relations
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Galaxy Evolution: The Basics
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Galaxy Evolution: The Basics
- Video: Observations of Galaxy Evolution
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Observations of Galaxy Evolution
- Video: The Cosmic Star Formation History
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Cosmic Star Formation History
- Video: Cosmic Web: The Intergalactic Medium
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Cosmic Web: The Intergalactic Medium
- Video: The Earliest Galaxies
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Earliest Galaxies
- Video: Reionization Era: The Cosmic Renaissance
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Reionization Era: The Cosmic Renaissance
Graded: Quiz 6
WEEK 8
Week 8
11 videos, 2 readings, 11 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Large Structure
- Video: Quantifying Large Scale Structure: Galaxy Correlations and Power Spectrum
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Quantifying Large Scale Structure: Galaxy Correlations and Power Spectrum
- Video: The Large Scale Velocity Field
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Large Scale Velocity Field
- Video: Galaxy Bias and the Evolution of Clustering
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Galaxy Bias and the Evolution of Clustering
- Video: Structure Formation: The Growth of Density Perturbations
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Structure Formation: The Growth of Density Perturbations
- Video: Galaxy Clusters
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Galaxy Clusters
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei: General Properties and Classification
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei: General Properties and Classification
- Video: Unification Models
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Unification Models
- Video: AGN Fueling, Jets and Synchrotron Radiation
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: AGN Fueling, Jets, and Synchrotron Radiation
- Video: The Cosmic High Energy Backgrounds
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Cosmic High Energy Backgrounds
- Video: AGN Formation and Evolution
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: AGN Formation and Evolution
Graded: Quiz 7
WEEK 9
Week 9
7 videos, 2 readings, 7 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Expanding Universe
- Video: Cosmological Models
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Cosmological Models
- Video: Distances in Cosmology
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Distances in Cosmology
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Basic Ideas and the Cosmic Microwave Background
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Basic Ideas and the Cosmic Microwave Background
- Video: The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
- Video: The Cosmic Inflation
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Cosmic Inflation
- Video: The Very Early Universe
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Very Early Universe
Graded: Quiz 8
WEEK 10
Week 10
10 videos, 2 readings, 10 practice quizzes
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Scale of the Universe
- Video: Distance Indicator Relations
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Distance Indicator Relations
- Video: Estimating the Age of the Universe
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Estimating the Age of the Universe
- Video: Cosmological Tests: An Introduction
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Cosmological Tests: An Introduction
- Video: Supernova Standard Candles
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Supernova Standard Candles
- Video: Cosmology with the Cosmic Microwave Background
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Cosmology with the Cosmic Microwave Background
- Reading: Lesson Slides
- Video: Matter and Energy Contents of the Universe
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Matter and Energy Contents of the Universe
- Video: Gravitational Lensing: Mapping the Dark Matter
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: Gravitational Lensing: Mapping the Dark Matter
- Video: The Dark Energy
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Dark Energy
- Video: The Cosmic Concordance
- Practice Quiz: Self-Test Questions: The Cosmic Concordance
Graded: Final Exam
FAQs
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Ratings and Reviews
excellent
Great course overall. Detailed coverage of the subject. Learnt a great deal of information. There is alot of content to cover and hence not much time is spent reinforcing concepts. Also, marks arent recorded in the free version of the course to allow you to track how youre progressing. Waiting to see if notification appears in completions. So far i havent seen a notification of course completion under completions or achievements. This may take some time to appear though.
Excellent course overall. I learned a lot and it sparked my interest to study more about astronomy. The only caveats I have to offer here are that this course is not for total beginners: a student really needs to have a background in basic calculus and physics in order to get anything out of the course. Sometimes it feels like the professor is presenting results at a research conference rather than teaching students with no astronomy background---which can be exciting to watch but it can also be baffling to beginners. Also, I felt the course presented a little too much material for a single session, perhaps the course should be split into two parts? Other than that, highly recommended.
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Useful for every beginners starting to follow their dream of astrophysics