Course Syllabus
Professor Biography
Introductory Remarks
Lecture I We and the Universe
Lecture II Reflections of the Spinning Earth
Lecture III Sun and Seasons
Lecture IV Stories in the Sky: Constellations
Lecture V Romance of the Moon
Lecture VI Happy Wanderers: The Planets
Lecture VII Keeping It All Together
Lecture VIII Reaching Outward
Lecture IX Our Domain: Earth and the Moon
Lecture X Iron Planets: Mercury, Venus, and Mars
Lecture XI Monsters of the Midway: Jupiter and Saturn
Lecture XII Distant Outposts: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
Lecture XIII Leftovers of Creation: Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors
Lecture XIV Creation
Course Materials
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Take a journey through fascinating outer worlds that lay beyond the earth's sphere.
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Course Overview
- Look at the broad picture of our surroundings and
place Earth and our planetary system in context
with the Universe.
- Learn why we need the stars to know our location and time of day, even in our modern world.
- Find out why the Sun appears to go around the Earth along a steady path through the constellations of the Zodiac; learn that the changing seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis and the rate at which the Sun heats the ground.
- Investigate the history of the constellations and star names and how it reflects the history of the western world, and brings us into closer touch with our forebearers.
- Consider the depth of the Moon’s contribution to life and culture on Earth—a profound part of our folklore and our means to count the days.
- Consider the seven moving bodies of the sky (Sun, Moon, and five “ancient” planets) and how they are reflected in the seven days of the week, the seven colors of the rainbow, and the Seven Sisters of Taurus.
- Understand the importance of gravity in the Universe. Learn how Newton’s formulations help us predict planetary positions, launch spacecraft, and find the masses of everything from the Earth to distant galaxies.
- Discover why energy in the Universe is transmitted mostly by radiation, which warms the day, cools the night, and allows us to see the stars.
- Understand physical astronomy: the science in which we reach out to learn the real natures of the planets.
- Ponder Earth as the paradigm for all the other inner planets.
- Voyage to the two giant planets of the Solar System, Jupiter and Saturn.
- Explore Uranus and Neptune—close twins with the distinct exception of their axial tilts.
- Investigate the Solar System’s leftovers of planetary formation -- comets and asteroids.
- Understand how the accumulated data on the Solar System provides profound information on how the planets were created from the dust of outer space.
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 Astronomy: Earth, Sky and Planets (Booklet)
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Professor
Professor James B. Kaler
(University of Illinois)
James B. (Jim) Kaler is Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his B.A. in Astronomy from the University of Michigan in 1960 and his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1964. He has been at Illinois ever since. His research area, in which he has published over ...
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Course Forum
Course Final Exam
Science
