Knowing the Universe: History and Philosophy of Astronomy

This module welcomes students to the course and explains the structure and assignments of the class.

What was the Early History of Astronomy? From the Neolithic era to the Classical Greek era, we explore the origins of humanity's fascination with the night sky and the practical applications of their observations and discoveries.

In this module we discuss the contributions made to the field by different civilizations during the Middle Ages. We also explore, with the coming of the Renaissance, how the field of astronomy evolved due to the contributions of Kepler, Brahe, and Galileo.

The scientific revolution had a far-reaching impact on the field of astronomy. From Kepler's laws of planetary motion to Newton's theory of universal gravity, the Golden Age of Science brings with it new tools and methods to understand the universe and our place in it.

This module explores the creation of different astronomical tools and methods used to observe and gather data from the night sky. We then jump to Einstein, his theory of relativity, and how our modern observations give confirmation to the validity of this theory.

What are stars? How are they created? How and why do they die? By closely examining atomic theory, the answers to all these questions and more are discussed in this module.

This module answers the "big questions": how was the universe created, how old is the universe, and will the universe come to an end? Galactic and super-galactic structures are examined as well.

This module attempts to answer one of humanity's most pressing questions: are we alone in the universe? Through the discussion of exoplanets and astrobiology, we hope to shed some light on this matter.