Before we can begin our exploration of astronomy, we need to develop a
common language for notating large numbers, and introduce the basic
units of length, mass, and time that we will use throughout the quarter.
We will first re-introduce the basic metric system, explaining how these
units have a physical basis. For measuring lengths in astronomy, we
need ... Show More
Sep 2006
Lecture 3: The Starry Night
What are the constellations, and how have they be named and used by many
different cultures throughout human history? We will review the most
basic feature of the night sky, the 6000 visible stars sprinkled about
the sky, and introduce the idea of constellations, reviewing their
... Show More
35m 7s
Jun 2009
Telescopes that Rocked Our World
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of the first telescope. On this week’s show, we reflect on how telescopes have shifted our perspective on how small we are in size, space, and time. We also discuss how they help astronomers discover new and interesting aspec ... Show More
56 m