Course Description

This is a course in descriptive Astronomy, with emphasis on stars: their origin and evolution, their distribution within the galaxies and the origin of the universe within which the galaxies of stars are found. The course commences with a study of the night sky including the motions of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars. The motions of the celestial bodies are explained in the historical context of geocentric and heliocentric models. The course also covers the nature of light and employs telescopic observations to explore the properties of stars and their evolution. An investigation of the stages in the life of a star from birth to the different forms of stellar death is also offered. The course also examines the origins of the galaxies and the fate of the Universe.