Classical Astronomy

14 yrs and up, $285, 14 week course/classes twice weekly – Prerequisite: Foundational Great Books

In this course, students will become acquainted with the basic phenomena of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Students will see how Ptolemy (2nd cent. A.D.) took naked eye observations and came up with an earth-centered model that explained the motions of the heavenly bodies and allowed predictions of their future locations. After immersing themselves in this geocentric system, students will see why Copernicus's heliocentric model of the cosmos came to replace Ptolemy's, and how the heliocentric system was bolstered by the observations and theories of Kepler, Galileo, and Newton. This investigation of cosmic models will allow students to see the interplay of observation and mathematical theory that is found in many of the scientific disciplines. In preparation for each class, students should expect to spend up to 60-90 minutes on reading and other assignments.

Wednesdays & Fridays, 11 - 12 PM
Classical Astronomy       Henry Zepeda