Course: Astronomy: The Basics
Instructor: Claudio Veliz
Day and Time: Thursdays 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
First Class February 28 - 6 weeks
Class Fee: $58
Anticipated Materials Fee: Aprox. $25 – 40
Students can purchase the following from the instructor if they do not already own;
- Miller Planisphere: Portable Planispheres: durable plastic disks and accurate cartography with instructions on the back ($8 to $18 depending on size selected, etc.)
- Star Charts: This is a laminated series of simple, bound charts. In one document, one can access information about a high number of celestial objects throughout the year. (aprox. $18.00)
In addition, the instructor will provide as a part of the class fee a wide variety of handouts including; a bewildering listing of web sources for specific types of information, “how-to” items, projects and sites plus any significant celestial news items.
Course Description: This is to be a lively but also substantive introduction to the structure of the Universe, and a workshop for learning how to see and study the night sky once this class is complete.
Using Powerpoint presentations, hands on models, videos, telescopes & binoculars, we will indulge in active discussions of ideas and what we know now – and why we know it. We’ll show you how you can walk out the back door with nothing more than your naked eye on one of our beautiful clear nights in Vermont….and know what you’re seeing!
There will be five class sessions, and at least one daytime adventure. After evening classes, if the skies cooperate, we will look at the sky with our naked eyes, binoculars and telescopes. In addition, for those who wish to (this is a voluntary field trip) , we will have an opportunity to visit and use a nearby astronomical observatory.
Each class will cover basic aspects of all of existence, including;
- Scale: The size and make up of the universe…in a nutshell. An overview of all there is, how much of it we see and what we mean by…”see”. The concept of the spectrum and its significance in our learning about distant things and places that we have difficulty even imagining.
- Planets: Planets and how they come to be, how we can tell that other planets in our solar system have changed; what we may find on Mars and Europa after all; how to track a planet and when is it best to view them.
- Stars and their relatives: Life cycles of stars and why some simply fade away while others go kicking and screaming. Is there “life after death” for a star?
- Galaxies: The large scale form of the universe and what we know about what’s happening to ours.
- The Telescope: Have a telescope but, let’s face it, just haven’t used it much since that first night? Have a rusty old binocular, but aren’t sure where to point it for serious joy? Come, we’ll fix all this and more.
- Seeing the light: Day session of solar observing, which we’ll schedule to all’s convenience. (Weekend/daytime session) Also: Other possible impromptu field trips, as discussed with class, if sky activity calls or opportunity arises.
Class Pre-requisites: None
Claudio Velez is an architect and astronomer. Born in South America, and growing up under clear, dark skies in Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin, he holds a deep appreciation for the impact the night sky can have on us all. He owns an architecture firm in Chester, Vermont. In the 1980’s and 90’s he consulted to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Ames Research Centers on the design of astronaut’s work stations and living quarters for the International Space Station. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Aerospace Architecture Subcommittee (ASASC). In the 1990’s he taught at Columbia University’s Department of Astrophysics, where he also hosted the Public Astronomy Observing Program. He currently holds a Board seat at the Nature Museum at Grafton, is an active researcher with the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) and the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO); was a founding member of the Hildene Astronomy Committee that managed the Hildene Observatory in Manchester, Vermont, and is founder and President of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group (SoVerA), based in Chester.