Course Syllabus

In  Cosmology 101, you will enjoy learning about a fascinating array of topics, including:

1.  Discovering The Early Universe
A  Definition – what is Cosmology? Contemplating the early beginnings, The Human Element, Searching both early religion and science for their explanations, The Historical Explanation, The Modern Definition

2.  The Origins And Early Days Of Exploration
Seeing our World through the eyes of the Ancients, The Greeks, The Copernican Rebellion, Early Scientific Views, Pythagoras – not only theorems! Wandering stars , Aristotle, Sky Gods, Where was the Sun?

3. Size, Shape & Age Of Our Universe
Observing the heavens, Orbits & Ellipses , The Laws of Motion, Speculating on the Laws of Gravity, The Impact of Newton's theories, Defining our Universe, Bending our Universe – space & time, Colors, The Milky Way, Relativity, Classifying & Contradictions

4. Cosmology Isn't Theology Or Science Fiction Or Even Just Science
Cruising through the alternative theories – various beliefs, Life on earth and beyond, Where, when & how did life begin, Why is our Universe so suited to our Life?, How can we best calculate Life on Earth?

5. Off With A Bang – Possibly Down With A Crunch?
An explanation: Exactly where do Galaxies come from, Is there such a thing as Ancient Radiation?, Radiation Types, What are the Ingredients for an expanding Universe, Big Bang, Big Crunch, Can gravity be reversed?

6. Building Our Own Universe
Creating It Bit By Bit, The Basic Ingredients of our Universe, The Electron, The Atom, Quantum Mechanics, Max Planck, Karl Heisenberg, Antimatter, Particle Accelerators, Quarks

7. Natural Forces And The Role They Play
The Natural Forces, The Weak Force, The Strong Force, Holding it all together , You could ‘see' the force everywhere , Particles, Quantum Gravity

8. In The Dark
Dark Matter, WIMPs, MACHOs , Dark Energy, Constants , Gauging the piece of string

9. Is The Universe Really Just A Big Chemistry Set?
The chemicals elements that make up our entire Universe , After the Big Bang, The formation of heavier elements , Chemical barriers

10. Making Stars, Solar Systems & Galaxies - & That's Only A Start!
Stars are born, The Origins of stars and their galaxies, The Star Nurseries, Classifying our stars by their chemical make-up , Supernovae and their types, The Milky Way, The Stories some stars can tell, Black Holes – creating, categorizing, looking inside and breaking through

11. Time Travel
The Past, The Present & The Future , Einstein's work on time, The Speed of Light & can it possibly ‘slow down'?, Turning Time Back, Before the Big Bang Is the Universe Infinite?

12. The Greats & What They Have Done For Our World, Our The Universe
Pythagoras, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Stephen Hawkings

13. The Greatest Cosmological Advances
COBE CERN, Hubble Telescope, WMAP, Keck Telescopes, Others

14. The End
What happens if our Sun burns out? The Big Chill, The Big Crunch, The Big Rip.