The Pleasure of Discovering the Night Sky
One-Minute Astronomer’s Stargazer University brings you engaging and easy-to-understand astronomy courses to help you see and know some of the most beautiful sights in the night sky.
Each course consists of notes and images to help you learn about the night sky. Some courses come with audio and video. Some come with downloadable PDF files. And all are self-paced so you can cover the material at your convenience wherever you have an internet connection. The in-depth paid courses even give you e-mail access to the instructors so you can ask questions to make sure you understand the course material.
Here are the courses currently available…
BASIC STARGAZING COURSES
• Guide to the Night Sky and Basic Astronomy. (FREE) Here you find basic guides and articles to help you learn the night sky and the major stars and constellations. You discover the amazing range of objects you can see in the night sky, from the Moon and planets to distant galaxies. You also get clear advice on how to choose a telescope and binoculars for backyard astronomy.
• The Art of Stargazing. A comprehensive year-long course that shows you how to navigate the night sky, find and see planets and deep-sky objects, choose and use a telescope and accessories, and understand a little of the science behind what you see in the night sky. Available once per year in March. (Now closed for 2015).
• Stargazing for Beginners: A Binocular Tour of the Night Sky. Discover hundreds of stars and major constellations in the northern and near-southern sky along with the brighter galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae visible with the unaided eye or with a simple pair of binoculars.
• Stargazing for Beginners: A Binocular Tour of the Southern Night Sky. The only detailed online stargazing course for southern-hemisphere stargazers! Discover hundreds of stars and major constellations in the souther and near-norther sky along with brighter deep-sky sights visible with the unaided eye or with a simple pair of binoculars.
• Introduction To Stargazing (FREE). Learn what you can see in the sky, how the sky moves from day to day, short tours of the stars and constellations in all four seasons in both the northern and southern hemispheres, and ways to better see the sky with your unaided eye or a simple telescope or pair of binoculars. This 5-part course is great for beginners and near-beginners.
• The “Bucket List” for Backyard Stargazers. Here’s a totally subjective list of ten celestial sights to must see before you “kick the bucket”. Once you see these 10 sights, then whatever else happens in your life, you can be assured you’ve seen some truly remarkable things that few people– even the most celebrated professional astronomers– ever get to see.
• Urban Astronomer’s Survival Guide (FREE). Get the best possible view of the night sky from light-polluted city and suburban skies with renowned urban astronomer Rod Mollise who observes from the steamy skies of Mobile, Alabama. You’ll discover the wide range of solar system and deep-sky objects you can see from the city, and how urban stargazing helps you build your skills so you can enjoy occasions when you travel to darker skies.
DEEP-SKY OBSERVING COURSES
• Secrets of the Deep Sky. Discover how to find and observe the astonishing sights of our own Milky Way and beyond. Includes advice on how to select a telescope and accessories, how to navigate the night sky, and how to get the best view through a telescope.
• What To See In A Small Telescope (July-September). Includes detailed instructions and printable maps to help you find and enjoy nearly 100 deep-sky objects with a small telescope in the mid-evening hours of July, August, and September in the northern and southern hemispheres. Includes audio notes.
• What To See In A Small Telescope (October-December). Includes detailed instructions and printable maps to help you find and enjoy nearly 100 deep-sky objects with a small telescope in the mid-evening hours of October, November, and December in the northern and southern hemispheres. Includes audio notes.
• What To See In A Small Telescope (January-March). Includes detailed instructions and printable maps to help you find and enjoy more than 110 deep-sky objects with a small telescope in the mid-evening hours of January, February, and March in the northern and southern hemispheres. Includes audio notes.
• What To See In A Small Telescope (April-June). Includes detailed instructions and printable maps to help you find and enjoy more than 100 deep-sky objects with a small telescope in the mid-evening hours of April, May, and June in the northern and southern hemispheres. Includes audio notes.
TELESCOPES AND ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COURSES
• How To Choose a Telescope (FREE). If you’re looking to buy your first telescope, start by checking out this video by Orion Telescopes. In this video, you’ll learn about telescope configurations including reflecting telescopes, refracting telescopes, and compound telescopes. And you’ll cover the pros and cons of the various options for beginner telescopes.
• How To Take a Great Astro-Photo (FREE). This short course is based on an exclusive interview with expert astrophotographer Jerry Lodriguss, in which he shares with you the basics of taking a simple but quite lovely photo of the night sky with a digital camera. No telescope required.