THE UNIVERSE TO YOUR COMPUTER Or “A Hitchhikers Guide to learning the galaxy for free. .” YOU TOO CAN BE A GREAT MIND! THE MENU • There is an extensive array of online educational resources for the budding or accomplished astronomer. • Astronomy • Astrophysics • Cosmology • Radio Astronomy • Astrobiology • Space Exploration • Etc. • CAVEAT – The internet is not under configuration management and stuff might disappear (in a great big bag) at any time . THE DELIVERY MODELS • All these are available online (as of 16 Nov 2020) • Some are self-paced (download as you want them) • Some are scheduled (available at a scheduled date/time once a semester or once a year - presumably live streamed from the lecture) • Some are “archived” (not clear what this actually means . .) • Some are supported by downloadable reference material – particularly the one from MIT! • Ages from kids (~8yrs) and upwards THE PROVIDERS RUTGERS EPFLx (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) THE DURATION • Podcasts (not listed in this presentation) – 3 minutes to several hours • TED Talks (not listed in this presentation) – 3 minutes to 20+ mins • Interesting snippets (some listed here) – about 1 hour • Short courses (some listed here) – 3 weeks to ~3 months of 4 to 8 hours per week • Long courses (some listed here) – 3 to ~6 months of 4 to 8 hours per week THE EDUCATIONAL MODEL • Models vary as one or more of the following- • Free stuff on line for intellectual stimulation and general learning • Some require an enrolment process • +$pay for a completion certificate (something to hang on the wall) • +$pay to do the exercises and assignments (a kind of self flagellation) • +$pay to have them marked (a genuine assessment to see how well you are actually doing) • +$pay to sit the exam, have it marked and receive a qualification if you pass (just like at university!) • Also webpodintercasts and Edward Speaks (TED Talks) which are more numerous than stars in a nebular . THE COMPREHENSIVE PROVIDERS • Comprehensive providers (my terminology) have a large number and a few have downloadable reference material as well A FEW EXAMPLES • Astronomy 101 – Penn State University • https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/astronomy-001/id430629972?mt=10 • Particle Physics of the Early Universe - MIT • https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-962-general-relativity-spring-2020/ # Course name Provider Web Address Presenter Duration Certificate? X'tras (hh:mm) 1 Astrobiology and Stanford https://www.yout Lynn Rothschild 01:16 No Space Exploration ube.com/watch?v =zBuW-odYWy4 2 Astronomy 101 Penn State https://itunes.app Scott Miller, 00:59 No • Star Stuff (general info only) University le.com/us/itunes- Mercedes u/astronomy- Richards & 001/id430629972? Stephen Redman mt=10 Exploring Black MIT https://ocw.mit.e Edmund 06:40 No Holes: General du/courses/physic Bertschinge Relativity & s/8-224-exploring- Astrophysics black-holes- 3 general-relativity- • https://tunein.com/podcasts/Exploration/StarStuff-p1200/ astrophysics- spring-2003/ Frontiers and Yale https://www.yout Charles Bailyn 24 x 45:00 No Controversies in ube.com/playlist? 4 Astrophysics list=PLD1515420F4 E601A4&feature= plcp Introduction to UC Berkeley https://archive.or Joshua Bloom 01:22 No Astrophysics g/details/Astrono (audio) my_7B_001_Spring 5 • Space Nuts (geneal info only) _2010_UC_Berkele y_Introduction_to _Astrophysics Introduction to UC Berkeley https://itunes.app James Bullock 14 x 01:00 No PPT slides; Cosmology le.com/us/course/ Homework + 6 introduction-to- solutions cosmology/id5163 49888 • https://spacenutspodcast.com/ Introduction to UC Berkeley https://archive.or Alex Filippenko 41 x 00:50 No General g/details/Astro_C (audio) Astronomy 10_LS_C70U_Fall_2 006_UC_Berkeley/ Astro_C10_LS_C70 7 U_Fall_2006_UC_B erkeley_Lecture_0 1_A_Grand_Tour_ of_the_Cosmos_1 5815.mp3 Life in the Ohio State http://www.astro Richard pogge 44 x 45:00 No 5 Units, 44 • And big long spreadsheet list for you to search Universe nomy.ohio- (audio) lectures in 8 state.edu/~pogge total on /Ast141/#lectures audio with PPT slides Survey of Missouri State https://www.yout Becky Baker 29 x 40:00 No 29 video Astronomy ube.com/playlist? lectures 9 list=PLdLiRaajwSX RYPwqLkyZCm761 9qtzjwBI The Royal institution https://www.ope Carl Sagan 6 x 1:00:00 No 6 video Planets (Christmas nculture.com/201 lectures Lectures for Kids 2/08/carl_sagan_p from 1977 10 resents_six_lectur (Dr Carl is es_on_exploring_ looking very mars.html young!) Astronomy: University of https://www.cour Chris Impey 11 x 60:00 $ Yes Full uni Exploring Time Arizona sera.org/learn/ast course. and Space ro?ranMID=40328 Enrolment &ranEAID=Cu8bOe required but PBZBg&ranSiteID= this is free Cu8bOePBZBg- .REAdCDfZ608vkLr h2eEKw&siteID=C 11 u8bOePBZBg- .REAdCDfZ608vkLr h2eEKw&utm_con tent=10&utm_me dium=partners&ut m_source=linksha re&utm_campaign =Cu8bOePBZBg THE MAJOR SEARCH WEB SITES • These two will point you to many other source providers • Coursera • edX • MIT OpenCourseWare (does it all on its own!) THE LAST WORD • These courses/sources/resources have been found using the following key word searches:- • Astronomy • Astrophysics • Cosmology • Exobiology • Astrobiology • There are other interesting looking courses (and sites) whose title or categorisation did not include these key words • There are some courses (notably from ANU) that are available for a modest fee from AUS$16 (see https://www.udemy.com/). Others range up to full degree qualification for a whole lot more! # Course name Provider Web Address Presenter Duration Certificate? X'tras (hh:mm) 1 Astrobiology and Space Stanford https://www.youtube.com/wa Lynn Rothschild 1:16 No Exploration tch?v=zBuW-odYWy4 2 Astronomy 101 Penn State https://itunes.apple.com/us/it Scott Miller, 0:59 No University unes-u/astronomy- Mercedes Richards 001/id430629972?mt=10 & Stephen Redman Exploring Black Holes: MIT https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/ Edmund 6:40 No General Relativity & physics/8-224-exploring-black- Bertschinge 3 Astrophysics holes-general-relativity- astrophysics-spring-2003/ Frontiers and Yale https://www.youtube.com/pl Charles Bailyn 24 x 45:00 No Controversies in aylist?list=PLD1515420F4E601 4 Astrophysics A4&feature=plcp Introduction to UC Berkeley https://archive.org/details/Ast Joshua Bloom 01:22 No Astrophysics ronomy_7B_001_Spring_2010 (audio) 5 _UC_Berkeley_Introduction_to _Astrophysics Introduction to UC Berkeley https://itunes.apple.com/us/c James Bullock 14 x 01:00 No PPT slides; 6 Cosmology ourse/introduction-to- Homework + cosmology/id516349888 solutions Introduction to General UC Berkeley https://archive.org/details/Astr Alex Filippenko 41 x 00:50 No Astronomy o_C10_LS_C70U_Fall_2006_UC (audio) _Berkeley/Astro_C10_LS_C70U _Fall_2006_UC_Berkeley_Lectu 7 re_01_A_Grand_Tour_of_the_ Cosmos_15815.mp3 Life in the Universe Ohio State http://www.astronomy.ohio- Richard pogge 44 x 45:00 No 5 Units, 44 lectures state.edu/~pogge/Ast141/#lec (audio) in total on audio 8 tures with PPT slides Survey of Astronomy Missouri State https://www.youtube.com/pl Becky Baker 29 x 40:00 No 29 video lectures 9 aylist?list=PLdLiRaajwSXRYPw qLkyZCm7619qtzjwBI The Planets (Christmas Royal institution https://www.openculture.com Carl Sagan 6 x 1:00:00 No 6 video lectures from Lectures for Kids /2012/08/carl_sagan_presents 1977 (Dr Carl is 10 _six_lectures_on_exploring_m looking very young!) ars.html Astronomy: Exploring University of https://www.coursera.org/lear Chris Impey 11 x 60:00 $ Yes Full uni course. Time and Space Arizona n/astro?ranMID=40328&ranEAI Enrolment required D=Cu8bOePBZBg&ranSiteID=Cu but this is free 8bOePBZBg- .REAdCDfZ608vkLrh2eEKw&site ID=Cu8bOePBZBg- 11 .REAdCDfZ608vkLrh2eEKw&ut m_content=10&utm_medium= partners&utm_source=linkshar e&utm_campaign=Cu8bOePBZ Bg Data-driven Astronomy The University of https://www.coursera.org/lea Tara Murphy Simon 24:00:00 $ Yes Full uni course. Sydney rn/data-driven- Murphy Enrolment required astronomy?ranMID=40328&ra but this is free nEAID=Cu8bOePBZBg&ranSiteI D=Cu8bOePBZBg- qsFuGZCXoQfHFLuTkqYNTA&si 12 teID=Cu8bOePBZBg- qsFuGZCXoQfHFLuTkqYNTA&u tm_content=10&utm_medium =partners&utm_source=linksh are&utm_campaign=Cu8bOeP BZBg Confronting The Big University of https://www.coursera.org/lea Adam Frank 11:00 $ Yes Full uni course. Questions: Highlights of Rochester rn/astronomy?ranMID=40328 Enrolment required Modern Astronomy &ranEAID=Cu8bOePBZBg&ran but this is free SiteID=Cu8bOePBZBg- cVbEWEevfH7sU7_W9pBH6Q &siteID=Cu8bOePBZBg- 13 cVbEWEevfH7sU7_W9pBH6Q &utm_content=10&utm_medi um=partners&utm_source=lin kshare&utm_campaign=Cu8bO ePBZBg The Radio Sky I: Science EPFL École https://www.edx.org/course/r Vasileios 7 weeks at $ Yes Instructor-led on a and Observations polytechnique adio-sky-1 ANGELOPOULOS, 3 - 4 hrs course schedule. fédérale de Frédéric COURBIN, per week (Archived) 14 Lausanne Griffin FOSTER, Jean- Paul KNEIB Astrophysics: Cosmology ANU https://www.edx.org/course/ Brian Schmidt, Paul 10 weeks $ Yes Self-paced on your astrophysics-cosmology Francis at 2 - 4 time 15 hours per week Astrophysics: The Violent ANU https://www.edx.org/course/ Brian Schmidt, Paul 11 weeks $ Yes Self-paced on your Universe astrophysics-the-violent- Francis at 2 - 4 time 16 universe hours per week Super-Earths and Life Harvard https://www.edx.org/course/s Dimitar Sasselov 15 weeks 3 $ Yes Self-paced on your 17 uper-earths-and-life - 5 hours time (Archived) per week Introduction to EPFL École https://www.edx.org/course/i Frédéric COURBIN, 7 weeks 3 - $ Yes Self paced on your Astrophysics polytechnique ntroduction-to-astrophysics