Backyard Astronomy

In this Course I will give you an overview of what you can see from your backyard or favorite observing site with your naked eye, a good pair of binoculars, or a small telescope. As you will soon see, there's a lot more up there than just stars… This course includes 23 Video lectures and several handouts designed to introduce you to the hobby of Backyard Astronomy. The Course is delivered in to 9 easy to digest sections, to fit in to your busy schedule We will start with a quick tour of what you can see in the night sky: Including the Moon & Planets, Stars & Star Clusters, Nebulae and Galaxies.

Next you will look at the Celestial Sphere, learn how the sky moves and how to navigate the heavens. Once you get your celestial bearings, you will learn to read a star chart and install a free planetarium program to help you simulate the night sky for any time of year. Using your free planetarium software you will tour the Heavens in all four seasons, in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

After you have a basic understanding of the Night Sky you will look at how to improve your observing pleasure with binoculars and small telescopes. You will learn the basic types of instruments , how they work, and what you need to know before buying a telescope or binoculars. If you are curious about the Night Sky and want to learn more, this is a great introductory course to get you out and observing in the shortest possible time with the maximum enjoyment.