Wednesday 13th December 2017, saw the final module of the five week ‘Introduction to Astronomy course’, The course was based at Skipton’s Craven Collage. The students learnt much about the wonders of the night sky.
Week one was a general introduction to help the students to get started and make sense of the history of human discovery in this field if science.
Week two, covered a study of the interactions of the Earth with the sun and our nearest neighbour the Moon. A full understanding of the phases of the Moon was gained, and eclipses of both the Moon and the Sun
Week three was a study of the Solar system. Not just the planet. But their moons, but other phenomena, such as Comets, meteor showers. The theories about the formation of our planetary system. The students left the classroom to construct a scale model the planets orbiting our Sun.
Week four, covered the formation and structure of stars. How and why the stars in the sky are grouped into patterns called constellations. Which are used to map the night sky. The students learnt to identify the major constellations and how to star hop across the sky using planispheres they had made themselves.
The final week was a move out into the realm of Galaxies and the wider universe, which also included a peak into the origins of the universe and a peak into the study of Cosmology.
Each student was awarded a certificate in recognition of their hard work and study.
