Adult Education Course: The Cosmos: A History of Early Astronomy

The history of astronomy is a journey through foreign lands populated with cultures that struggled to understand the heavens, as we still struggle to do today. But when peoples in the past looked up, they saw a different sky, they asked different questions, and they looked for different answers. This course will explore some of these cultures to learn why they invested considerable time and effort in studying the heavens and the uses to which they put their knowledge of the stars and planets. Our journey will take us from early Babylonian clay tablets to a solar system that looks vaguely familiar. Along the way we will look at horoscopes, priceless instruments, medieval maps, and calendars.

No preregistration necessary. Register by attending the first course.