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Course name
Astronomy for High School with MacBeth Derham
Recorded course taught by MacBeth Derham for High School Astronomy
Summary

We are leaving the solar system– after a brief overview of planetology– to see what else is out there. From elemental gasses to stars to massive galaxies to all-consuming black holes, the universe is homogeneous and isotropic. Find out why!

Instructor: MacBeth Derham

Course Description: We are leaving the solar system to see what else is out there! Textbook and lectures will be supplemented by up-to-date information from ongoing research.

Total classes

13

Duration

55-60 minutes

Prerequisites

Algebra (optional—math is occasionally demonstrated for its beauty in describing the universe)

Suggested grade level

9th to 12th grade

Suggested credit

One full semester of Science or Astronomy. For a full year credit, register for Mission: Mars! From Myth to Mariner to (Maybe) Manned or other science course in the fall.

Outline

Course Outline:

Class 1: History of Astronomy
Class 2: Radiation, Spectroscopy, Telescopes
Class 3: Planetology and Geology
Class 4: Mercury, the Moon, and Venus
Class 5: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Class 6: Uranus, Neptune and Beyond; Formation of planets
Class 7: The Sun, Stars, and the Main Sequence
Class 8: Interstellar Medium and Star Formation
Class 9: Stellar Evolution and Stellar Explosions
Class 10: Neutron Stars, Black Holes, Weird Stuff
Class 11: Milky Way and other Galaxies
Class 12: Quasars and Cosmology
Class 13: The Early Universe and…Are We Alone?

Materials

  • Astronomy Today 4/e Volume 2 Stars and Galaxies, ISBN-13: 978-0130935717 (https://amzn.to/3kTMQnp), or 5/e, 6/e, 7/e, 8/e... The later editions are pricey.
    *If you buy used, please check with the seller—the second volume is the text for this course. Also, binoculars or small telescope, and a dark sky are helpful!
    An answer key is not provided for this course.

Homework

Class reading and quizzes; occasional outdoor activities. Expect to spend about two to three hours per class outside of the classroom on homework.

Course name
Astronomy for High School with MacBeth Derham
Instructor
MacBeth Derham
Semester
Recorded
Category
Science ➤ Astronomy
Grade levels
High School
Start time
April 29th, 2023 at 12:00 AM ET
Course type
Recorded, free with subscription
Relative due dates
Relative due dates are disabled for this course.
Enhanced quiz security
Enhanced assignment security

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MacBeth Derham
macbethderham@gmail.com

About MacBeth Derham

MacBeth Derham studied biology at Mount Holyoke College and has taught natural history in the field for over 35 years. She currently teaches classes for her homeschool group, tutors math and science privately, and conducts a Marine Biology field school twice a year for local students.

From 2005-2020 she worked with The Front Lawn Players, a Shakespeare troupe made up of students ages 3-18, as both a speech coach and director. She spent the summer of 2017 in Oxford studying literature (including Shakespeare), philosophy, theology, and history. A more than reasonable amount of her time there was spent out of doors, in nature, walking the paths loved by Lewis, Tolkien, and friends. An amateur wildlife and travel photographer, many of her courses feature her own images of creature encounters from both home and abroad. Thanks to her children, she has a fine collection of animal skulls and skeletons.

Mrs. Derham speaks at homeschool conferences on the interdisciplinary need for nature study. She is a retired homeschooling mother of four very different grown children, grandmother of 4 west-coasters, and wife to Don.

  

Click here for more info about MacBeth Derham!

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