The public video lectures just cover the astronomy content from the Astronomy Notes textbook. The public lectures do not include the material that is for the astronomy class such as how to use the class Canvas, lecture outlines in the Student Guide, exam review documents, etc. Students in the Bakersfield College astronomy classes should use the astronomy class lecture videos posted in the class Canvas to get that class-specific content.
The video lectures are grouped together in the Introduction for Public YouTube playlist. Here are the individual videos for the introductory chapter:
Video 1: (for webpages #1 to #3) This video is the first part of the introduction lecture that covers the size and time scales of the universe. A scale model of the solar system is shown on the Bakersfield College campus. The cosmic calendar is described as well as a time scale model that paces out the long timescales.
Video 2: (for webpages #4 to #7) This video is the second part of the introduction lecture that covers the scientific method of figuring out how things work. It covers the five components of the scientific method, fundamental assumptions of the method, models and theories, the self-imposed limitation of science, and why peer review is a crucial part of the process. It includes a brief comment about the interaction of science and religion. It ends with a discussion of the value of Astronomy in the realm of science. Some material from the second chapter (Method for Finding Scientific Truth) is also included in this video.
Video 3: (for webpages #8 to #12) This video is the third part of the introduction lecture which is about pseudoscience or bogus science vs. real science and then concentrates on the difference between astrology and astronomy.
last updated: June 24, 2022