Introduction

This lecture video is a brief introduction to the class, particularly how to use the lecture outlines in the Student Guide and viewing the lecture slides within the class Canvas environment, and then about the content of chapter 1 in the Astronomy Notes textbook, "Introduction to Astronomy". The lecture outlines in the Student Guide have each lecture's reading assignment (what parts of the Astronomy Notes textbook to read) and I show where the reading assignments are also found in the Canvas modules. Because this is the first lecture set of the semester, the first video also describes how to properly navigate the lecture slides, which are actually located on the Astronomy Notes website, while within the Canvas environment.

This playlist does NOT replace the orientation video set for your class. The orientation video set for your class gives a thorough description of the mechanics and policies of the class. The orientation video set is your primary orientation. The orientation given on the first day of class will be much briefer and it will NOT cover all the essentials—that is what the video orientation set is for! Choose the orientation video for your course: Astronomy B1 Physics of the Cosmos -- Astronomy B3 Solar System .

The short videoes for the Introduction lecture are collected into a YouTube playlist, so they should play one right after the other if you go to the Introduction playlist. The videoes will appear in a new tab.

Course Objectives Addressed

1. Distinguish a scientific explanation from a non-scientific one.
2. Correctly order the relative size and time lengths of things in the universe and to place him/herself in the context of the size and time scale of things. For example, the student will be able to correctly order: atom, galaxy, planet, Sun, Earth, Moon, star, solar system, human, proton, universe. The student will be able to compare the length of a human lifetime or civilization to the age of the Earth, solar system, and the universe (since the start of the expansion).

Introduction Playlist

Here are what each video is about (select the video link to go to that particular video in the series). Each video corresponds to a sub-set of the introduction lecture slide set.

1. Video 1: Using the lecture outlines in the Student Guide, using the lecture slides posted to the class Canvas, and size + time scales we'll deal with in the astronomy class.
2. Video 2: Figuring out how things work using the scientific method. It includes a brief comment about the interaction of science and religion.
3. Video 3: Pseudoscience (bogus, fake science) vs. true science and astrology vs. astronomy.

last updated: August 13, 2023

Content author: Nick Strobel