Skywatching: Seeing and Understanding Cosmic Wonders

Overview

Take a tour of the most mysterious and beautiful phenomena of Earth’s sky with this course packed with stunning images from telescopes and detailed animations.

Step outside at any time of day or night, look up, and you’re bound to see a world filled with limitless wonders: majestic rainbows, dramatic cloud formations, stirring sunsets, intricate constellations, captivating solar eclipses, and even the distant planets themselves. But these and other breathtaking natural phenomena are more than just pretty objects to be admired. Rather, they’re the result of fascinating atmospheric and astronomical processes that describe right in front of you important concepts in scientific fields such as cosmology, physics (including optics and electromagnetism), and meteorology and other atmospheric sciences.

These and other processes all too often go unappreciated by the average skywatcher. To truly understand and enjoy the wonders in the sky requires a solid understanding of the science behind where these wonders come from and how they’re formed, as well as insights into the best times and places to see them and simple equipment and other steps you can use to improve what you see at any time.

Get an unparalleled visual guide to nature’s most mysterious and beautiful offerings with Skywatching: Seeing and Understanding Cosmic Wonders. With these twelve 45-minute lectures, award-winning astronomer and Professor Alex Filippenko of the University of California, Berkeley, has crafted a visually stunning tour of the sky’s most dazzling displays, most of which you can see even without binoculars. Using the same dynamic and engaging teaching style that has won him praise from countless lifelong learners around the world, he shows you new ways to see your surroundings and appreciate the marvels of both our planet and the entire universe.

Course Content

01: Day and Night Skies across All Distances

Embark on a brief tour of the grandeur of the sky above your head—both near and far—and get a better idea of the broad range of breathtaking objects and phenomena everyone can enjoy.
Duration: 49 min

02: The Blue Sky, Clouds, and Lightning

Why is the color of the sky blue? How does polarization work, and how can it help you see objects in the sky better? What’s the difference between cirrocumulus and cirrostratus clouds? Does lightning truly never strike the same place twice? Get answers to these and a host of other questions.
Duration: 46 min

03: The Rainbow Family—Sunlight and Water

Rainbows, coronas, cloud iridescence. Strengthen your understanding and appreciation of the science behind these and other colorful phenomena that occur due to the fascinating interaction of water with sunlight.
Duration: 47 min

04: Solar Halos—Sunlight and Ice Crystals

Travel higher up in the atmosphere and discover what happens when sunlight interacts not with raindrops but with frozen ice crystals. After learning how these delicate crystals are formed, you’ll examine stunning photography that captures the wonders of everything from solar halos and mock suns to glitter paths and sun pillars.
Duration: 48 min

05: The Colors of Sunrise and Sunset

What is the science behind a majestic sunrise or dramatic sunset? Find out in this lecture on the colors and features that accompany these breathtaking, everyday events. Professor Filippenko reveals the science behind—and offers skywatching tips for—blue moons, the “belt of Venus,” alpenglow, green flashes, and more.
Duration: 46 min

06: Bright Stars, Constellations, and the Zodiac

Stars and constellations are some of the most commonly sought-after features of the night sky. Here, learn how to spot such iconic star patterns as the Big Dipper; make sense of the zodiacal constellations; locate some of the sky’s brightest stars; and learn just why it is that stars twinkle.
Duration: 47 min

07: Viewing the Planets and Their Motions

How can you tell the difference between a planet and a star? When is the best time to see planets such as Mercury and Jupiter? What’s the difference between retrograde and prograde planetary motion? Get the answers to these and other questions in this lecture on spotting each of our solar system’s planets.
Duration: 48 min

08: The Moon, Phases, and Lunar Eclipses

Looking up at the moon has always been a favorite pastime on romantic evenings. But there’s actually so much more to see and experience when you look with a trained eye. Here, learn everything about the moon’s craters and seas, follow its distinct lunar phases, ponder the “moon illusion,” and explore lunar eclipses.
Duration: 47 min

09: Satellites, Comets, and Meteors

Artificial satellites such as the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. Famous comets such as Hale-Bopp, Hyakutake, and McNaught. Brilliant meteor showers and storms, including the Perseids and Leonids. Revel in the science of understanding objects that orbit Earth or the sun and the beauty of witnessing such objects move across our sky.
Duration: 45 min

10: Observing Solar Activity and Earth’s Auroras

Explore the inner workings of the sun; learn to look safely at amazing features such as sunspots, solar prominences, and captivating coronas you can see for yourself with the right knowledge and equipment. Also, learn how coronal mass ejections give rise to space weather (including solar wind), possible satellite disruptions and power outages on Earth, and the shimmering auroras of the northern and southern lights.
Duration: 47 min

11: Solar Eclipses—Marvelous Coincidences

In this gorgeously illustrated lecture, follow the spectacular stages of a total solar eclipse, including first contact, totality, and the two “diamond ring” stages. Also, get tips on how best to view these marvelous celestial events—and where and when you can see them in the coming years.
Duration: 46 min

12: Celestial Sights When the Night Is Darkest

In this final lecture, Professor Filippenko reveals some of the breathtaking stars, galaxies, and other phenomena you can see while skywatching under extremely dark conditions, and how to find them. Also, learn how the night sky has given us clues about the birth of the universe—and even our origins.
Duration: 48 min