Astronomy for Poets

Have you wondered about the recent discoveries of astronomy (such as black holes, cannibal galaxies, and the expanding universe), but worried that a formal course will be full of math and technical language?

In that case, you may want to look into Astronomy10B, Astronomy for Poets, at Foothill College this fall. Offered both during the day and in the evening, the course explores the big ideas about astronomy without math, with lots of analogies, and with the best color images from the Hubble and big telescopes around the world.

Learn the latest scoop about how the universe made life on Earth possible and might someday snuff it out. Discover what astronomers know about the history of the universe since the Big Bang, and the life story of the stars.

The course is offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8:25 pm (and also during the day, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, from noon to 1:25 pm.) The instructor is Andrew Fraknoi, who specializes in explaining astronomy in everyday language, both in his classes and during his appearances on Bay Area radio.

To register, go to the college web site at: http://www.foothill.edu/reg/ Everyone needs to register for the course, but later, those students who do not need a grade can make arrangements to attend without credit.

If you want to see the course in action before registering, you are invited to come to the first class in room 5015 at Foothill and see if you like the jokes.