Astronomy Update

Astronomy Update Limit: 35

Presenter: Frederick Chromey

The course will survey developments in astronomy over the past four years. Highlights include science from space missions, including Euclid, Gaia, and the James Webb Space Telescope; results from spacecraft exploration of the solar system, especially of Jupiter, Mars, and the Moon; and important observations from ground-based facilities. Emphasis will be on advances in, and new questions for, the scientific understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe, galaxies, planets, and life.

Frederick Chromey is the Matthew Vassar Jr. Emeritus Professor of Astronomy. He taught at Vassar College 1981-2016, where he also served as Director of the College Observatory. His publications mainly concerned observational investigations of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. He is the author of the 2016 textbook, To Measure the Sky: An Introduction to Observational Astronomy.

LESSON I

LESSON II

Lesson III

Lesson IV