The sky is an oblivious celestial dome filled with mystical celestial bodies. Study of astronomy enables one to unravel these mysteries and come to an acute conclusion. Although it’s an enchanting spectacle seeing millions and trillions of sparkling stars in the sky, it’s also an extremely complex process that leads towards the understanding of its history, origin, and characteristics.

Astronomy involves the study of objects beyond the earth’s atmosphere. It deals with the evolution, motion, constitution and the physical and chemical classification of heavenly bodies. It may seem fascinating to discern the birth of stars, the movement of planets, the showering of meteors and the existence of interstellar dust, but it takes years of tireless research, time and study to gain information on the same. Astronomy is much more than just staring at the sky with a telescope by your side. It requires a considerable amount of interest, curiosity and sound knowledge in subjects like mathematics and physics.

With the growing advancements in technology and science, the field of astronomy has branched into several divisions such as Astrophysics, Astrogeology, Astrometry, and Astrometeorology. An eagerness to know more about the various mysteries of the universe can open the door of opportunities in the field of astronomy. The following free online astronomy courses provide aspiring individuals in this field, an opportunity to gain invaluable insight and fundamental knowledge about the planetary atmosphere and beyond.

Astronomy: State of the Art

Through this high-rated course, one can learn about the cutting-edge technologies of astronomy and have a glimpse into the future of this fascinating field of research. With its highly professional educators from Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, it is one of the most preferred courses to enhance one’s understanding of the universe. They provide online lecture materials from professional experts, conduct real-time Q&A sessions and discussions to learn the science behind the recent developments and news in astronomy.

Hands on Astronomy: Observing Stars and Planets

This is one of the oldest course in this list, but it’s valuable teachings are relevant even today. Held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this course aims at introducing the students with the usage of telescopes, techniques of visual observation, spectroscopy of the celestial bodies and electronic imaging. Weekly outdoor observational sessions are conducted, lecture materials are provided on topics like color imaging, optics information and on how astronomers work.

Astronomy: Discovering the Universe

This course dives into some of the most interesting questions of the universe, such as the Big Bang and the Black Hole and how the current cosmological picture of the universe came into formation. This four-week course gives the students an idea of how our universe has evolved and how new discoveries have come into fruition with the usage of new-age technologies. This online course walks through how civilization of different times has tried to make sense of the universe.

Confronting the Big Questions: Highlights of Modern Astronomy

Students applying for this course will grab an understanding of the history of the universe and how the various modern astronomic developments came into existence. The course begins by giving a formal understanding about the stars, galaxies and the planets by confronting the big questions of the universe and ends with some of the key theories of cosmology.

Galaxies, Stars, and Planet

This 8-hour long online course gives a general introduction about the various constituents of the celestial sphere from the big to the very small. It focuses on the composition of various astronomy-related objects, the shape and size of the solar system and the fundamentals of the universe.

Studying astronomy is a time-consuming process but if done in an accurate way, it can bring to the forefront years of work satisfaction for an individual. Enrolling in these free online courses can be highly beneficial as students would gain valuable experience and knowledge about astronomy.

Sourav Mukherjee