This text includes 25 reading assignments for an introductory astronomy course. They have been modified from the OpenStax Astronomy 2e and College Physics 2e (linked in related resources below) textbooks to order the topics in a logical manner for a one semester course and provide shortened (~10-20 pages) readings intended for biweekly reading assignments. The text also features enhanced treatment of the Newton's Laws, Energy, and Optics content that go beyond the typical introductory astronomy course for non-majors.

Course connections: This content was built for an introductory survey of astronomy course (e.g., PHYS 103), including apparent motions of objects in the sky, light, telescopes, solar system objects, exoplanets, the sun, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. Basic math skills (arithmetic, powers, scientific notation, unit conversions) will be used frequently. This course is designed for students in all majors.

Our Solar SystemThis is a YouTube video/link of a unit I created using Canva. The video is a read aloud of Pluto and the Planets. There are 5 student led activities at the end with ways to assess each activty. Essential questions are included in addition to possible student questions, and teacher inquiry questions. Also, there are additional texts that can be incorporated into the lessons as well. 

This collection includes resources for teaching college-level introductory astronomy courses. The resources include interactive lecture slides, class activities, and projects. Topics include solar system astronomy, stellar astronomy, and galaxies and cosmology. Sample schedules are included for a sequence of three 10-week courses.This collection was created by Andrea Goering (goeringa@lanecc.edu) and Richard Wagner (wagnerr@lanecc.edu), instructors of physics and astronomy at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Development of these resources was funded through LCC's OER Initiative (https://inside.lanecc.edu/oer).

The video describes the life cycle of stars and how they change from one stage to the next.

Summaries of the different stages in a star's life cycle, as well as a short summary of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

You do not need an expensive telescope to stargaze. Here are three easy methods to introduce you to stargazing.

This course explores the applications of physics (Newtonian, statistical, and quantum mechanics) to fundamental processes that occur in celestial objects. The list of topics includes Main-sequence Stars, Collapsed Stars (White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes), Pulsars, Supernovae, the Interstellar Medium, Galaxies, and as time permits, Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Cosmology. Observational data is also discussed.

Dr. Tom Barclay is a senior research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. He spends his days studying stars and planets and how they formed.

In NOVA’s Exoplanet Lab, students will play the role of Moon-based “NOVAnauts” who are on a series of missions as part of a “Galactic Resettlement Team” to rehome several displaced alien life-forms and master the same techniques scientists use to find and characterize exoplanets. Students will first engage in training modules to learn about the transit and radial velocity methods for exoplanet detection. Then they will model using simulated transit and radial velocity data to identify potential exoplanets and determine various planet properties including volume, orbital period, and mass. They will also model using transit spectroscopy to determine the composition of an exoplanet’s atmosphere. Finally, by piecing together all the evidence they have gathered, students will predict how hospitable an exoplanet might be for various aliens looking for a new home planet by matching the characteristics needed by the alien species with the conditions on the exoplanet.

This lesson unit provides an insight into the navigational methods of the Bronze Age Mediterranean peoples. The students explore the link between history and astronomical knowledge. Besides an overview of ancient seafaring in the Mediterranean, the students use activities to explore early navigational skills using the stars and constellations and their apparent nightly movement across the sky. In the course of the activities, they become familiar with the stellar constellations and how they are distributed across the northern and southern sky.

This humorous OLogy article introduces kids to the Sun. The big star answers 15 questions, including: Your agent told me that you're the biggest star in the universe. Is that true? I know you star types tend to be touchy about age, but how old are you? Actually, I'm curious to know how stars begin. What's your story? Let's turn to a delicate subject. How do stars die? In Hollywood, I meet a lot of people filled with hot air. What gases are inside you?

These data sets include astronomical constants, physical and orbital data for the planets, selected moons, future total solar eclipses, and related data regarding nearby stars, chemical elements, and constellations.

In this episode of STEM in 30, learn the science behind observing, and discover the equipment that allows us to see further and further out.

These concept connection cards can be used in small groups or for self study. They help students build an understanding of three core topics in astronomy -- the HR diagram, light, and fusion. The file includes instructions for usage, as well as cards in multiple formats. They were created by Kaisa Young from Nicholls State University.

What is a star and what shape is it? Students explore both artistic and scientific representations of stars, learn that stars are like the sun but much further away and make their own star hat.

Today Phil’s explaining the stars and how they can be categorized using their spectra. Together with their distance, this provides a wealth of information about them including their luminosity, size, and temperature. The HR diagram plots stars’ luminosity versus temperature and most stars fall along the main sequence, where they live most of their lives.

Chapters:
Introduction: Stars
Stellar Spectra
Star Classifications
Why Are There No Green Stars?
Luminosity Depends on Size and Temperature
The HR Diagram
Main Sequence Stars
Other Stars on the HR Diagram
Review

This resource provides a short reading section with a figure and data table and a few questions about the text. It was created with standardized assessment in mind and aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.