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The Sun and the Total Eclipse of August 2017
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 8 hours
  • Course by University of Colorado Boulder
  • Offered by

About

A total eclipse is one of the most spectacular sights you can ever see! It looks like the end of the world may be at hand. There is a black hole in the sky where the sun should be. Pink flames of solar prominences and long silver streamers of the sun's corona stretch across the sky. It gets cold, and animals do strange things. People scream and shout and cheer, and remember the experience their whole life. But total eclipses are important scientifically as well. They let us see parts of the sun’s atmosphere that are otherwise invisible. A total eclipse presented the first chance to test Einstein’s prediction that matter can bend space – like near a black hole. The best total eclipse in the United States in 40 years happens August 21st, 2017. This course has two primary goals: 1) to get you excited for the total solar eclipse coming in August 2017 and prepare you and your community to safely view it 2) to provide an inviting overview of the science of the sun and the physics of light If you are most interested in preparing for the eclipse, you can hop right into Week 5! If you want the full course experience, and to get some fun scientific context for what you'll be seeing on August 21st, start with Week 1 and move through the course week by week! [Note: if you start with Week 1, you can skip through some of the repeated material once you get to Week 5.] Overall this course will prepare you to... * Safely view the total or partial solar eclipse * Help others watch safely and even make money by leading a “neighborhood watch” of the eclipse * Review fundamental sun science, including the physics of light, how astronomers study the sun, how it formed, how we know what’s inside it, and where the energy that supports life on earth is generated

Modules

Introduction to an awesome event people remember their whole lives: a total eclipse of the sun. Get ready for Aug. 21, 2017 !

    • 3 Videos
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3 Videos

  • Meet astronomer Doug Duncan
  • 1. Description and video of a total eclipse - watch people and animals freak out!
  • 2. How to watch an eclipse

Overview of the course topics and goals

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 3. Overview of Course Topics and Goals

Total and Partial Eclipses

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • 4. Eclipses of the sun.
  • 5. Total vs. partial eclipses

How astronomers study the sun; the enormous size of the sun.

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 6. How Astronomers Study the Sun. The Sun's size compared with earth.

Sunspots and the solar activity cycle

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 7. Sunspots and the solar activity cycle

Assignment for Week 1

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week 1 Quiz

1 Discussions

  • What will YOU be doing on eclipse day?!

1 Readings

  • You can start final project now!

Why we mostly study the sun with different kinds of light; properties of light.

    • 4 Videos
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4 Videos

  • 1. Why we mostly study the sun with different kinds of light, rather than spacecraft.
  • 2. What is light? Differences between red, blue, ultraviolet, and X-ray light.
  • 3. Properties of light. White light. Kirchhoff-Bunsen laws. How color tells you temperature.
  • 4. Don’t be fooled by reflected light!

The strange quantum nature of light

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • 5. Is light a Wave? Is it a particle? It’s both! The strange world of quantum physics.
  • 6. Spectrum lines – how they tell us what the sun is made of; the quantum origin of spectrum lines.

How visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays reveal the sun’s photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. Magnetic fields and the solar wind.

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 7. How visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays reveal the sun’s photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. Magnetic fields and the solar wind.

Assignment for Week 2

    • 2 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week 2 Quiz

2 Discussions

  • Are you using the class discussion area to talk to other students?
  • Use your knowledge to convict a criminal?

The basic laws that govern the structure of the sun.

    • 3 Videos
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3 Videos

  • 1. Review of Week 2; overview of Week 3.
  • 2. Newton's law of gravity
  • 3. The "pefect gas" law that explains temperature, pressure, and density

How the Sun produces energy in its core and transports it to the surface.

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • 4. Inside the sun; nuclear energy generation.
  • 5. The transport of energy from the sun's core to the surface

Ways to probe inside the Sun

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 6. Neutrinos and Sunquakes (solar seismology)

Einstein says that gravity works by warping space. A total eclipse shows he's right!

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 7. Einstein proved right by a total eclipse - gravity warps space!

Assignment for Week 3

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week 3 Quiz

1 Discussions

  • Warped space is not just for Star Trek!

Where in space stars form and the physical laws that govern their formation.

    • 4 Videos
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4 Videos

  • 1. What week 4 will cover
  • 2. Regions of star formation in space.
  • 3. Converting gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy heats forming stars.
  • 4. Conservation of angular momentum causes a new star to spin.

Where the elements that formed the sun (and earth) came from.

    • 3 Videos
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3 Videos

  • 5. A previous generation of stars made the elements that formed the sun and planets.
  • 6. Different kinds of stars make different elements and recyle them into the galaxy.
  • 7. The formation of the planets around the sun.

Assignment for Week 4

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Quiz for Week 4

1 Discussions

  • Have you started planning for eclipse day?

Recap of Weeks 1-4. You can view Week 5 alone or after viewing weeks 1-4. Week 5 lesssons are all about eclipse day,

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 1. Quick recap of weeks 1-4 and an outline of what week 5 will cover.

Explanation of eclipses, who sees them, and their frequency.

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 2. Eclipses of the sun and moon. Who sees a total eclipse and who sees a partial eclipse?

The incredible drama of a total eclipse, on location in Grand Teton National Park.

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 3. A personal description of the incredible drama of a total eclipse, how animals respond, how to watch safely.

How to conduct neighborhood eclipse watching. How to make money and friends on eclipse day. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • 4. How to conduct neighborhood eclipse watching. How to make money and friends by being the one who prepares before eclipse day. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. How to SAFELY use binoculars with a group.

Assignment for Week 5

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week 5 Quiz

1 Discussions

  • What will you do for the eclipse? Make money? Help others see it? Both?

Summative Assignment for the Course.

    • 2 Discussion
    • 2 PeerReview
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2 Peer Review

  • Final course assignment: measuring the sun's rotation
  • Planning for an Eclipse Viewing Event

2 Discussions

  • Reminder - use the Forum to discuss how your project is going.
  • Come to the Univ. of Colorado in person?

Auto Summary

Immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring phenomenon of the total solar eclipse and the science of the sun with this engaging course. Led by Coursera, it aims to prepare you for the August 2017 eclipse and deepen your understanding of solar science and light physics. Over 480 minutes, you'll learn to safely view and guide others through the eclipse, explore solar prominences, and understand the sun's atmosphere. With both starter and professional subscription options, this foundational course is perfect for science enthusiasts and community leaders.

Douglas Duncan
Instructor

Douglas Duncan