What makes a star shine? What holds the stars in a galaxy together? What exactly is a black hole? Could spaceships travel faster than the speed of light? This class will introduce and discuss the physical laws and principles that make the Universe what it is, from gravity to electromagnetism to quantum mechanics. We will meet some bizarre and unfamiliar objects along the ride, such as pulsars, cosmic rays, and dark matter. This course is a pre-requisite for the Museum’s Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) astrophysics and earth and planetary science track, funded by NASA under Grant No. NNX09AL36G. The course is offered free-of-charge under this grant.

Meeting Times: Mondays and Wednesdays: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Meeting Dates: 4/22, 4/24, 4/29, 5/1, 5/6, 5/8, 5/13, 5/15, 5/20, 5/22, 5/29, 6/3