Today the interest and the scope of astronomy are growing. With more and more people interested in knowing about the universe and the presence of life beyond Earth, the popularity of astronomy is certainly at a surge, especially amongst the young kids and the teenagers.
So, we at TrumpLearning, along with 50 of the top astronomy experts, from around the world have compiled this list of 8 of the best astronomy online courses. This list has been prepared after taking into consideration multiple parameters, such as course content, professor's knowledge, duration, the scope of the astronomy online courses, and the fees. So, let’s get started and take a look at 8 of the best astronomy online courses.
8 Best Astronomy Online Courses & Classes
- Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space by The University of Arizona - Coursera
- Analyzing the Universe by Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey - Coursera
- Backyard Astronomy - An Introduction to StarGazing (Udemy)
- Backyard Astronomy II (Udemy)
- Astronomy: Exploring The Solar System (Udemy)
- Astronomy Without Telescope (Udemy)
- Astronomy - State of the Art - Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona (Udemy)
- Cosmology and astronomy (Khan Academy)
About the course
It is one of the best astronomy online courses, which is ideal for anyone who wishes to learn more about modern astronomy. With the Coursera astronomy course, you will learn astronomy online and be updated about all the recent and advanced discoveries in astronomy. Furthermore, Coursera astronomy course also aspires to offer you adequate support, if you are just starting with astronomy and have absolutely no background in the field of science.
It is one of the top-rated Coursera astronomy courses, which has an overall rating of 4.8, with a total of 1753 reviews. This course is one of best astronomy online courses available and is offered by the experts at The University of Arizona. More than 115,917 students have already enrolled for this best astronomy class online. With a content rating of 98%, the Coursera astronomy course is certainly the best astronomy online course. As of today, it has been rated and reviewed by approximately 25,506 by the learners who have taken up this Coursera astronomy course. Only limited spots are left, so what are you waiting for? Enroll right away. Coursera astronomy also provides financial assistance for students who are unable to pay for it.
What’s included?
The Coursera astronomy course is an 11-week course. The week 1 of the course comprises of 1 hour of video lesson, wherein you’ll explore time and space with your tutor. It is more or less an introduction to the astronomy online course, and what all you’ll learn with Coursera astronomy. By the end of the one hour, there’s a survey verification exercise that will give you a better understanding of astronomy.
Week 2 of the Coursera astronomy has 6 hours of course material, wherein you’ll understand the science and history of astronomy. In this 6-hour session divided into 18 videos, you’ll learn the peculiarities of astronomy. There’ll be two practice exercises or quizzes towards the end of week 2. Week 3 of the best astronomy online course involves two hours of video lessons, wherein you’ll learn about the night sky, naked-eye viewing, daily motion, annual motion, the moon, eclipses, and the planets. The tutor of this astronomy class online will also take an exercise quiz towards the end of Week 3 on the night sky to see how well you have understood the Coursera astronomy course.
Week 4 of this astronomy for beginners course will involve studying the tools of astronomy, which would take about 5 hours to complete. In this best astronomy class online, you’ll learn about the tools of astronomy, telescopes, observing limitations, observing solutions, adaptive optics, interferometers, detectors, space astronomy, Hubble space telescope, Hubble images, Hubble space telescope service missions, big glass, invisible waves, beyond vision, gravitational waves, an update on gravitational waves, and frontiers. There’ll be two practice quizzes towards the end of week 4 to assess your understanding of the tools of astronomy.
Week 5 of this best astronomy class online will have study lessons of 4 hours and will be about matter and radiation. In this, there’ll be 16 videos spanning over 148 minutes, along with 3 quizzes to assess your understanding. Herein, you’ll learn about unity, substructure, atoms, The Higgs Boson, forms of energy, light, radiation, forces, chemistry, spectra, heat energy, mass-energy, relativity, gravity, and space-time.
Week 6 of the best astronomy online course will be your favorite, wherein you’ll learn about the solar system, involving formation, comparisons, inner planets, Mars, water on Mars, future Mars, titans, solar system satellites, outer regions, jovian planners, water worlds, NASA, and a few other related things. It will have a 19-video session of 172 minutes. There’ll be three practice exercises towards the end.
Week 7 of the best astronomy class online will revolve around the study of exoplanets with 11 videos spanning over 4 hours and 3 practice tests. In week 8, you’ll learn about the formations and the death of the stars. In it, there’ll be 13 videos, i.e., a total of 5 hours. There’ll also be assessment tests in the end. Week 9, 10, and 11 will be about galaxies, cosmology, and life in the universe, respectively. In week 9, you’ll have 15 videos, week 10 will have 13 videos, and week 11 will have 15 videos.
Upon the completion of this course to learn astronomy online, you’ll earn a certificate. It is primarily a shareable certificate, which you can easily share on your LinkedIn profile.
Reviews by CR
“
I was delighted to take this excellent course, the level of detail was perfect, the content very complete, Chris Impey was brilliant in the way he presented and commented on all the aspects covered.
Sign Up Here
Next, we have another fantastic astronomy online course from Coursera, wherein the tutor will use the publicly available data from NASA. In this Coursera astronomy course, you’ll study the real satellite observations of the astronomical X-ray sources. Further, you’ll also unsolve the mysteries of the cosmos, including supernovae, quasars, black holes, and neutron stars. With this Coursera astronomy course, the tutor will help you analyze time-series data and energy spectra to understand the working of these incredible objects. Your instructor and professor, Dr. Terry A. Matisky, will work along with you to help you examine and explore the phenomenal diversity of astronomical observations, which have made X-ray astronomy one of the most exciting and active fields of scientific investigation in the last 5 decades.
Having a rating of 4.8 with 111 student rating, it is one of the best astronomy classes online available for you at the moment. The good part about this astronomy for beginners' course is that it is free. So, you can access all the lectures, readings, and the assignment by paying absolutely nothing. However, 8839 students have already enrolled for this course, so there are only a few limited spots left for this astronomy class online. So, stop waiting and hurry.
The astronomy for beginners course has a course rating of 98% with about 1116 ratings. Hence, there are no two ways about the authenticity and the excellence of this course where you can learn astronomy online for free. A great aspect of this best astronomy class online is that once you complete the course, you’ll be awarded a certificate of completion. However, this certificate will be awarded only after you have done your readings, finished all the 22-hour lectures, and taken all the quizzes. The great thing about this certificate is that it is shareable. So, you can put it up on your LinkedIn profile and open up better and more rewarding job options for yourself. Moreover, having the certification from Rutgers (The State University of New Jersey), will be nothing less than an embellishment for your career and CV.
What’s included?
The Coursera astronomy is a 6-week course to learn astronomy online, wherein each week you’ll explore the different aspects of X-ray astronomy. Your Coursera astronomy course starts with the introduction to the nature of image formation. Following it, the tutor of this course helps you learn astronomy online will share examples of how DS9, their imaging program, can facilitate the thorough analysis and understanding of the real satellite data. One of the most incredible and likable parts of the Coursera astronomy course is that you’ll be using the same data, which the scientists use when they do their work. So, basically, with this astronomy for beginners course, nothing is canned. With it, you’ll be better equipped at appreciating the excitement, which the astronomers felt when they made iconic discoveries relating to supernovae & their remnants, binary x-ray sources, and the extragalactic sources, which paved our understanding of the cosmology.
Reviews by MM
“
Excellent professor ,made a dummy like me understand...Also I had no problem understanding him, even though English is not my native language... Very interesting subject, well explained. Recommended
Sign Up Here
About the course
Udemy is another great platform to study astronomy online courses. The tutor of this course will give you an overview of all that you can see from any of your most loved observing sites or even your backyard with your naked eye, a small telescope, or even a good pair of binoculars. With this astronomy class online, you’ll be able to acknowledge and appreciate how there’s so much more in the sky than just stars.
Your astronomy class online comprises 23 video lectures along with a myriad of handouts, which have been designed to help you live your hobby of Backyard Astronomy. This learn astronomy onlinecourse is divided into 9 sections, which are easy to digest, and can be fit perfectly in your busy schedule.
The astronomy for beginners course starts with a quick tour of all that you can see up in the sky – including the stars, moon, star clusters, nebulae, planets, and galaxies. Following this, you’ll learn about the Celestial Sphere, and learn about the movement of the sky. An interesting highlight of this course to learn astronomy online is that you will know about the ways and tricks to navigate heaven. After you get the celestial bearings, you’ll also learn to read a star. You can install a free planetarium program that can help you stimulate the night sky for all round the year.
With the help of this software, you’ll get a tour of heaven in all 4 seasons, in both the Southern and the Northern Hemisphere. After you have acquired the basic understanding of the night sky, you will be taught ways to improve your observation pleasure using small telescopes and binoculars. With this astronomy for beginners course, you’ll learn about the different types of instruments, their working, how to work with them, and what all you should know before getting yourself binoculars or a telescope. For anyone curious about the night sky, this could be the perfect introductory learn astronomy online course to get you out to observe in minimum time with maximum enjoyment.
With a fantastic rating of 4.3, it is certainly one of the best courses offered by Udemy. At the moment, the course is available at a discounted price of 45%, so why do not delay, and hurry. The good thing about this course is you can access it on your mobile or TV for convenient viewing experience. Moreover, after this best astronomy class online, you’ll get a certificate of completion. You also get lifetime access to all the study material of the course.
What’s included?
In this course, wherein you learn astronomy online, you will:
- Learn to observe the Planets, Moon, Star clusters, a galaxy, and even nebula with your naked eye.
- Get an understanding of why the stars appear in the manner that they do.
- Understand the celestial coordinate system, the Meridian, and The Plane of the ecliptic
- Learn about using the basic star chart
- Tour the night sky to get an understanding of how it appears in different seasons
- Learn to discover the different types of telescopes and binoculars to help accentuate your observing experience.
- Be told some basics that you should mandatorily know before investing in a telescope
- Be exploring how the eye perceives color and light, how the pupils dilate and become dark
What do you need?
For this astronomy online course, there’s no strict requirement as such. You only need some love for learning and exploring new things. Though not mandatory, it is great to have a computer printer so that you can print handouts and star charts.
Who should apply for this course to learn astronomy online?
This astronomy for beginners course is perfect for anyone who would like to learn and know more about backyard astronomy and stargazing. All the course lessons are easy and are readily accessible by people, irrespective of their age.
Reviews by Philip Ling
“
I was delighted to have taken the course. The course matched my expectations and more. The course contains what you need as a beginner to get started. The content was delivered in a very easy, clear way. I look forward to more courses from this Instructor. Thanks for delivering this one! ;)
Sign Up Here
About the course
This course from our list of best astronomy online courses comprises 23 different Video lectures, and a bunch of handouts, which are designed to introduce you to your hobby of Backyard Astronomy. Your astronomy class online from Udemy is divided into 6 sections, which are all easy to understand and can be effortlessly fitted into your busy schedule. For anyone, who’s curious about the Night Sky and wishes to learn more, there’s nothing better than this course. With it, you can observe the shortest possible time with maximum enjoyment.
Your Udemy astronomy online course is a follow-up course to Introduction to Stargazing, where you’ll continue the exploration of the Night Sky by getting a better understanding of the constellations. The entire course is divided into 4 sections for quick and convenient understanding. Each of the sections will represent a season and cover 3 months from the calendar year. You should know that the seasons are reversed between the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere. So, the section that covers the Northern Spring will also cover the Southern Fall.
With a rating of 4.4, it is certainly one of Udemy’s most liked astronomy online courses available at affordable prices. Moreover, one great thing about this course is you can access it on your mobile or TV for convenient viewing experience. Also, after this best astronomy class online, you’ll get a certificate of completion. You also get lifetime access to all the study material of the course.
What will you learn?
- In this course, you’ll discover the constellations, and learn where and what they come from.
- Learn about the zodiac and the constellations
- Tour around the 48 Greek constellations from Ptolemy's Almagest
- Explore the Constellations Mythology
- Examine the different constellations month by month
- Tour around the different objects so you can see all the Constellation with a telescope and binoculars.
What do you need?
To get a better understanding of this astronomy online course, it would be a great plus if you complete the first course from the Professor, which is the ‘Introduction to Stargazing.’ Though not mandatory, there'll be a mention of it now and then, and it could be a great value addition for astronomy lovers.
Who should enroll in this course?
This course is perfect for anyone who wishes to learn about Stargazing and Backyard Astronomy. All the lessons are easy to understand and can be taken by people irrespective of their age.
Reviews by Keith Brathwaite
“
This course has increased my interest astronomy. I would also like to know more about the link between constellation and Greek mythology.
Sign Up Here
About the course
One of the most fundamental topics that we studied in schools was the solar system. However, with astronomy online courses, you’ll get an insight into the solar system at a much deeper level. The tutor will try to give you a factual and scientific view and understanding of the subject. You’ll learn about the intricacies, such as the birth and the formation of the planets, the moon, and the solar system. The course will be finished with an understanding of the smaller bodies of the solar system, which has necessary clues about the evolution and their origin. When you learn astronomy online with this course, your teacher will help you discover answers to all your questions related to astronomy, such as what is included in the solar system and where is its edge?
With a rating of 4.4, it is certainly one of Udemy’s most liked astronomy classes online available at pocket friendly rates. Moreover, one great thing about this course is you can access it on your mobile or TV for convenient viewing experience. Also, after this best astronomy online course, you’ll get a certificate of completion. It doesn’t end here. You’ll also get a lifetime access to all the study material of the course.
What will you learn?
As part of this, learn astronomy online course, you will learn the following:
- Basics of the solar system
- Formation of the solar system
- Details about the different content found in the solar system
- Concepts of Planets
What do you need?
As such, for taking up this best astronomy online course, you don’t have to adhere to any strict restrictions. However, if you have already taken up the tutor’s past course, which is "where do we stand in the universe", that is an astronomy for beginners course, it could be a great plus.
Who should take up this course?
This astronomy class online is perfect for anyone who wishes to know about the cosmic backyard. It is perfect astronomy for beginners course, so if you are new to astronomy, you could certainly enroll.
Reviews by Scarlett Williams
“
Amazing course! Learned a lot from this course! :)
Sign Up Here
About the Course
If you wish to learn astronomy online but do not have a telescope, this is a great astronomy class onlineto start with. The astronomy class online is the educator’s initiative to break the myth that you cannot enjoy astronomy without paraphernalia like an expensive telescope. Your tutor will also shatter the common belief that studying astronomy is an expensive affair. The tutor of this astronomy online course will help you enjoy astronomy with just your naked eye. By the end of the astronomy class online, you’ll be able to unveil the mysteries of the universe around you.
With a rating of 4.3, it is certainly one of Udemy’s hot-selling courses easily accessible on your mobile or TV. Also, after completing this best astronomy online course, you’ll get a certificate of completion. You also get lifetime access to all the study material of the astronomy class online.
What will you learn?
With this course, you’ll be able to:
- Recognize different constellations
- Differentiate between a planet and a star
- Use Stellarium Software
- Spot international Space station in the night sky
- Understand different changes happening in the sky all round the year
- Measure the distance and the brightness of the stars
- Become a pro and observe astronomical events with the naked eye
- Understand different time zones
- Be aware of the different opportunities in pursuing a career in astronomy
What will you need?
As such, there are no strict and hard-core requirements to take up this astronomy for beginners course. However, the basic need is that you should be able to watch some stars with the naked eye, should have a smartphone where you can download and install the Stellarium software, and be familiar with the concepts of sun, moon, planets, and stars.
Who should take up this course?
- This astronomy class online is meant for anyone who wishes to spend their free time under the starry sky
- Someone who doesn’t own a telescope but wishes to learn astronomy can also take up this astronomy class online.
- Lastly, anyone with the slightest interest in the field of astronomy should opt for this course
Reviews by Kiran Kulkarni
“
Happy to see that Astron has maintained the quality of contents as well as of production in second course also. Actually, astronomy without telescope is a continuation of "Where do we stand in the Universe" course and gives a great insights of basic positional Astronomy. Eager for launching of Astron's next course.
Sign Up Here
About the course
This learn astronomy online course is meant for people who love astronomy and just wish to be updated about the recent discoveries in the subject. In this course, you’ll be tutored by the prolific professor and educator, Professor Chris Impey, who, along with his team, has started this free course just to spread his love for astronomy all around the world. The astronomy for beginners course material is prepared by the instructors from the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, who will help you enrich your knowledge and understanding of the universe. There’ll be a panel discussion, guest lectures, and live Q & A. With a Udemy rating of 4.5 and an approximate enrolment of 1 lac students, it is certainly the best way to satiate your love for astronomy for free.
What will you learn?
- With this course from the best astronomy online courses, you’ll learn how some of the noted astronomers around the world are addressing complex issues, such as the black hole, dark energy, existence of life beyond our planet earth, and the nature of dark matter.
- It will help you get familiar with the current and latest happening in the field of astronomy, distant universe, galaxies, the solar system, and exoplanets.
- Be appreciative of the different technological advancements in detectors and telescopes, which are revolutionizing the way we look at the universe.
What do you need?
You truly need nothing beyond a keen interest in astronomy for this astronomy for beginners course.
Who should enroll in this course?
Well, frankly, this is one of the few astronomy online courses, whichis suitable for anyone and everyone. However, the following people should certainly take up the astronomy for beginners course:
- Planetarium Educators
- Astronomy students
- Astronomy Instructors
- Amateur Astronomers
- Museum Educators
- Science Center experts
- Science Teachers
Reviews by Nikunj Krishna Rayal
“
Very nice lesson on Telescopes and spectrum but needs a lot of research to understand deeply about all the specific terms used in this tutorial in detail. It is a very nice lesson to learn as a beginner. Also there are a lot of pdfs, podcasts and interviews of other researchers who made all this knowledge possible and so interesting. Thanks a lot for this great course.
Sign Up Here
About the course
Amongst one of the best astronomy online courses, in this course you’ll learn about the scale of the universe, stars, black holes, galaxies, geological and climate history of the earth, and about the life on earth and in the universe around you.
Though there’s not much information about this astronomy class online, from the reviews, it is quite evident that this is one of the free astronomy online courses available out there, and is certainly a great hit amongst the students. The point is if you love the universe, sky, and the planets, and they are teaching you all of it for free with this astronomy for beginners’ course, so why not give it a try?
Sign Up Here
So, these are the 8 of the best astronomy classes online that you can certainly check out to satiate your love for the sky and the universe. We know there’ll be more astronomy online courses available too, but we have tried our best to pick only what we think could do the requisite value addition for you. Good luck!