Before continuing our tale, I'm going to bluntly advertise for
the next session of my Introduction to Astronomy course which
starts in January. This course is for school children ages 8 and
up, and surveys the science of astronomy from the contents of
our solar system, to how stars form age and die, to the farthest
regions of our universe, and the variety of strange objects that
we have discovered within it. I touch on the fundamental physics
involved in our knowledge of the universe surrounding us - how
we use the light from distant objects to understand their
distance and composition, and even introduce thermonuclear
physics and general relativity at a level that even the 8 year
olds can grasp. Weekly presentations are followed by observing
sessions in my front yard (in Southbury) using a telescope
capable of showing the major planets, star clusters, nebulae and
galaxies, along with the occasional comet, meteors, and plenty
of artificial satellites. We will meet for 19 weeks (Thursdays
at 7 p.m.) from Janua