Skywatching: Seeing and Understanding Cosmic Wonders

Step outside at any time of day or night, look up, and you're bound to see a world filled with limitless wonders: majestic rainbows, dramatic cloud formations, stirring sunsets, intricate constellations, captivating solar eclipses, and even the distant planets themselves. But these and other breathtaking natural phenomena are more than just pretty objects to be admired.

Rather, they're the result of fascinating atmospheric and astronomical processes that describe right in front of you important concepts in scientific fields such as

cosmology,
physics (including optics and electromagnetism), and
meteorology and other atmospheric sciences.

These and other processes all too often go unappreciated by the average skywatcher. To truly understand and enjoy the wonders in the sky requires a solid understanding of the science behind where these wonders come from and how they're formed, as well as insights into the best times and places to see them and simple equipment and other steps you can use to improve what you see at any time.

Get an unparalleled visual guide to nature's most mysterious and beautiful offerings with Skywatching: Seeing and Understanding Cosmic Wonders. With these twelve 45-minute lectures, award-winning astronomer and Professor Alex Filippenko of the University of California, Berkeley, has crafted a visually stunning tour of the sky's most dazzling displays, most of which you can see even without binoculars. Using the same dynamic and engaging teaching style that has won him praise from countess lifelong learners around the world, he shows you new ways to see your surroundings and appreciate the marvels of both our planet and the entire universe.


Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy, 2nd Edition

The Origin and Evolution of Ea... the Future of Human Existence

Black Holes Explained

The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries

My Favorite Universe

Physics and Our Universe: How It All Works

Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe

On the Frontiers of Astronomy

Experiencing Hubble: Understanding the Greatest Images of the Universe

Coursera - Analyzing the Universe

Origins - Formation of the Universe, Solar System, Earth and Life

The Universe (2007)