| Date | Lecture/Event | Reading | Links | Comments |
| Jan 9 - Mon | 1. Introduction to the Universe | 1-9 | slides (pdf), notes | Course description and presentation of relative sizes of and between objects in the Universe. |
| Jan 11 - Wed | 2. Motions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun | 18-31 | slides (pdf), notes | How the Earth's motion is reflected on the sky, phases of the Moon, and Solar and Lunar eclipses. |
| Jan 13 - Fri | 3. Planetary Motions: From Aristotle & Ptolemy to Copernicus | 31-34; 37-39 | slides (pdf), notes | Explaining the irregular motions of the planets with geocentric and heliocentric models |
| Jan 18 - Wed | 4. Planetary Motions: Brahe, Kepler, Galileo | 39-42 | slides (pdf), notes | Elliptical orbits for the planets, the introduction of the telescope to astronomy, and Kepler's Laws. |
| Jan 20 - Fri | 5. Newton and Gravity | 42-44, 50-52 | slides (pdf), notes | A physical explanation for the motions of the planets, thanks to Newton's Laws of Motion and Gravity. |
| Jan 23 - Mon | 6. The Nature of Light | -- | slides (pdf), notes | Exploring the basic properties of light, our primary means of studying the Universe. |
| Jan 25 - Wed | 7. Atoms and Light | -- | slides (pdf), notes | Interactions of light and matter; blackbody (thermal) and emission-line radiation, and absorption-line spectra. |
| Jan 27 - Fri | 8. Telescopes | 43 | slides (pdf), notes | The hows and whys of astronomers' primary tools for exploring the Universe. |
| Jan 30 - Mon | 9. Now and Future Telescopes | 43 | slides (pdf), notes | The present and near-future of telescope design, including space telescope missions. |
| Feb 1 - Wed | 10. Denizens of the Solar System - Terrestrial Planets | 54-61; 75-93 | slides (pdf), notes | We begin exploring the Universe beyond our home planet. First stop: The other rocky worlds of the Solar System. |
| Feb 3 - Fri | 11. Denizens of the Solar System - Jovian Planets | 94-108 | slides (pdf), notes | Touring the Solar System's gas giants, as well as its assortment of "minor bodies". |
| Feb 6 - Mon | 12. Formation of the Solar System | 61-73 | slides (pdf), notes | What we know about the age of the Solar System, and how it formed. |