A Thousand Planets and Counting: An Evening Class on Astronomy for Beginners

Astronomers have now discovered almost a thousand planets orbiting other stars, a number of them similar to the Earth.  This makes it even more likely that there could be other Foothill Colleges out in the universe.  

For now, we can’t visit those other worlds, but you can find out all about them in the popular introductory astronomy class offered at Earth’s Foothill College.  

The evening Astronomy 10B class, taken by students from ages 16 to 80, is a perfect environment for learning more about stars, galaxies, and the big bang. (Despite the B in its name, this is a FIRST class in astronomy, and does not require any math or science background.  We call it “astronomy without tears”.)

The instructor, Andrew Fraknoi, was named the California Professor of the Year in 2007, in recognition of his ability to explain scientific concepts in everyday language and with a sense of humor.  

The course is offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6 to 8:20 pm.  An associated astronomy lab course is also available.  

The same course, by the way, is available during the day, and is offered Mon, Tues, and Thur, at noon.  Classes start September 23 or 24.

For more information about the Foothill College astronomy program and instructor, see: http://www.foothill.edu/ast

To register for classes at Foothill, start at: http://www.foothill.edu/admissions.php