Have you ever looked up on a clear night and wonder—what exactly is a star? Why do stars shimmer in so many dazzling colors? Join Jerry Krassner and journey through the life story of stars: from their birth inside giant clouds of cosmic gas, through their glowing prime, to their spectacular or peaceful endings depending on their size. You’ll discover why stars twinkle, how they form star clusters, and what causes their colorful variety. Whether stars end their lives in brilliant supernova fireworks or quietly fade into white dwarfs, we’ll unravel these stellar secrets in an easy-to-follow way!

Embark on a cosmic adventure with Jerry Krassner as we explore the wonders of the universe! In this lively course, we'll unravel the mysteries of what the universe is made of, how it all began, and the fascinating theories—old and new—that try to make sense of it all. From ancient Hebrew and Greek insights to dazzling ideas from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, right up to today's cutting-edge discoveries, you'll see how our picture of the cosmos has changed through the ages. We'll touch on mind-bending concepts like relativity and quantum theory.

Get ready to unlock the secrets above your head! In this engaging session, you’ll discover how to tell at a glance whether that bright dot is a twinkling star or a wandering planet—no telescope required. Learn why stars paint the sky in different colors, find out why they sometimes bunch together in dazzling groups, and see how far your eyes can reach into the cosmos. We’ll answer all your biggest “What’s that?” sky questions, from spotting the closest planets to identifying the farthest object visible without any equipment.

Get ready to travel through the night sky! In this lively session, you’ll not only meet the constellations and hear the epic myths behind them. Discover how to pick out twinkling planets, dazzling constellations, bustling star clusters, glowing star-forming regions, and the magnificent Milky Way. We’ll unravel what each of these cosmic wonders really is and how they dance across the sky together.

Get ready for a journey across space and time as we uncover humanity’s quest to measure the universe! This engaging course takes you on a whirlwind tour of how people figured out the distances to planets, stars, and galaxies. You’ll discover how ancient Greeks used geometry and lunar eclipses, how Renaissance astronomers harnessed the telescope and planetary parallax, and how 20th-century scientists relied on pulsating stars and exploding supernovae to map the vast cosmos. Along the way, you’ll see how each leap in measurement not only shrank or expanded our sense of the universe, but also rewrote our ideas about its past and its astonishing future.