Professor Alex Filippenko is back to teach this new course, Understanding the Universe: What’s New in Astronomy, 2003. Find out about the latest developments in the exciting world of astronomy as Professor Filippenko returns to guide you through the remarkable discoveries astronomers and physicists have made during the last five years.

Like his first course, Understanding the Universe: What’s New in Astronomy, 2003 is exceptionally visual. You don’t simply hear about supernovae, quasars, gamma-ray bursts, or the stunning deep field photographs transmitted to us by the Hubble Space Telescope, you actually see them, as Professor Filippenko uses more than 700 images (600 new to this course—including pictures, diagrams, graphs, and even animations).

Professor Filippenko is an award-winning researcher, noted scholar, and teacher whose students have voted him "Best Professor on Campus" three times. Designed to accompany Professor Filippenko's original course, Understanding the Universe, An Introduction to Astronomy, filmed in 1998), this course also stands well on its own.

Part I
Lecture 1: From Dawn to Dusk
Lecture 2: Exploring the Night Sky
Lecture 3: Recent Discoveries in Our Solar System
Lecture 4: Other Worlds Galore!
Lecture 5: The Formation and Evolution of Stars
Lecture 6: Supernovae—Catastrophic Stellar Explosions
Lecture 7: Gamma Ray Bursts and the Birth of Black Holes
Lecture 8: Observational Evidence for Black Holes