A Cosmic Grand Tour: The Realms Of The Universe (OOL)
Osher Online | Registration opens Sunday, August 16, 2026 2:00 PM
In this course, we will explore the three fascinating realms of the cosmos: nearby planets and moons; the stars; and the galaxies (the great island of stars that turn out to be the building blocks of the universe.)
Our discussion will be in everyday language, without any math, and will be accompanied by remarkable color images from the latest space probes and the world’s largest telescopes, including the latest breathtaking images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
This Program meets on Tuesdays, September 29 though November 3, at 4:00 pm
Each live session is 90 minutes
Tuesday, September 29
Tuesday, October 6
Tuesday, October 13
Tuesday, October 20
Tuesday, October 27
Tuesday, November 3
As this class is delivered by the National Resource Center for OLLIs (NRC) at Northwestern University, you will receive a welcome email from osheronline@northwestern.edu. The email will include your credentials (username & password) as well as a hyperlink to the Osher Online Website through which you will access your course website. Please save the link once you receive it. Multi-session courses will use this same link each week.
Andrew Fraknoi
Andrew Fraknoi was the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College. He was chosen the 2007 California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Endowment and has won several national prizes for his teaching. He is the lead author of OpenStax Astronomy, a free, electronic textbook, which is the country's most-used introductory text in the field. He has also written books for teachers, children, and the public. He appears regularly on local and national radio, explaining astronomical ideas in easy to understand terms. The International Astronomical Union has named Asteroid 4859 Asteroid Fraknoi to recognize his contributions to the public's appreciation of science.