Are you old enough to have seen the first Moon landing in 1969? I was crowded into my school library with more than a hundred excited schoolmates to watch the flickering images on the television. This course, available through FutureLearn, includes details of the 1960s space race between the USA and the USSR, complete with footage of the rockets and moon expeditions.
But the space race is only a small part of the story of moons as told by David Rothery and his team from The Open University in the UK.
Who can do this course?
Moons, available on the FutureLearn platform, is suitable for anyone interested in learning more about our own Moon as well as other moons in the solar system. You do not need previous astronomy knowledge to take this course. A new run of this course started on February 12, 2018, and enrollment will remain open for several weeks.
If you have ever wondered why the Moon appears to change shape from night to night, and exactly how the Moon affects the tides, this is the course for you.
More about Moons
Moons, the online course, was released in 2014 but also includes reports of more recent discoveries. You will also learn about the formation of the Earth because moon rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts and some unmanned missions are generally much older than any rocks found on the Earth’s surface today. Why have moon rocks survived longer than earth rocks? They have not been broken down by weathering, exposure to water, or plate techtonics as on Earth.
This eight-week course of videos, readings and other resources includes many stunning mages of various moons in the solar system as well as links to related websites of interest and downloadable PDFs. Some interesting exercises are included, such as a virtual microscope for examining rocks and “Moon Trumps”, which is a card game designed to pleasantly increase your knowledge of many moons such as their size, orbit, density and likelihood of being able to support life. Unlike “little green men from Mars”, life elsewhere in the solar system is more likely to be unsophisticated microbial forms on Europa (a moon of Jupiter) or Enceladus (a moon of Saturn).
There is an amazing diversity of moons in the solar system. Some are rocky, some are icy, some have an atmosphere. Vapour jets have been photographed spurting out from fissures in the surfaces of a few moons. Sometimes it is water vapour, other times methane gas.
There is evidence of past volcanic activity on our own Moon, although no volcanoes have erupted there for more than a billion years. Some moons of Jupiter and Saturn are still volcanically active and we are taught why this is so. Size is not the only contributing factor!
How Many Moons are in the Solar System?
Did you know that there are more than 180 moons in the solar system? As telescopes and spacecraft continue to become more sophisticated, more moons are constantly being discovered. This course discusses how some moons formed in orbit around the planets, while others are captured asteroids and comets. We are taught why larger moons are spherical like the planets and our own Moon, while small moons may be different shapes. We even learn how massive they need to be in order to become round.
Occasionally, physics and mathematical concepts and calculations are included, but they are clearly explained so non-scientific minds can understand without feeling overwhelmed.
How Much Time Will I Need?
You can expect to take about three hours each week on this course. Each weekly module consists of between 22 and 39 steps.
Like other FutureLearn courses, discussions are encouraged on every page of the course. A team of course mentors replies to some student comments. You may also spot an occasional contribution by David Rothery, the Lead Educator.
With FutureLearn’s current policy, access to the course is free for the duration of the course plus two weeks. Because it is an eight-week course, you have free access for ten weeks from the date you joined. If you want unlimited access, you can pay the course fee which also includes weekly and final tests. Providing you score more than 70% in the tests, you will receive a beautiful certificate, in digital form as well as a printed copy mailed to you.
Although a few weeks have some quiz questions, you cannot access the official weekly test pages without paying the course fee. Click on the pink Upgrade button to find out the cost in British Pounds or your local currency.
Related Courses
There are a number of astronomy and earth science courses related to this one. Chemistry and biology courses cover snippets of similar material. I enjoyed The Science of the Solar System (Coursera), In the Night Sky: Orion (FutureLearn) and various earth science courses.
A Final Thought
If you have an interest in the natural world and things you can see in the night sky, try this course.
By Pat Bowden, published February 20, 2018.
