Free Online Astronomy Courses from Top Universities

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Yale University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Open University offer free online astronomy courses with downloadable materials, including lecture notes.
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Free Astronomy Courses

Free astronomy courses are available online for independent learners who want to explore the field. Students can access text-based lessons and assignment instructions, though they won't receive grades or credit for their work.

Yale University

Yale University offers a study of advancing areas of astronomy via its frontiers and controversies in astrophysics course. The course emphasis is on black holes, extra-solar planets and dark energy.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT offers courses in astronomy online for free. Students can choose from topics such as exploring black holes, extrasolar planets, the early universe, and more.

Open University

Open University offers free online astronomy courses for interested students. Topics include the Big Bang, Jupiter, the moon, the sun, and more.

Free Online Astronomy Courses At a Glance

Course & School Program Level Format Assignments Quizzes & Exams Downloadable
Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics from Yale University Unspecified Text/video/audio Yes Yes Yes
Exploring Black Holes: General Relativity and Astrophysics course from MIT Undergraduate Texts/video lectures/projects Yes Yes Yes
Introduction to Astronomy course from MIT Undergraduate Text/study materials Yes Yes Yes
Extrasolar Planets: Physics & Detection Techniques course from MIT Undergraduate Text Yes No Yes
The Early Universe course from MIT Undergraduate Text/lecture slides/video lectures Yes Yes Yes
Modern Navigation course from MIT Undergraduate Text/lecture notes Yes Yes Yes
Cosmology course from MIT Graduate Text/lecture notes Yes No Yes
Particle Physics of the Early Universe course from MIT Graduate Lecture notes Yes No Yes
Astrophysics II course from MIT Graduate Text/lecture notes/study materials No No Yes
Modern Astrophysics course from MIT Graduate Text Yes No Yes
The Big Bang course from Open University Advanced Text No Yes Yes
Jupiter and Its Moons course from Open University Beginner Text/video No Yes Yes
Introduction to Active Galaxies course from Open University Intermediate Text Yes Yes Yes
The Moon course from Open University Beginner Text/video No Yes Yes
The Restless Universe course from Open University Intermediate Text No Yes Yes
The Sun course from Open University Beginner Text No Yes Yes
Comparing Stars course from Open University Intermediate Text No Yes Yes
Icy Bodies: Europa and Elsewhere course from Open University Intermediate Text No Yes Yes
Telescopes and Spectrographs course from Open University Intermediate Text No Yes Yes
The Evolving Universe course from Open University Beginner Text No Yes Yes

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The schools and programs listed below are popular educational options, and tuition varies based on program and location

Grand Canyon University

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Penn Foster High School

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