Free Courses

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)

• Introduction to Astronomy
• The Solar System
• Hands-On Astronomy: Observing Stars and Planets

MIT has several really good astronomy courses that can be completed for free online. Nearly all of the courses include lectures, assignments, reading lists and exams, as well as multimedia materials to help you learn on your own.

2. The Open University (open.ac.uk)

• The Sun
• The Moon
• Comparing Stars
• The Restless Universe
• Telescopes and Spectrographs

Britain's Open University offers five excellent astronomy courses. All of the courses are free and can be viewed online or downloaded to your computer. Most courses are text-based, but there are graphics and illustrations within the materials.

3. About U (about.com)

• Astronomy 101

The Astronomy 101 course offered by About.com consists of 10 lessons that can be viewed online. The course is text based and includes assignments and links to a lot of other valuable resources. There is also a community forum where you can ask questions and discuss what you have learned.

4. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (nrao.edu)

• Essential Radio Astronomy Course

The Essential Radio Astronomy course is a comprehensive course offered for free online by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Best suited for astronomy graduate students and advanced undergraduates, the course consists of text and graphics and can be viewed on the NRAO website.

5. Online Astronomy Academy (kidsastronomy.com)

• Astronomy Courses for Kids

The Online Astronomy Academy offers two free astronomy courses for kids. The first course is recommended for children between seven and eleven years old, and the second course is recommended for kids age 12 and up. Both courses include instructions, assignments, a student center and a final project.

Other Free Astronomy Education Resources

1. NASA (nasa.gov)

• NASA Podcasts
• NASA TV
• NASA Photo Gallery

NASA has a great website for anyone who is interested in space and astronomy. In addition to news, photos and info about NASA missions, visitors can also check out NASA TV, NASA podcasts and a wide range of education resources.

2. Skymaps (skymaps.com)

• Free Monthly Skymaps

Skymaps.com provides free printable skymaps via their website. Maps are updated every month to reflect changes in the night sky. You can print up to 300 copies of each map for non-commercial use. (If you want to print more than 300 maps, you can do so after securing written permission from the site's owners.)

3. Exploratorium (exploratorium.edu)

• Space Weather Research Explorer

The Exploratorium offers a lot of different astronomy resources. One of the most entertaining and educational is the Space Weather Research Explorer. This section of the site provides live data, photos and graphs to teach you how to make your own space weather predictions.