Astronomy lessons
19 short lessons written for skywatchers in Zimbabwe, each citing its sources: NASA, OpenStax Astronomy, the IAU and the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa. Read them here, or take the quizzes in the app to earn certificates.
Courses with certificates
Astronomy Foundations
Distances in space, the Moon and eclipses, the planets and your first constellation: the essentials for anyone starting out.
5 lessons and a certificateObserving from Zimbabwe
Find your way around the southern sky through the year, learn its Zimbabwean names, see the Milky Way and meteor showers, choose binoculars, and observe the Sun safely.
6 lessons and a certificateStars, Galaxies and the Universe
How stars live and die, what black holes are and how we found them, and how we know the Universe is expanding.
3 lessons and a certificateAstronomy Research Methods
How astronomers ask questions, read light and find exoplanets, how Zimbabwe uses space science, and how you can contribute to real research.
5 lessons and a certificate
Getting started
Solar System
Why the Moon Has Phases
The Moon does not change shape: we see different amounts of its sunlit half as it orbits Earth. Learn the cycle of phases, when each phase rises, and why it looks different from Zimbabwe.
2 minute read, with a quizEclipses of the Sun and Moon
Why eclipses happen, why they do not happen every month, how to watch them safely, and the eclipses coming up for southern Africa.
2 minute read, with a quizPlanets You Can See Without a Telescope
Five planets are easy to see with your eyes alone. Learn how to tell a planet from a star, where to look, and what binoculars will show you.
2 minute read, with a quizMeteors, Comets and Asteroids
Shooting stars are specks of comet dust burning up high above us. Learn the difference between meteors, meteorites, comets and asteroids, and the best meteor showers to watch from Zimbabwe.
2 minute read, with a quiz
Stars & constellations
Finding the Southern Cross
Use Crux and its two bright Pointer stars to find your way around the southern sky, and to find due south without a compass.
2 minute read, with a quizThe Night Sky Through the Year
Why the evening stars change with the seasons, what to look for in summer and winter from Zimbabwe, and how people across southern Africa used the stars as a calendar.
2 minute read, with a quizStar Lore of Zimbabwe and Southern Africa
Shona, Karanga, Ndebele and Venda names for the stars, the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds, what they meant, and why recording this knowledge is real research.
2 minute read, with a quiz
Observing
Seeing the Milky Way from Zimbabwe
The glowing band across a dark sky is our own galaxy seen from the inside. Learn what you are looking at, the best months and places to see it from Zimbabwe, and how to prepare your eyes.
2 minute read, with a quizObserving the Sun Safely
The Sun is the one object in the sky that can blind you. Learn which filters are safe, which are not, and how to watch sunspots and eclipses without risk.
2 minute read, with a quizBinoculars and Telescopes
Why the size of the lens matters more than magnification, why binoculars are the best first instrument, and how the great telescopes of southern Africa and space see the Universe.
2 minute read, with a quiz
Space science
The Life of a Star
Stars are born in clouds of gas, shine by fusing hydrogen for billions of years, and die as white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes. Their deaths made the elements in your body.
3 minute read, with a quizBlack Holes
Places where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape. Learn how black holes form, how astronomers find something invisible, and what the first black hole images showed.
2 minute read, with a quizGalaxies and the Expanding Universe
Our galaxy is one of hundreds of billions. Learn how astronomers discovered other galaxies, why their light shows the Universe is expanding, and what we still do not understand.
2 minute read, with a quizZimbabwe in Space
From ZINGSA to ZimSat-1 and ZimSat-2: how Zimbabwe builds and uses satellites, what they do for farming and the environment, and the growing African space community.
2 minute read, with a quiz
Research skills
How Astronomers Do Research
From a question about the sky to a published result: the scientific method as astronomers use it, how to read a research paper, and how to spot a weak claim.
3 minute read, with a quizLight: The Astronomer’s Messenger
Almost everything we know about the Universe comes from light. Learn the electromagnetic spectrum, how spectra reveal what stars are made of, and how colour and redshift give temperature and motion.
2 minute read, with a quizExoplanets: Worlds Around Other Stars
More than 6,000 planets have been confirmed around other stars. Learn how astronomers find planets they cannot see, what kinds of worlds exist, and the search for life.
2 minute read, with a quizCitizen Science: Real Research from Zimbabwe
You do not need a degree or a telescope to contribute to real astronomy. Projects you can join from Zimbabwe, discoveries volunteers have made, and how to make your observations count.
2 minute read, with a quiz