One last key concept in Special Relativity is introduced before discussion turns again to black celestial bodies (black holes in particular) that manifest the relativistic effects students have learned about in the previous lectures. The new concept deals with describing events in a coordinate system of space and time. A mathematical explanation is given for how space and time reverse inside the Schwarzschild radius through sign changes in the metric. Evidence for General Relativity is offered from astronomical objects. The predicted presence and subsequent discovery of Neptune as proof of General Relativity are discussed, and stellar mass black holes are introduced.

1. Introduction
2. Planetary Orbits
3. Our Solar System and the Pluto Problem
4. Discovering Exoplanets: Hot Jupiters
5. Planetary Transits
6. Microlensing, Astrometry and Other Methods
7. Direct Imaging of Exoplanets
8. Introduction to Black Holes
9. Special and General Relativity
10. Tests of Relativity
11. Special and General Relativity (cont.)
12. Stellar Mass Black Holes
13. Stellar Mass Black Holes (cont.)
14. Pulsars
15. Supermassive Black Holes
16. Hubble's Law and the Big Bang
17. Hubble's Law and the Big Bang (cont.)
18. Hubble's Law and the Big Bang (cont.)
19. Omega and the End of the Universe
20. Omega and the End of the Universe
21. Dark Matter
22. Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe and the Big Rip
23. Supernovae
24. Other Constraints: The Cosmic Microwave Background
25. The Multiverse and Theories of Everything

In this course, Yale Prof. Charles Bailyn focuses on three particularly interesting areas of astronomy that are advancing very rapidly: Extra-Solar Planets, Black Holes, and Dark Energy. Particular attention is paid to current projects that promise to improve our understanding significantly over the next few years. The course explores not just what is known, but what is currently not known, and how astronomers are going about trying to find out.



This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2007.