Journey through the Cosmos with this Free Course

We’ve all looked up at the night sky with wonder and curiosity. Satisfy that curiosity and bring out your inner astrophysicist by registering for a free introductory course in astronomy starting on May 6, via the Mathesis Open Internet Courses Center.

The five-week online course, titled “Journey to the Universe,” does not require specialized knowledge of physics or mathematics. The only prerequisites are an interest in the Universe and a thirst for knowledge. The course is taught by Dr. Vasso Pavlidou and Dr. Kostas Tassis, astrophysicists from the University of Crete and the Institute of Astrophysics – Foundation for Research and Technology.

Mathesis was created in 2015, with a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), by Crete University Press (CUP). The aim of the platform is to provide free online courses for all, on subjects from quantum physics to world history and ancient Greek philosophy. To date, more than 50,000 people have taken part in the courses, and 34,000 have received a certificate of completion.

SNF also supports the implementation of PASIPHAE (Polar-Area Stellar Imaging in Polarization High-Accuracy Experiment), which explores the origins of the Universe. The experiment is coordinated by Dr. Tassis, and Dr. Pavlidou, also part of the team. The PASIPHAE experiment was presented in an event on astronomy in November 2018 as part of SNF’s monthly DIALOGUES series.