AST 100 Our Cosmic History
A journey from the Big Bang to the emergence of life and culture — rebuilt as a cinematic, scroll-driven web experience. Co-offered with PHY 100: Physics for the Next Generation.
A story told in light.
AST 100 is co-offered with PHY 100: Physics for the Next Generation. It explores the grand narrative of the Universe — from its origins to the emergence of life and our cosmic future. Designed to be accessible, the curriculum avoids complex mathematics, instead utilizing sight, sound, telescopes, and imagery to help students discover their place in the cosmos.
To cultivate students as citizens of the Universe, the course integrates astrophotography as an art form. Using archival data from the world's largest telescopes across all wavelengths, students process and present images to forge a personal connection with the cosmos.
The Universe has a history.
That history is not just physics — it is chemistry, biology, culture, and ultimately the story of who we are and where we come from. AST 100 treats the cosmos as one continuous narrative told across 14 billion years and seven distinct ages, each building on the last.
A student who completes this course will never look at the night sky the same way again.
Seven ages, fourteen weeks.
Two project weeks bookend the second half of the course.
| Ch | Title | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Seven Ages of the Universe | 1–2 |
| 1 | Particle Age | 3–4 |
| 2 | Galactic Age | 4–5 |
| 3 | Stellar Age | 5–6 |
| Mid | Midterm Project — Astrophotography | 7 |
| 4 | Planetary Age | 8–9 |
| 5 | Chemical Age | 10 |
| 6 | Biological Age | 11 |
| 7 | Cultural Age | 12–13 |
| Fin | Final Project — Mission Design | 14 |
How the 100% adds up.
Quizzes are weekly, classwork is in-session. Both projects are group deliverables — see the Mid and Fin pages for project briefs and grading.
How to do well in AST 100.
- 01Engage with the images
This course is visual — spend time with every figure on every page.
- 02Connect the ages
Each chapter builds on the previous one. The Chemical Age only makes sense if you understood the Stellar Age.
- 03Use the NotebookLM
A curated Google NotebookLM is available for self-paced learning and question answering.
Open NotebookLM → - 04Tell a story with your projects
For projects, prioritize storytelling over technical detail. Your strength is communication — use it.
- 05Attend every class
The quizzes are weekly and based directly on class discussions.
- 06Start projects early
Both projects require research and group coordination that cannot be done the night before.
Start anywhere. The story holds.
- Ch 0 · OverviewSeven Ages of the Universe● live
- Ch 1 · Particle AgeParticle Age● live
- Ch 2 · Galactic AgeGalactic Agecoming soon
- Ch 3 · Stellar AgeStellar Agecoming soon
- Ch 4 · Planetary AgePlanetary Agecoming soon
- Ch 5 · Chemical AgeChemical Agecoming soon
- Ch 6 · Biological AgeBiological Agecoming soon
- Ch 7 · Cultural AgeCultural Agecoming soon