Beyond Earth is a wonderful, ongoing, two-part course that explores our solar system and the COSMOS. Participants can choose to do the full course or just attend Parts 1 or 2.
Part 1; THE SOLAR SYSTEM- THREE WEEK PROGRAM commencing on Wednesday 27 April- presented by Peter Lazarus Week 1 explores the Sun, how it is formed and its effects on Earth. Week 2 explores the birth of the moon and its influences on Earth as well as solar and lunar eclipses. Week 3 takes you on a journey among the planets, discusses the categories and characteristics of the planets, and ends with some of the amazing discoveries that have been made.

Part 2; THE COSMOS- The Big Bang to Today; weekly from 18th May until the end of Term 4. Presented by Peter Coates. This course will cover the Cosmos from A to Z. From the earliest mentions of astronomy and the heavens, back in c.3000 BC, right up to the latest discoveries and theories such as dark energy and the ever-expanding universe. The course has been re-structured to become one continuous naturally flowing course. We will look at how the universe came into being, how stars are created and die, why planets orbit suns, how we are exploring outer space and the new planets we seem to be finding everywhere. What is gravity and how does it affect us? And we will not forget the rich history of astronomy and its related sciences, and lots more.

Additional information

Peter Lazarus will present Part 1; weeks 1-3, and Peter Coates will present Part 2; weeks 4 to the end of the year. Peter Lazarus, one of our members, has been organising and running U3A courses with Hume U3A for over eight years and has recently run courses with Sunbury U3A. He has also presented courses on Linux and climate change for Hume Council.
Peter Coates, also one of our members, has a wide range of interests. He presented our astronomy course in 2021 and is also currently leading our geology course.