Mapping the United Federation of Planets: An Astronomer's Guide to the Galaxy

Embark on a captivating journey through space with this 1-hour 25-minute lecture from the Hubble Space Telescope series. Explore the vastness of Star Trek's United Federation of Planets while learning about real-world astronomical concepts. Discover Earth's position in the Milky Way, uncover the galaxy's shape and scale, and understand the challenges astronomers face in mapping our cosmic neighborhood. Delve into topics such as parallax, the distance ladder, spectral classes, and the structure of the Milky Way. Examine the contributions of notable astronomers like Henrietta Swan Leavitt and explore fascinating celestial objects including globular clusters, the Eagle Nebula, and the Galactic Center. Connect fictional star charts from Star Trek with actual astronomical databases as you gain a deeper understanding of our place in the universe.