My name is Sandokan Sahara-Khan and I am 74 years old. I always wanted to study astronomy, but due to our living standards back when I was young, I was unable to pursue my interest. I want to make up for that now. Finding this online course is the best thing to happen to me.

I was browsing the internet searching for articles about the possibility of life on other planets and the cosmos in general when I wondered if there were online discussions on the subject and if I could somehow get involved in studying them. When I looked up some courses, Astronomy by CrashCourse caught my eye. I started watching astronomy with Phil Plait and was hooked, because he mentioned that astronomy has branched out to more than just looking at stars and planets but to other sciences involved in space exploration.

Why I took this course

When I was very young, I watched the movie Forbidden Planet and was instantly captivated by Robby the Robot. Ever since then I have been interested in artificial intelligence, and it is my belief that in the future robotics will play an important role in astronomy for instance in critical alignment and assessment of telescopes and other astronomical equipment. In some instances, they are already being deployed in certain roles of exploration.

After watching the course, I was so taken by Phil Plait’s dedication and enthusiasm that I went online and ordered a telescope. It just got right to the heart of my already existing love and interest in our vast mysterious universe.

What makes this slightly laughable is the fact that I am 74 years old and cripple, while I await a hip replacement, and can’t go outside to use the equipment, at least for quite a while. I am hoping that all going well I will eventually be able to view the planets first hand.

I have always been interested in the idea that there may be other life forms throughout the universe, and that we are not alone. I feel it would be rather arrogant to think we are the only creatures to exist in this ever-evolving universe.

Who is this course for?

CrashCourse is in my opinion one of the most incredible platforms to teach young and upcoming scientists all the information to spark their young minds into action, a very good starting point for them, and covering such a wide variety of subjects. Keep it up CrashCourse, job well done.

How is the class?

I found the course very interesting and informative, and Phil Plait is very knowledgeable and he made it exciting, so much so I will probably watch it again. He explained everything in such an exciting and interesting way.

Since then, I have received 10 certificates for other online courses based around physics, dark matter, computational language and the possibility of life throughout the universe. Very basic courses, but very interesting.

What is next?

Of all the courses, Astronomy by CrashCourse stands out as a great starting point for learning a lot in a short amount of time because of the way it is laid out, and the brilliant way it is presented.

I hope to pursue more courses like this one.