Front Range Forum, Winter 2026
NEW: Schedule for the last two weeks
Friday, February 13
- Class will meet at the usual time / and the topic is time! (I will post slides later this week.)
- After the morning class and the afternoon class we will meet for a celebratory gathering at Simmer, right across the street from the Senior Center
- Morning Section: We have a reservation for 11:30
- Afternoon Section: We have a reservation for 3:30
Wednesday, February 18
Instead of the usual schedule on Friday, February 20, we’ll have a combined class in the Twinberry Auditorium.
- Class will meet from 9:30 – 11:30 AM
- The class will be based on questions from members. So send your questions on!
Instructor Info
Brian Jones
970-980-1378
physicsjones@gmail.com
Time and Place
We will have two sections:
- Friday mornings, Jan. 9 to Feb. 20, 9:30 – 11:30 AM, Foxtail 2
- Friday afternoons, Jan. 9 to Feb. 20, 1:30 – 3:30 PM, Foxtail 2
You are officially registered for one section or the other. But if you need to attend a different section one day, that’s fine—no need for advance approval.
Lunch
From 11:30 – 1:30, the room is ours, and folks are welcome to bring lunch and gather with other class members for connection and conversation.
Description
13 billion years ago (more or less) the universe was born in what is termed the “big bang”. It was a hot, dense soup of particles and photons. Now, the universe is a big, cold, largely empty space populated by galaxies, stars, planets—and you and me.
How did it get this way? That’s the topic of this course.
We’ll talk about what information we can get from looking at stars and galaxies, how stars form and how stars evolve, why stars explode sometimes, and why sometimes they just fizzle. (What about the sun? We’ll talk.) We’ll talk about how we use exploding stars to measure distances, and how we use these measured distances to elucidate the structure, the history, and the future of the universe. How big is the universe? How old is the universe? How do we find planets around other stars? And what about Pluto? Is it a planet or not? We’ll answer all these questions and more.
Each session will involve some hands-on experimentation to help us understand basic principles. Each session will involve some small-group discussion to help us better wrap our minds around the topics at hand. Each session will leave you understanding just a bit more about the universe and our place in it.
You don’t need any background in science—just a bit of curiosity and a willingness to engage and explore. Come prepared to be active, to be social, and to be amazed!
Sessions
Week 1: Learning From Light
The only way (almost!) that we can learn about the universe is by observing the light (and other electromagnetic waves) that come to us from space. That’s not as limiting as it sounds—we can learn a great deal just by observing at a range of different wavelengths.
Week 2: What Goes Up
Gravity is an attractive force between all matter in the universe. And it’s the major player that determines the structure of the universe. It is responsible for making stars ignite, keeping planets in orbit, determining the structure of the universe—and the future of the universe. And it’s the force that makes black holes inescapable.
Week 3: Inside the Atom
To keep from collapsing, stars need an energy source. Inside the core of our sun, hydrogen is fused into helium, releasing vast quantities of energy. And what happens when the hydrogen runs out? Fortunately, we won’t be around to see….
Week 4: The Big Bang
OK, now it’s time to put some pieces together. What is the “Big Bang”? Why do we think the universe started this way? And what happens in the future?
Week 5: Dark Matter and Dark Energy
So, it turns out that we don’t know what 96% of the universe is made of. And this 96% that we don’t understand is responsible for the structure and the future of the universe….
Week 6: It’s About Time
This class will be an extension of some of the concepts we’ve explored in the course to date. We’ll talk about what defines “the arrow of time”—and then speculate what might happen if the expansion of the universe reverses and becomes a collapse. We’ll see how the ideas of curving space lead to an option for travel in time, and discuss some of the problems this would cause.