Pt.1. The widening world view. When science was born -- Science in Athens -- Planetary spheres and the size of the universe -- Medieval cosmology -- The roots of the Copernican Revolution -- The true laws of planetary motion revealed -- Galileo Galilei and his successors -- How far away are the stars? -- The scale of the solar system -- Pt.2. Physical laws of nature. Newton -- Celestial mechanics -- Nature of light -- Electricity and magnetism -- Time and space -- Curved space and gravity -- Atoms and nuclei -- Strange microworld -- Elementary particles.
Pt.3. The universe. Stars: cosmic fusion reactors -- The riddle of the Milky Way -- Entering the galaxy universe -- Large-scale structure of the universe -- Finite or infinite universe: cosmological models -- When it all began: big bang -- The dark side of the universe -- Active galaxies: messages through radio waves -- Origin of galaxies -- Pt.4. Life in the universe. The nature of life -- The origin of earth and its moon -- Emergence and evolution of life -- Life and our solar system -- Extrasolar planetary systems and life in other solar systems -- Human's role in the universe.