Cosmos Notebook

Learning paths · Path

The Road Map

The original winter plan — read just enough, then go and do it. From your first constellation to weighing Jupiter.

Astro + quantumBeginner22 weeks · 2–4 hours a week5 stages · 11 steps + 1 optional

Each stage pairs a little reading with a hands-on project. Your own progress shows up here and in My notebook.

  1. Late OctWeeks 1–2

    Get oriented

    A short, beautiful overview of modern physics, one easy indoor experiment, and learning your way around the night sky.

    1. ReadSeven Brief Lessons on Physics
    2. DoBuild a CD spectroscope
    3. UseStellarium — learn 3–4 constellations
    4. AlsoPick a podcast for the commute
  2. NovWeeks 3–6

    Light and quantum basics

    What light actually is: measure its speed, then see it behave like a wave with nothing more than a laser pointer.

    1. ReadQuantum: A Guide for the Perplexed
    2. DoMeasure the speed of light with chocolate
    3. DoThe double-slit experiment at home
    4. AlsoWatch a short video on wave–particle duality before the double-slit
  3. Late Nov – mid DecWeeks 7–9

    Your first fundamental constant

    Use coloured LEDs and a multimeter to measure Planck's constant — the number at the heart of quantum physics.

    1. DoFind Planck's constant with LEDs
    2. AlsoOrder a cheap multimeter and LED kit early
  4. Mid Dec – JanWeeks 10–15

    Into space

    Jupiter is in the evening sky all winter: track its moons on weekend nights and use Kepler's laws to weigh the planet.

    1. ReadAstrophysics for People in a Hurry
    2. DoWeigh Jupiter
    3. DoTrack sunspots to time the Sun's spin
    4. AlsoObserve on Friday and Saturday nights
    5. AlsoSunspot sketches on clear weekend days
  5. Feb – MarWeeks 16–22

    Level up

    Measure the size of the Earth at the spring equinox, then start simulating physics in code.

    1. DoMeasure the Earth like Eratosthenes
    2. DoSimulate an orbit in code
    3. UsePhET Interactive Simulations
    4. ReadThe Theoretical Minimum: Classical Mechanics — Susskind's free lectures follow the book Optional
Method

How every project runs

  1. Learn just enough. One short video or chapter on the idea.
  2. Predict. Write down what you expect before measuring.
  3. Do it. Record everything, including the messy bits.
  4. Explain it. A one-page write-up for a friend — share it with the community if you like.
  5. Follow the questions. They become the next project.