Coursera -Imagining Other Earths

For want of a better place to put this...

https://www.coursera.org/course/otherearths

A sort of overview class on exoplanets.  Maybe to inspire the next generation of planet hunters.

Quote :

Over the past two decades, astronomers have discovered over a thousand planets around nearby stars.  Based on our current knowledge, it seems likely that there are millions of stars in the Galaxy that host Earth-sized planets in Earth-like orbits. What is the range of conditions for these planets to host life? In this course, students will engage with a wide range of concepts in astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology and physics with a focus on developing the background they will use need to think further about this profound question. We will explore the origin and evolution of  life on Earth, particularly in extreme environments, the properties of planets and moons in our Solar System,  the properties of stars and the newly discovered extrasolar planets.