CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College in Clearlake is pleased to announce a new instructor and a new class being offered at the campus.

Dr. Christopher Hodges will be teaching astronomy during the fall semester.

Astronomy 1L will feature a survey of the solar system, stars, galaxies, history, and tools of astronomy, cosmology and exploration of space.

There also is a lab that goes along with the class. The lab will cover the study and interpretation of astronomical observations through the use of prepared astronomy exercises, the use of telescopes or computer simulations of telescopes, naked eye observation of celestial bodies, and laboratory activities using various quantitative measuring devices.

Dr. Hodges has taught for eight years at San Francisco State University and University of California, Riverside.

His interest in astronomy started when he took his first community college class when he was still in high school. He’s hopeful to bring a similar experience this fall to the Lake County Campus.

“This is a very exciting time in astronomy,” said Hodges. “That our observations and understanding of the universe has exploded over the last two decades.”

From Hubble telescope images, detection of more than 3,000 exoplanets, flybys of Pluto, to the plethora of information obtained by the Mars rovers, there are so many new discoveries in astronomy.

A discussion of the numerous modern results and what we should expect in the next decade will be part of Astronomy 1L offered on the campus.

Dr. Hodges believes that Lake County is a perfect place to discuss astronomy. The lack of big city lights allows the county to have beautiful night skies filled with celestial bodies. This should allow for spectacular visuals during the lab exercises.

Dr. Hodges is not just an astronomy instructor, he’s also a physicist. He has created antimatter, has hit the speed of light limit, turned mercury into gold and measured the age of the planets.

He will be a fabulous addition to the wonderful staff at Lake County Campus and his class will be very interesting and exciting for all students.

For anyone interested in registering for this new and exciting class, please make an appointment with a counselor at 707-995-7900, stop by the admissions office located at 15880 Dam Road Extension in Clearlake, or visit http://lcc.yccd.edu .