Southern Cayuga offers students a dual-credit Astronomy course as an elective science class. It fulfills the high school science requirement and gives students three science credits from Tompkins Cortland Community College. This college credit, earned with a “B” level or better, is transferable to any SUNY institute of higher learning. 

The class is designed in  six sections, the history of astronomy, astrogeology, astrochemistry, astrophysics, astrobiology, and cosmology.

In the 2007-2008 school year there are two sections of astronomy comprised of 30 students learning not just the locations of some basic constellations, but understanding current explanations regarding the appearance and behavior of the objects in the sky as the main objective.  The secondary objective is to increase awareness of biological, chemical, geological, and physical principles and how they pertain to planet Earth and the Universe as a whole.  The School’s Planetarium and Observatory, the best facilities in the area, support these students pursuit of their interest in astronomy.