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PHY1107 Astronomy 2 provides an introduction to the Sun, the stars, and the galaxies. It is an appropriate elective for students of physics & astronomy, biology, chemistry, climatology, education and other disciplines. The course provides broad scientific understanding of our origins, our place in the universe, and our future, and highlights the profound astronomical influences on our planet. The course starts with the Sun and its terrestrial influences, and how stars help us trace the Sun's past, present and future. It then reviews what is known about our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and the other galaxies that form the basic building blocks of the visible universe. It also delves into cosmology, the study of the universe as a whole. The course concludes with a look at life on Earth, and the search for extra-terrestrial life and intelligence. Access to Mt Kent Observatory data is provided, so that students can develop skills in observing "deep sky" objects beyond the solar system. PHY1107 is the complementary course to PHY1101 Astronomy 1, an introduction to planetary science.

The astronomy course is about the Sun, the stars and galaxies, and includes cosmology, the study of the universe as a whole, and astrobiology, the study of life in the universe. The course begins with the Sun, our local typical star, and moves onto a survey of the stars of the night sky. The course then discusses how stars form, evolve, die and end up as stellar remnants. Our Milky Way galaxy is then introduced, as a prelude to a survey of other galaxies. Following this, the universe on the grandest scale is examined, from its origins in the Big Bang, to its future as an expanding, accelerating cosmos. Finally, we take a look at life on Earth, and how life and intelligence could arise elsewhere. Access to Mt Kent Observatory data is provided as part of this course, so that students can observe "deep sky" objects beyond our solar system. This course follows on from PHY1101 Astronomy 1 (which focuses on planetary science), but may be taken independently.

On completion of this course students will be able to :

1. describe our Sun's structure, energy source and activity;
2. compare the Sun with other stars;
3. summarise the process of star formation;
4. discuss how stellar mass determines how a star evolves;
5. describe the stellar remnants known as white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes;
6. describe the structure of the Milky Way galaxy and our location within it;
7. compare our Milky Way galaxy with other galaxies;
8. discuss how galaxies form, interact and evolve over time;
9. describe the key cosmological concepts of the Big Bang, dark matter, and dark energy;
10. explain how scientists are searching for life beyond the Earth;