The current and official versions of the course specifications are available on the web at .
Please consult the web for updates that may occur during the year.
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.
