This course is designed for students who learn about modern astrophysics. It covers:
1) The greatest unsolved mysteries of the universe, including dark matter, dark energy, quasars and life in space.
2) Exoplanets – how they are discovered, their properties and how they are challenging our understanding of solar systems.
3) The Violent universe – white dwarfs, neutron stars, special relativity and black holes.
4) Cosmology – the Big Bang, nature of space and time, observational cosmology, Inflation, entropy of the universe and ultimate fate of the universe.
You do not need any prior knowledge of astronomy to take this course.
The course will assume that you have a maths and science background equivalent to school year 10, because this course is designed to take you well beyond the level of popular science books, TV shows and web pages.
The course is purely online, but you will need to attend an in-person examination.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Describe and explain the key issues in modern astrophysics.
- Be able to analyse and interpret astronomical data, including images, spectra, data tables and charts.
- Use physics and maths, including energy balance and circular motion, to estimate and explain a wide variety of astronomical phenomena
- Be able to apply the techniques in this course to solve problem in unfamiliar contexts.
Indicative Assessment
- Online automatically marked homework (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Written Homework (30) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Final in-person written exam (50) [LO 1,2,3,4]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The expected workload will consist of approximately 130 hours throughout the semester including:
- 40 hours of video lectures.
- Approximately 90 hours of self-study which will include preparation for lectures, homework and other assessment tasks.
Inherent Requirements
To be determined
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
No prescribed texts
Assumed Knowledge
There are no formal prerequisites, but preparation in maths and science is assumed and recommended. Year 10 maths and science is sufficient.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4050 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5760 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Summer Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1670 | 01 Jan 2020 | 17 Jan 2020 | 14 Feb 2020 | 23 Feb 2020 | Online | View |
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3624 | 24 Feb 2020 | 02 Mar 2020 | 08 May 2020 | 05 Jun 2020 | Online | View |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8633 | 27 Jul 2020 | 03 Aug 2020 | 31 Aug 2020 | 30 Oct 2020 | Online | View |