Undergraduate Course: Discovering Astronomy (PHYS08039)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Discovering Astronomy is an introductory astronomy course aimed at students who have a limited physical sciences background. The course will cover many areas of astronomy, from the Solar System to the large-scale Universe. The material will include some history of astronomy, basic concepts in astrophysics, the Solar System and exoplanets, the properties of stars, black holes and other stellar remnants, the Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies, and the expansion of the universe. |
| Course description |
Syllabus:
- History of Astronomy
- Gravity and planetary motions
- Our Sun
- The Solar System
- Telescopes & observational astronomy
- Extrasolar planets
- The evolution of stars
- White dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes
- Our Milky Way galaxy
- The formation and evolution of galaxies
- The expansion of the Universe
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | It is recommended that students have Higher or GCSE maths, or equivalent. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | It is recommended that students have Higher or GCSE maths, or equivalent. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 30,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 5,
Summative Assessment Hours 11,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
143 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
67 %,
Coursework
33 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
4 x Tutorial hand-ins (best 3 of 4 count 1/6 of final mark)
5 x Practical Workshop hand-ins (best 4 of 5 count 1/6 of final mark)
1 x Final exam (2/3 of final mark) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Discovering Astronomy Dec Exam | 120 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- describe the contents of our Solar System, and why different objects within it have the properties that they have
- explain at a basic level how energy is produced within, and escapes from, our Sun and other stars
- describe the evolution of stars, from their birth through to their death as white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes, and explain the ways in which other stars and planetary systems differ from our own
- describe the properties and history of our Milky Way galaxy, and contrast this with other major types of galaxies
- explain at a basic level the formation and evolution of galaxies, including active galaxies
|
Reading List
| The course content is built around the recommended textbook The Cosmic Perspective by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, Voit (Pearson/Addison Wesley 7th edition 2014). |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Students are expected to attend 10 one hour tutorial/practical sessions - one every week from weeks 2-11, as arranged. |
| Keywords | DiscAst |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ken Rice
Tel: (0131) 668 8384
Email: wkmr@roe.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Alex Delaney
Tel:
Email: adelane3@ed.ac.uk |
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