ASTRONOMY
This course is for those who have completed Astronomy Beginners Stage I, or an equivalent course.
You’ve taken in the wonders of the solar system and your local galactic neighbourhood and you now
want to deepen your understanding and extend your cosmic horizons.
Some Topics covered:
• Star-birth, how stars evolve and how we classify them.
• A closer examination of supernovae, pulsars and black holes.
• Some of the basic concepts underpinning our understanding of the cosmos.
• What Kepler and Newton taught us about planetary motion, orbits and the
force of gravity.
• Advancing our knowledge of the night sky, with emphasis on locating deep
sky objects, including some practical sessions with telescope and binoculars.
• Rockets, propulsion and space probes present, past and planned.
• The discovery of extra-solar planets.
• How we measure cosmic distances.
• Some key discoveries in astronomy that advanced our understanding of the Universe.
• What’s happening in space at present.
Note: Astronomy Stage I (for beginners) recommences in Autumn 2012.
The class tutor is John Daly |
