Overview

To develop an understanding of the Universe and our place in it. This subject has a practical component, where students will learn how to access, analyse and interpret astronomical datasets. The emphasis is on conceptual understanding, not mathematical techniques.

Requisites

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Describe our place in the Universe using a historical context
  • Use basic physical laws to describe the motion of celestial bodies in the Universe
  • Identify astronomical objects such as stars, planets and galaxies, and current areas of astronomical research
  • Analyse modern observing techniques, and different telescope design for different wavelength regimes
  • Make and interpret measurements from modern astronomical datasets

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Lecture
2.00 12 weeks 24
On-campus
Class
1.00 12 weeks 12
On-campus
Lab
2.50 6 weeks 15
Online
Learning activities
1.00 12 weeks 12
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
7.25 12 weeks 87
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
AssignmentIndividual 15 - 20% 1,3,4,5 
ExaminationIndividual 30 - 40% 1,2,3,4 
Laboratory ReportIndividual 25 - 35% 1,2,3,4,5 
TestIndividual 10 - 15% 1,2,3 

Hurdle

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.

Content

  • Our place in the Cosmos: History of astronomy, observing the night sky, the scale of the Universe, basic laws of physics
  • Observational Astronomy: The electromagnetic spectrum, telescopes and observing techniques
  • The Solar Neighbourhood and beyond: The Sun and the planets, minor planets asteroids and comets, other worlds
  • The Birth, Life and Death of Stars: Stellar nurseries, the evolution of stars, creation of the elements, the end products of stars, black holes, neutron stars
  • Galaxies and cosmology: Our galaxy the Milky Way, the early Universe, growth of structure, galaxy formation and evolution, the Big Bang and the fate of the Universe
  • Life in the Universe: Life on Earth and in the Solar System, conditions for life, the search for life in the Universe, SETI

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.