Module PHYS1071: ASTRONOMY FOR ALL

Department: PHYSICS

PHYS1071: ASTRONOMY FOR ALL

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Introduction to Astronomy (PHYS1081).

Aims

• This elective module aims to give a flavour of key concepts in astronomy without mathematics.
• It is explicitly designed for non-scientists.
• The module is for anyone who has ever looked up at the beauty of the night sky and wanted to know more, but was not keen on studying science formally.
• It enables students to appreciate the drama, evolution and beauty of our current ideas about the Universe and our place in it.
• Each student will have the opportunity to view the night sky for themselves with telescopes or binoculars.

Content

• The syllabus contains:
• Astronomy Through the Ages: The Ancient Near East: Astronomy and astrology; observational and non-mathematical astronomy; mathematical astronomy and the development of the zodiac.
• Ancient Greece: Greek cosmology; the size and shape of the Earth; Hipparchus, Ptolemy and the heliocentric system.
• China: Observational astronomy; "official" nature of astronomy in China; the calendar and mathematical astronomy.
• Medieval Astronomy: Islamic Astronomy; Regiomontanus.
• Renaissance Astronomy: Copernicus; Tycho; Kepler.
• Post-Renaissance Astronomy: Galileo; Newton; the telescope.
• Historiography: Problems, methods and motivations in the history of astronomy; modern uses of early astronomical records.
• The Evolving Universe: Birth, life and death of stars: formation of stars and planets, how stars shine, end states of stars – supernovae, black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs.
• Birth, life and death of the Universe: galaxies, quasars, dark matter, an expanding Universe, age of the Universe, hot big bang origin, end state of the Universe – recollapse or infinite expansion.
• A User's Guide to the Night Sky: Positions in the Sky: the celestial sphere, coordinate systems, diurnal motion, the "fixed" stars and the key constellations, the stellar magnitude system.
• Annual Motions: vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, winter solstice, the Sun's apparent motion, mean solar time, sidereal time.
• Near Earth Phenomena: aurora, meteors, artificial satellites including the ISS and iridium flashes.
• The Moon: motion, phases, lunar occultations, eclipses.
• Planetary Motions: the apparent motions as seen from the Earth, inferior and superior planets, comets, minor planets.
• The stars and beyond: key bright stars, variable stars, star clusters, nebulae, the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, galaxies and beyond.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will have an appreciation of key features and developments in Ancient, Mediaeval, Renaissance and Post-Renaissance Astronomy.
• They will have a qualitative understanding of the life-cycle of stars and of the origin and future of the Universe.
• They will know the positions in the night sky of key objects and have a basic knowledge of celestial motions and phenomena.

• Students will know how to write a clear essay on a given topic to a detailed specification, including appropriate style, structure and bibliography.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching will be by lectures with some optional evening observational classes. The lectures will provide the means to give a concise, focussed presentation of the subject matter of the module. The lectures will also be supported by recommended textbooks and, when appropriate, by distribution of written material, or by information and relevant links on DUO.
• Students will be able to obtain further help in their studies by approaching their lecturers, either after lectures or at other mutually convenient times (the Department has a policy of encouraging such enquires).
• The optional evening observation sessions are designed to enhance the students' learning experience and to expose them to observational equipment.
• Student performance will be summatively assessed through an examination and an essay assignment. The examination and essay assignment will provide the means for students to demonstrate their acquisition of subject knowledge. The essay assignment will also provide the means for students to demonstrate their achievement of the stated learning outcomes in the area of key skills.
• The formative Web-based multiple-choice tests will provide opportunity for feedback and for students to identify and address misunderstandings throughout the duration of the module

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Web-based multiple choice tests

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University