| CODE | SSA5065 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Principles of Astronomy and Cosmology | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit aims to give students a general understanding of the landscape of modern astronomy and cosmology. This will involve basic notions of defining distances in an expanding Universe as well as an introduction to the ideas of the Copernican and cosmological principles. Equipped this this knowledge, the study-unit will then explore the evolution of the Universe from its inception during the big bang to the present accelerating Universe. This will lead up to the current standard model of cosmology where various open problems will be discussed. The topics of dark energy and dark matter will be introduced together with their impact on the large scale structure of the Universe. There will also be an exploration of how galaxies have changed from the early Universe to now which will also include a discussion on the morphology of galaxies in the current Universe. Study-unit Aims: The core aim of the study-unit is to provide students who do not come from a physical sciences background with an introduction to the general basis on which themes of astronomy and cosmology are built. Students will be exposed to foundational concepts on which our understanding of the Universe is based including basic notions of distances and the principles on which physical measurements are made. The main aim of the study-unit is to expose students to standard concepts in astronomy and cosmology including the concordance model of the Universe together with its open problems, and the effects of dark matter and dark energy on the evolution of the Universe and the large scale structures it contains. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain how distances are defined in the physical Universe; - Demonstrate an understanding of the foundational principles on which astronomy and cosmology rests; - Describe the Hubble-Lemaître Law and its implications; - Explain the standard model of cosmology and its open problems; - Assess how cosmological models connect with the large scale structure of the Universe; - Identify key differences in the evolution of galaxies over our cosmic history and the morphology of galaxies in the present Universe. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Utilize concepts of distances to connect measurements with different definitions of distances in the Universe; - Use foundational principles of astronomy and cosmology to explain how measurements on Earth are typical measurements in the Universe; - Communicate how the early Universe is connected to the present through the successive periods of evolution; - Apply the standard model of cosmology to determine some properties of the present Universe as well as identifying pitfuls in this approach; - Evaluate evidence from the large scale structure of the Universe; - Apply physical principles to explain how galaxies have evolved from the early era of the Universe to their current state. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Course material will be provided by the co-ordinator. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: B.Sc., B. Eng., or equivalent | |||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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