Last modified: 15 Oct 2026 13:17
The variety of objects we now know exist in the Universe is staggering, from the invisible soup of particles occupying the space between planets, up to the largest galaxy clusters. In this course we will study the fundamental physics behind the objects we find in the Universe: stars, galaxies, planets, and a host of more exotic objects.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Astrophysics is an extremely broad field that draws upon concepts from a wide range of topics in physics and mathematics to understand objects, structures, and phenomena in the Universe. These topics include mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, quantum mechanics, and statistical physics, all of which have been studied earlier in the BSc Physics with Astrophysics degree. In this course we synthesise these topics to present our modern understanding of astrophysics.
We start with a brief review of fundamental concepts in astrophysics covered in earlier courses. Next, we will cover celestial mechanics, the dynamics of moving bodies in space, as this underpins several important later topics.
We shall then study the stars, particularly their interior structure and how this relates to their observable properties. You will learn about the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, star clusters, and the evolution of stars towards a variety of end states including white dwarfs, planetary nebulae, supernovae, and black holes. The latter part of the course will cover galaxies, such as their structure, stellar populations, the dynamics of bodies moving in a continuous gravitational potential, and dark matter. Along the way we will cover extrasolar planets (exoplanets), a relatively young field in astrophysics. A particularly important part of this topic will be to understand how we can deduce the properties of exoplanets using different observing techniques.
In various parts of the course, we shall touch on other exotic objects and structures such as neutron stars, pulsars, active galactic nuclei, accretion disks, and gamma ray bursts.
We anticipate the course will cover the following broad topics:
• Fundamental concepts in astrophysics
• Celestial mechanics
• Stellar structure
• Stellar evolution
• Extrasolar planets
• Galaxy structure
• Galactic dynamics
• Exotic astrophysical objects
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Field Trip costs: minibus, hostel, food etc. | 拢45.00 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 70 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 41,42 | Feedback Weeks | 47 | |
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand galactic structure and dynamics, including the types of galaxies, stellar populations, and evidence for dark matter |
| Conceptual | Understand | Study the physics underpinning compact objects (white dwarves, neutron stars and black holes), accretion discs and active galactic nuclei |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand stellar structure and evolution, including star formation, mass-luminosity relations, the H-R diagram, and end stages of stars |
| Conceptual | Understand | Gain an appreciation for the breadth of astrophysics and an understanding of the mathematics involved. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Analyse the dynamics of systems of planets and stars using Newton鈥檚 laws and understand the need to go beyond Newtonian mechanics |
| Procedural | Apply | Apply mathematical techniques to model astrophysical phenomena and solve problems across topics in astrophysics. |
| Procedural | Apply | Explore methods to detect the presence and properties of exoplanets from stellar spectra and light curves |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 39 | Feedback Weeks | 41 | |
| Feedback |
Feedback via MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Gain an appreciation for the breadth of astrophysics and an understanding of the mathematics involved. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand galactic structure and dynamics, including the types of galaxies, stellar populations, and evidence for dark matter |
| Conceptual | Understand | Study the physics underpinning compact objects (white dwarves, neutron stars and black holes), accretion discs and active galactic nuclei |
| Procedural | Apply | Apply mathematical techniques to model astrophysical phenomena and solve problems across topics in astrophysics. |
| Procedural | Apply | Explore methods to detect the presence and properties of exoplanets from stellar spectra and light curves |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 31 | Feedback Weeks | 33 | |
| Feedback |
Feedback via MyAberdeen. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand stellar structure and evolution, including star formation, mass-luminosity relations, the H-R diagram, and end stages of stars |
| Conceptual | Understand | Gain an appreciation for the breadth of astrophysics and an understanding of the mathematics involved. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Analyse the dynamics of systems of planets and stars using Newton鈥檚 laws and understand the need to go beyond Newtonian mechanics |
| Procedural | Apply | Apply mathematical techniques to model astrophysical phenomena and solve problems across topics in astrophysics. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Gain an appreciation for the breadth of astrophysics and an understanding of the mathematics involved. |
| Procedural | Apply | Apply mathematical techniques to model astrophysical phenomena and solve problems across topics in astrophysics. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Analyse the dynamics of systems of planets and stars using Newton鈥檚 laws and understand the need to go beyond Newtonian mechanics |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand stellar structure and evolution, including star formation, mass-luminosity relations, the H-R diagram, and end stages of stars |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand galactic structure and dynamics, including the types of galaxies, stellar populations, and evidence for dark matter |
| Procedural | Apply | Explore methods to detect the presence and properties of exoplanets from stellar spectra and light curves |
| Conceptual | Understand | Study the physics underpinning compact objects (white dwarves, neutron stars and black holes), accretion discs and active galactic nuclei |
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