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Curricular information is subject to change
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- describe the main properties of our solar system;
- apply basic principles of orbital mechanics;
- explain star and planet formation theories and observations;
- interpret standard astrophysics observational data and justify conclusions;
- utilise research skills, such as accessing and synthesising complex information from primary source material, including original journal articles;
- work collaboratively in a team environment;
- demonstrate improved mastery of oral and written presentation skills.
Lecture topics:
Properties of the solar system
Solar system formation theory
Orbital mechanics
Star and planet formation
Exoplanets
Laboratory topics:
Hubble Constant
Astrometry of astroids
Spectroscopic classification of stars
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram applied to open clusters
Pulsars
Student Effort Type | Hours |
---|---|
Specified Learning Activities | 15 |
Autonomous Student Learning | 60 |
Lectures | 24 |
Tutorial | 6 |
Practical | 15 |
Total | 120 |
First year core Physics modules.
Learning Recommendations:First year astronomy module - PHYC10050
Description | Timing | Component Scale | % of Final Grade | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exam (In-person): Standard exam on lecture content. | End of trimester Duration: 2 hr(s) |
Graded | No | 50 |
Yes |
Practical Skills Assessment: Laboratory experiments are conducted every second week, and a written report is due exactly one week later. The length of the report is typically 5 pages. This is not team work. | Week 3, Week 5, Week 7, Week 9, Week 11 | Graded | No | 25 |
No |
Assignment(Including Essay): Problems are assigned as homework, to be submitted the following week. Solutions are discussed during tutorials. | Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 8, Week 10 | Graded | No | 15 |
No |
Group Work Assignment: Students work in teams to delivery a summary report and presentation on an ESA space mission. This is assigned in week 1 and due in week 8, i.e. immediately after the study break. | Week 8 | Graded | No | 10 |
No |
Resit In | Terminal Exam |
---|---|
Autumn | Yes - 2 Hour |
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
The results of the homework will be shown during the tutorials. The students can collect their corrected assignments a few weeks after submission. The results from the lab reports are given at the following laboratory session including detailed feedback communicated directly to the student.