Aims of the course
- To provide a full structure and understanding to your learning in this subject, through a framework that gives a clear and comprehensive understanding of the nature of the universe through a review of its origin, structure, and evolution from the Big Bang to today, and on into the future.
- To provide an understanding of modern cosmology, the scientific study of the large-scale properties of the universe as a whole.
- To provide a framework, in this present golden era of astronomy, within which you may better understand the science of astronomy encountered on multimedia, and to place into context the importance of new discoveries.
- To help you take full advantage of online resources, such as YouTube astronomy channels, audiobooks, and astronomy books aimed at the general public.
- To encourage you to attend astronomical observing opportunities and consider undertaking additional astronomy courses elsewhere.
Target audience
Non-astronomers who are captivated by the night sky and simply wonder 'why'?
Course content overview
Assuming no prior knowledge, as celestial explorers in today’s modern era of precision cosmology, and armed with full-spectrum vision and multi-messenger tools, we’ll explore the entire history of our Universe. From birth to death through its origin, evolution, and structure, with precise, reliable answers based on a spectacular series of recent breakthroughs in the last few decades.
Cosmology, an ambitious field that concerns itself with the entire universe, as well as all of time, is presently in the midst of a truly remarkable period of growth, particularly in the last 20 to 30 years. Precision is indeed possible, even on the grandest of scales, in which to nail down the various parameters, with an uncertainty in these values of just ~1% or so, that have worked in concert to determine the structure of the universe over its eons of existence, along with all the eons to come - long sought-after numbers that define the form and age of the universe.
A universe that is vast, pushing comprehension to its limits, but surprisingly one that bears witness to the fact that the consistency of our laws of nature throughout the universe means that it is understandable. This is a remarkable fact, for as Neil DeGrasse Tyson points out, the Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you, and yet the same laws of science apply everywhere. That is, the laws of physics are universal. This is why we can use spectroscopy and studies of the behaviour of distant stars and planets under gravity to derive information about them. Atoms in distant stars and galaxies obey the same quantum laws everywhere, allowing us to interpret information conveyed by their spectra. The motions of planets, stars, galaxies and galaxy clusters can be understood using the universal laws of gravity and motion, whether we use the version complied by Newton or Einstein.
By the end of this course, we will understand how cosmology, as a subject, which not that long ago carried a faint hint of disreputable scientific study, has moved from pure and often wild speculations, to the most solid of solid scientific foundations. A universe that we now comprehend was birthed from a microscopic dot of existence to the size of a watermelon through faster-than-light expansion for the merest fraction of a fraction of a second. But the universe, that we could understand and live in, then followed, born silently in the shortest of instances, in a torrent of energy in full blazing light. Then, following basic scientific laws within the first three minutes of its existence, proceeding the creation of subatomic particles, the light elements, hydrogen, and helium, were formed. From the creation of the first atoms, and the operation of the known forces of physics, the rest was history, as laid out beautifully in the LambdaCDM model, our current best picture of the origin and evolution of the Universe.
From dark matter to dark energy, cosmic inflation and the possibility of a multiverse, we will comprehend the full wealth of mysteries of this vast universe. An observable universe that was once considered finite and unbounded, as in the surface of a sphere by analogy with nothing outside of it, is now thought likely infinite and more or less flat in shape, with any possible curvature only visible in the metaverse beyond.
To comprehend this stunningly rich and coherent picture presented by modern observational cosmology, that is dominated by the Big Bang theory, requires getting to grips with the two essential languages for cosmology: General Relativity, Einstein’s theory of gravity; and the Standard Model of physics, which explains how the basic building blocks of matter interact, governed by four fundamental forces.
Armed with this knowledge we will address some of the biggest questions in modern astronomy, such as: What came before the Big Bang? How old is the universe? Will the universe end? and if so, how? In addition we will touch on some of its most fundamental mysteries which remain unsolved. So, if you truly wish to expand your horizons, and occasionally blow your mind in the process, then please join me for this one truly amazing journey
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)
Orientation Week: 19-25 February 2024
Teaching Weeks: 26 February-31 March 2024
Feedback Week: 1-7 April 2024
Teaching Week 1: An inventory of the contents of the Universe
This week will cover:
- Understanding the quantities, and types, of matter and radiation in the cosmos.
- Understanding the concepts of dark matter and dark energy.
- The uniformity and expansion of the cosmos.
Teaching Week 2: Modelling the Universe
This week will cover:
- Understanding the cosmological assumptions and the Copernican principle that underly modern cosmological models.
- Comparing the Steady State and Big Bang models, and the overwhelming evidence for the latter theory.
- A brief over of all the ages of the universe.
Teaching Week 3: The very early Universe - in the beginning...
This week will cover:
- Understanding the smallest scales we can observer, and consider what came before the hot Bing Bang, that is inflation.
- Neutrino decoupling and particle annihilation to complete the first second of the universes existence.
Teaching Week 4: The early Universe - Creation of atoms to recombination
This week will cover:
- Understanding the creation of the lightest elements via the process of nucleosynthesis.
- Studying the Cosmic Microwave Background and its cosmological implications.
- Considering the Dark Ages and the emergence large-scale structure.
Teaching Week 5: The Universe today, the far future, and its ultimate fate
This week cover:
- Discussing the stelliferous era, beginning with the first stars and galaxies in the universe, and ending with the fate of the galaxies.
- Considering the various degenerate, black hole and dark era's.
- Concluding with a discussion on the fate of the universe, the consequences of dark energy and consideration of such concepts such as the multiverse.
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Virtual Learning Environment
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).
Certificate of participation
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say
"I can easily tell that Dr Hardip has a true passion for the mysteries of the universe around us and a great understanding of how we have progressed from wonder to a firm foundation of knowledge about many aspects of our universe I found his presentations thought provoking but not abstruse The you tube links were also generally good as supplements and often led me to other videos/ articles regarding related information I will try to continue pursuing this topic on my own although the feedback from Dr Hardip was very valuable."
"I found this to be a fabulous course and a wonderful final course to end the trilogy of courses on introductory astronomy. I left this course with an awe on the scale of our universe, a grounding in particle physics and its mysteries and a wonder as to whether this universe is just one of many in existence. I enjoyed the presentations, discussion threads and fantastic videos. All made possible by Hardip, an excellent and remarkably supportive tutor."
"I have enjoyed the course massively! I look forward to signing up for the other two courses in the series. We have all gained immensely from the extra effort that Hardip has put in to deliver the complex concepts of the course so concisely (especially General Relativity), being available in the forums, posting extra videos, and reviewing contributions. We leave with a solid introduction to cosmology, the evolutionary history of the universe, and current research, as well as a sense of profoundness."
"As with the previous two courses, this was superbly presented with a wealth of fascinating and thought-provoking subjects. It’s easy to say, but it genuinely is awe-inspiring to try to comprehend the distances, sizes and time spans involved with cosmology, from the infinitesimally tiny to the absolutely enormous. Once again, thank you Hardip for your well-constructed modules, your stimulating use of video to bring to life the various subjects, and the prompt and proactive way you have dealt with questions and issues as they’ve arisen."
