introduction
This is the online version of the Year Guide for First Year Astronomy. Look here for information about modules, teaching and learning resources, assessment details, deadlines for handing in assessed work, contact information for teaching, technical and secretarial staff, etc. We expect you to know everything contained in this guide, so check back regularly (especially the news) to see if anything has changed!
about the department
General information about the Department of Physics and Astronomy can be found in the Departmental web pages. We are a medium-sized department with a Grade 5 research rating and an excellent score in the teaching quality assessment exercise. The Astronomy research group includes 6 staff members, with a further 5 attached to the Particle Astrophysics group.
about the course
The first year astronomy course consists of four 10-credit modules:
- PHY111 Our Evolving Universe (Semester 1)
- An overview of astronomy, ranging from the Big Bang to life on other worlds. A non-mathematical course suitable for everyone with an interest in astrophysics.
- PHY104 Introduction to Astrophysics (Semester 2)
- Builds on PHY111 to provide a more quantitative approach to key aspects of astrophysics: thermal radiation, the formation of spectral lines, the internal structure of stars, and applications of Newtonian gravity to astrophysical systems such as binary stars.
- PHY105 Observing the Night Sky (Semester 1)
- Covers telescopes and positional astronomy - how to specify the location of an astronomical body, how the positions of the stars and planets change over time, the astronomical basis of time measurement, and so on.
- PHY106 The Solar System (Semester 2)
- An introduction to the planets of the solar system, covering of the origin and evolution of the solar system, general aspects of planets such as atmospheres, surfaces and interiors, and a detailed discussionion of each of the major planets.
All first year Dual Honours Astronomy students must take and pass all four modules to progress to second year. Other students are welcome to take one or more modules, with the caveat that PHY104, 105 and 106 all assume that you have A level maths and physics. The maths content of PHY106 is fairly limited and students who are not keen on maths will probably be OK, but PHY105 requires familiarity with trigonometry and PHY104 needs calculus and some skill in algebra. If you have not done A level maths, or if you hated it, PHY111 is your best bet.
Dual Honours students must also take 40 credits of mathematics modules (30 for Dual Astronomy and Philosophy) in their first year. Mathematics is the language of the physical sciences, and it is essential that you acquire the necessary mathematical skills to tackle astronomical problems and applications. The astronomy problems classes will help you to integrate (no pun intended!) the mathematical techniques into your astronomical problem solving. The first semester maths module, PHY112, is taught by the Department of Physics and Astronomy; the second semester modules (AMA125 and PMA116) are taught by the School of Mathematics, with tutorial support from Physics and Astronomy.
about this guide
The menu items on the left of this page give access to more detailed information about the course:
- general
- General information, including explanation of the various types of teaching and learning used in the course, details of penalties for late submission of work, names and contact details of relevant people, etc.
- modules
- Information on the individual modules, including assessment details, contact names, timetable, etc.
- laboratory
- Information about the astronomy laboratory, which forms part of module PHY105 in semester 1 and PHY104 in semester 2.
- observing
- Information about how you can do some real astronomical observing during your first year
- essays and reports
- Some advice on dealing with the essays and reports which form part of the assessment in your first year modules
- assessment
- Some hints on how to tackle the various types of assessment you will face in your first year modules.
- people
- Contact details and, where available, photographs of some of the people you may need to talk to.
- links
- Links for further browsing.
- news
- News items related to the course. We will do our best to keep this up to date!