Astrophysics

Unlock cosmic wonders, from star life cycles to the fate of the universe.

Matter

Gravity

Radiation

HR Diagram

Atomic Spectra

The Round Earth

Greek Estimates

Trigonometric Parallax

Standard Candles

Apparent Magnitudes

Supernovas

Hubble's Law

Star Formation

Static Stars

Energy Production in Stars

Solar Energy Transport

Stellar Evolution

Stellar Remnants

Black Holes

Goldilocks Zone

Exoplanets

Transits

Gravitational Wobble

Interstellar Travel

Cosmological Principle

The Fate of the Universe

Dark Matter

Cosmic Microwave Background

Shape of the Universe

Dark Energy


Course description

The universe consists of over 100 billion galaxies like ours, each containing tens or hundreds of billions of stars. This course will highlight what we know (and what is still unknown) about this vast and varied frontier. By the end of this course, you’ll have discovered a world of cosmic wonders, followed a star from diffuse nebula to dense star remnant, traversed the scales of space and time from planetary to intergalactic, and crunched data to determine the Universe's ultimate fate.


Topics covered

  • Black Holes
  • Blackbody Radiation
  • Cosmology
  • Dark Matter
  • Doppler Effect
  • Exoplanet Detection
  • Gravity
  • Hubble's Law
  • Main Sequence Stars
  • Solar Systems
  • Standard Candles
  • Stellar Physics

Prerequisites and next steps

You should be comfortable with basic physics principles like gravity and the ideal gas law.


Prerequisites

  • Scientific Thinking