HET616 Great Debates in Astronomy
Credit Points:12.5 Duration & Workload:
One semester, equivalent to a 5 contact hour per week lecture course Prerequisites:
HET604 and HET607 (or equivalent), introductory tertiary-level mathematics and physics (or equivalent). Corequisites:
Nil Aims:
This unit will investigate in depth great debates in astronomy which have shaped (or still are shaping) our current understanding of the universe and its evolution. Content:
The course content will be made up of detailed investigations of six of the 'big questions' in astronomy, including the following:
- Our place in space: the nature of our Earth, the Solar System, the cosmos
- Is Pluto a planet?
- Stellar controversies: the energy source of stars, the HR diagram and the white dwarf mass limit
- The scale of the Universe: nearby nebulae, or a universe of galaxies?
- What is the origin of Gamma Ray Bursts?
- The Large Scale Structure of the Universe: dark matter and the cosmological constant
This unit will be presented in on-line delivery mode, with course material available via Internet links, and contact via newsgroup and e-mail. Assessment Method:
Assessable newsgroup contributions, assignments and project. Textbook:
For information about the textbook, follow this link