Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Overview

A qualitative introduction to modern astronomy, exploring the Sun-Earth system and our place in the universe. Topics include the history of astronomy, stellar evolution, planets, and cosmology.

Special topics included are: "the size and age of the universe", "the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence" and "what would be the effect of a large meteor impact on the Earth?" This paper is intended for students who have an interest in a broad education. We aim to facilitate a continuing interest in astronomy and space exploration.

About this paper

Paper title Introduction to Astronomy
Subject Astronomy
EFTS 0.1500
Points 18 points
Teaching period Semester 2 (On campus)
Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $1,318.20
International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
Restriction
PHSI 170
Schedule C
Science
Notes
This paper is not a prerequisite for Physics 200-Level major subject requirements.
Contact
craig.rodger@otago.ac.nz
Teaching staff

Professor Craig Rodger

Associate Professor Jono Squire

Textbooks

Recommended textbook: Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff (Astronomy, OpenStax, 2nd edition, Mar 2022: https://openstax.org/details/books/astronomy-2e)

Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Critical thinking, Information literacy, Self-motivation. View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
Learning Outcomes

Students completing this paper will:

  1. Be aware of the essential aspects of our understanding of the wider universe
  2. Know the importance of historical aspects and the progressive development of ideas
  3. Grasp the range of scale sizes and numerical values needed to describe astronomical scales of time, space and mass

Overview

A qualitative introduction to modern astronomy, exploring the Sun-Earth system and our place in the universe. Topics include the history of astronomy, stellar evolution, planets, and cosmology.

Special topics included are: "the size and age of the universe", "the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence" and "what would be the effect of a large meteor impact on the Earth?" This paper is intended for students who have an interest in a broad education. We aim to facilitate a continuing interest in astronomy and space exploration.

About this paper

Paper title Introduction to Astronomy
Subject Astronomy
EFTS 0.1500
Points 18 points
Teaching period Semester 2 (On campus)
Domestic Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set
International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
Restriction
PHSI 170
Schedule C
Science
Notes
This paper is not a prerequisite for Physics 200-Level major subject requirements.
Contact
craig.rodger@otago.ac.nz
Teaching staff

Professor Craig Rodger

Associate Professor Jono Squire

Textbooks

Recommended textbook: Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff (Astronomy, OpenStax, 2nd edition, Mar 2022: https://openstax.org/details/books/astronomy-2e)

Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Critical thinking, Information literacy, Self-motivation. View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
Learning Outcomes

Students completing this paper will:

  1. Be aware of the essential aspects of our understanding of the wider universe
  2. Know the importance of historical aspects and the progressive development of ideas
  3. Grasp the range of scale sizes and numerical values needed to describe astronomical scales of time, space and mass
Back to top