Astronomy and Cosmology: Exploring the Universe

This course provides an accessible introduction to modern astronomy and our evolving understanding of the Universe, from the planets of our own Solar System to the unseen dark matter that shapes galaxies and cosmic structure. Through five modules, learners will explore how astronomers study planets, stars, galaxies, and the wider cosmos using observations, physics, and current scientific theories. You will examine the conditions that make Earth habitable, investigate the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System, and discover how scientists detect planets orbiting distant stars. The course also explores how stars form, evolve, and die, how the Milky Way galaxy is structured and mapped, and why dark matter remains one of the greatest unsolved problems in modern science. Along the way, you will engage with key astronomical discoveries, including exoplanets, black holes, stellar evolution, and galaxy formation, while developing a clearer understanding of how scientific evidence is used to build models of the Universe. Designed for beginners and non-specialists, the course combines short lectures, interactive activities, and quizzes to make complex ideas approachable and engaging. By the end of the course, learners will have a stronger understanding of astronomy’s big questions and the methods scientists use to investigate them.

Cosmology explores the origin, structure, evolution, and ultimate fate of the universe. In this course, learners investigate the evidence for the Big Bang, the expansion of space, and the relic radiation of the Cosmic Microwave Background, while examining how modern observations have transformed our understanding of the cosmos. Across five modules, the course introduces the composition of the universe, including ordinary matter, dark matter, dark energy, and radiation, before exploring how cosmologists model the universe using General Relativity and the Friedmann equations. Learners examine the geometry and evolution of spacetime, the earliest moments of the universe, cosmic inflation, nucleosynthesis, and the formation of the first stars and galaxies. The course also explores the large-scale structure of the cosmos and considers the long-term future of the universe through concepts such as heat death, black hole evaporation, the Big Rip, and the multiverse. Designed for learners with an interest in astronomy, physics, and the nature of the universe, this course combines observational evidence, modern cosmological theory, and current scientific discoveries to provide a coherent picture of how the universe began, evolved, and may ultimately end.