ASP4000

Astrophysics honours

Dr Paul Cally (Department of Mathematics and Statistics)

48 points - Full-year subject - Clayton - Prerequisites: average of credit grade in 24 points of third-year astrophysics subjects, or equivalent

Objectives On the completion of this subject students will have developed a broader and deeper understanding on modern astrophysics, together with extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. They will have learned many of the computational techniques used in modern astrophysics, and be able to implement some of these. They will have developed many of the skills necessary to conduct research in a chosen field of astrophysics, and will be able to locate information on astronomical objects from the wide range of literature, including extensive use of the astrophysics resources on the World Wide Web such as the NASA Astrophysics Data System. Further, students will be able to use a modern research telescope to collect astronomical data, and be able to use standard data reduction techniques to produce meaningful results from their observations.

Synopsis Students must complete five lecture units, an essay based on a literature survey, a major project, and a field trip to use a modern research telescope. Compulsory lecture units cover 'Stellar structure and pulsation' and 'Computational astrophysics'. Other units are offered which cover a wide variety of astrophysical phenomena. Students must also complete a literature survey and deliver a seminar and written report on a selected astrophysical topic. The subject includes a major project, where the students work on a research topic under the close supervision of a supervisor, and a field trip to Mt Stromlo Observatory which teaches students how to use a research telescope to gather astrophysical data.

Assessment Five lecture units: 46% - Major project (comprising written thesis and oral presentation): 27% - Essay: 10% - Observational project: 18%

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