Course summary

Astrophysics is one of the most exciting and highly active research areas in all of science. It is the study of the structure of our universe and everything in it and attempts to answer perhaps the most fundamental question: how did this all come to be? You will study the birth of the universe, as well as the formation of galaxies, stars and planets, as our course explores this vast topic. Physics with Astrophysics is a comprehensive programme that introduces the core concepts of physics and demonstrates how they can be applied to the field of astrophysics. This programme will give you valuable skills in the various facets of observational, computational and theoretical astrophysics that enable the study of the cosmos. This will include the usage of telescopes for precise observation, rigorous treatment of the laws of optics and electromagnetism that have enabled our study of the unimaginably distant stars, and computational modelling techniques. You will also undertake a project that will include simulation of large scale gravitational effects. The programme includes a field trip in the fourth year, where members of staff will take you to a Dark Sky Park in the Cairngorms National Park for a weekend of astronomical observation. We also offer a case study the preparations required for a rocket launch, informed by discussions with local launch platform companies in Shetland and western Scotland. The University of Aberdeen has a long association with astronomy. The local Aberdeen Astronomical Society (AAS) was formed in 1969, led by University of Aberdeen’s Professor RV Jones, who is most famously remembered for his work on the development of radar during the Second World War. AAS maintain a close partnership with the University and have been actively engaged with the use of the Cromwell Tower Observatory located in King’s College on the main Old Aberdeen campus. Other eminent astrophysicists associated with Aberdeen include the Astronomer Royal, Sir David Gill (1843 – 1914), who first measured precisely the distance of the Sun from the Earth and who studied under James Clerk Maxwell (1831 – 1879) who is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time due to his revolutionary work on the theory of electricity and magnetism. **We are ranked 6th in the UK for Physics - The Guardian University Guide 2024 We are ranked 2nd in Scotland for Overall Satisfaction - NSS 2023**