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level 3: advanced icon
Science, Maths & Technology
White dwarfs and neutron stars
Stars live their lives for millions or billions of years but will eventually die. Low mass stars (like the Sun) will end their lives producing so-called planetary nebulae, and leave behind a collapsed core known as a white dwarf. More massive stars will end their lives by exploding and producing a so-called supernova remnant, and leave a neutron...
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level 3: advanced icon
Science, Maths & Technology
The formation of exoplanets
Over the last few decades astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting stars other than the Sun – known as exoplanets. Many of these exoplanets are quite unlike anything we see in our Solar System. These include ‘hot Jupiters’ orbiting very close to their parent star and rocky ‘super Earths’ many times larger than our home planet. ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Unsolved problems in cosmology
The science of cosmology has been very successful in explaining a wide range of observational evidence about the Universe, from the detailed properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation to the distributions of galaxies, and the elemental abundances in astrophysical environments. However, there are several major unknowns in ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Astronomy: images of the Universe
Modern astronomy utilises a range of techniques across the electromagnetic spectrum that allow astronomers to measure the brightness, size and shape of astronomical objects, as well as their structure in many cases. This free course enables you to explore multiwavelength images of the Universe and make your own measurements of stars, nebulae and...
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level 1: introductory icon
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Science, Maths & Technology
Moons of our Solar System
In this free course, Moons of our Solar System, explore the many moons of our Solar System. Find out what makes them special. Should we send humans to our Moon again?
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level 1: introductory icon
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Science, Maths & Technology
Microgravity: living on the International Space Station
This free badged open course, Microgravity: living on the International Space Station, will help you to consider microgravity environments in more detail than before! You will make direct comparisons of some important physical values between the International Space Station (ISS), the Earth and the Moon.
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level 1: introductory icon
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Science, Maths & Technology
Astronomy with an online telescope
This free course shows you how to navigate the night sky, and introduces the wide variety of objects it contains. You will develop a hands-on understanding of telescopic observations using the Open University’s own robotic telescope facility COAST sited on the island of Tenerife. Supported by your own measurements we illustrate how stars...
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
In the night sky: Orion
In this free course, In the night sky: Orion, you will explore the night sky, discover how stars formed and find out about exoplanets, all through the constellation of Orion.
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Science, Maths & Technology
An introduction to exoplanets
This free course, An introduction to exoplanets, introduces our galaxy's population of planets, and some of their many surprises. It explains the methods used by astronomers to study exoplanets, and provides a general introduction to the methods of scientific inquiry. The course culminates in discussion of life elsewhere in our Galaxy.
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level 2: intermediate icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Introduction to active galaxies
The field of active galaxies is recognised as one of increasing importance. But how do we know there are different kinds of galaxy? What are active galaxies? How are they powered? This free course, Introduction to active galaxies, examines the different types of active galaxies and looks at the crucial role of the active galactic nucleus and the...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Science, Maths & Technology
The restless Universe
The restless Universe introduces you to major achievements and figures in the history of physics, from Copernicus to Einstein and beyond. The route from classical to quantum physics will be laid out for you in this free course without recourse to challenging mathematics but with the fundamental features of theories and discoveries described in ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Galaxies, stars and planets
This free course, Galaxies, stars and planets, is a general introduction, including scale of the universe from the very large to the very small; orbits and gravity; the Solar System; the Sun and other stars; galaxies and the composition of astronomical objects.