Get updates on Eligibility, Admission, Placements Fees Structure
Quick Facts
| Medium Of Instructions | Mode Of Learning | Mode Of Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| English | Self Study | Video and Text Based |
Course Overview
Introduction to Astrophysics is an introductory level online programme offered by edX. The online programme will guide the learners through astronomical objects and the physical occurrences that take place in them. The online certification course is provided by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFLx).
Administered by edX, the Introduction to Astrophysics Certification introduces the learners to the fundamentals of physics with the help of mathematical development of gravity, gravitational lensing, and interaction between matter and radiation. Plus, the Introduction to Astrophysics Certification Syllabus will enable the student to connect the theoretical assumptions with the observation in astrophysics.
The Introduction to Astrophysics Certification by EPFLx provides two methods of enrolment, namely, the verified track and the audit track. The online course can be taken by learners who know about physics and math of bachelors and will be held for 3-4 hours per week. For free access, students may choose the limited audit track and for unlimited access, they must choose the paid verified track.
The Highlights
- Available on edX
- Offered by EPFLx
- 7 Week-long Course
- Free course (Optional upgrade available)
- Complete Online Course
- Audit and Verified Tracks Available
- Shareable Certificate Upon Completion
- Self-paced Course
Programme Offerings
- Graded Assignments and Exams
- edX support
- English medium
- intermediate level course
- Video transcript in English
Courses and Certificate Fees
| Fees Informations | Certificate Availability | Certificate Providing Authority |
|---|---|---|
| USD 179 | yes | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne |
Introduction to Astrophysics Fee Structure
Course Title | Total Fee |
Certificate fees | $ 179 |
Eligibility Criteria
Academic Qualifications
The learners who are in the plan of joining the Introduction to Astrophysics Certification Course are required to have a bachelor's level Physics and Math including Derivatives and Taylor expansions, Integral calculus, Trigonometry, and 1st order differential equations.
What you will learn
By the end of Introduction to Astrophysics Training, the students will have the opportunity to make a deep understanding of the following things:
- Influence of gravity on celestial bodies
- Matter-radiation interactions
- Star formation and evolution
- Basics of cosmology
Who it is for
The Introduction to Astrophysics Classes are highly recommended for the professionals like Astronaut, Astronomer, and Physicist.
Admission Details
Step 1 - First, the learners are required to register in edX at https://www.edx.org/ to get access to the EPFLx course on edX.
Step 2 - After activating the edX account, click on SCHOOLS & PARTNERS ‘Category’ given on the home page of edX to find courses from EPFLx and click on the EPFLx logo.
Step 3 - Scroll down and Search for Introduction to Astrophysics on the page on EPFLx-provided courses.
Step 4 - Then Click on the course.
Step 5 - Choose the tab ‘Enroll’
The Syllabus
- Parallaxes and Parsec
- General Introduction
- Mass and Distance scales
- Kepler's Laws
- Virial Theorem
- Potential Energy of a Sphere
- Numerical Illustrations of Virial Theorem
- Radiation processes in Astrophysics
- Line and Continuum Radiation
- Examples of Spectra
- Radiated Energy and Units
- Radiation Pressure
- Bremsstrahlung and Synchrotron Radiations
- Black Body Radiation
- Total Luminosity (sigma T^4)
- Wien's Law
- Atomic Emission Lines
- The Case of Hydrogen
- How to Measure Radiation
- Flux, Luminosity, Filters
- Illustration: How do we Make True Color Images?
- Magnitudes
- Color of Celestial Bodies
- Distance Modulus
- Doppler Effect
- Doppler Measurement
- Stellar Rotation
- Exoplanets and Stellar Radial Velocities
- Hubble Law
- Interstellar Medium
- Nebular Emission, Stromgren Sphere
- Absorption, diffusion (Mie et Rayleigh)
- Optical Depth
- Reddening
- Tidal Forces
- Influence on Moon-Earth Distance
- Distance to the Moon Using Laser Measurements
- Roche Limit
- Example of Saturn's Rings
- Example of a Comet Disrupted by Jupiter's Tidal Forces
- Cometary Tails and Radiation Pressure
- Energy Balance
- Global Warming
- Planetary Atmospheres
- Hydrostatic Equilibrium
- Atmospheric height-scale
- Stellar Formation
- Free-fall Time
- Jeans' Mass and radius
- Kelvin-Helmholtz Time
- Stellar Energy Balance
- HR Diagram
- Spectral Classification
- Effect of Reddening
- Radius-Luminosity Relation
- Stellar Evolution in the HR Diagram
- Stellar Deaths
- Supernovae, Planetary Nebulae, White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars
- Age of Stellar Clusters
- Galaxies: General Description
- Morphological Classification
- Numerical Illustrations
- The Milky-Way
- Oort Constants and Galactic Motion
- Rotation Curves of Spiral Galaxies
- Elliptical galaxies and the Virial Theorem
- Galaxy Clusters
- Dark Matter
- Big Bang: Basic Presentation
- Hubble Expansion
- Cosmological Redshift
- Cosmic Background Radiation
- Distance Ladder
- Hubble Diagram
- Cepheids as Distance Indicators
- Supernovae as Distance Indicators
- Gravitational Lenses
- Deflection Angle
- Properties of Gravitational Lenses
- Light (apparent) Magnification
- Einstein Radius
- Caustics and Critical Lines
Instructors
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
The online programme is offered by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFLx).
The online programme is offered in online mode and the learners can attend it at their own pace.
The learners can complete the online course within the duration of 7 weeks.
The instructors are Frédéric COURBIN, the Professor at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Vivien Bonvin, the Doctoral Assistant at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne and Thibault Kuntzer, the PhD student in Cosmology at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.
The learners will need to devote around 3 to 4 hours per week to the online course.