Free online courseAstrophysics and Cosmology Course

Course Description

Build a clear, exam-ready understanding of how the universe works, from the life cycle of stars to the evidence for cosmic expansion. This free online course is designed for learners who want to strengthen core physics knowledge in astrophysics and cosmology with explanations that connect key ideas into a coherent picture, rather than leaving you with disconnected facts.

You will explore how stars form when interstellar clouds collapse and what conditions can trigger that process. From there, you will follow stellar evolution through major stages and learn what ultimately determines a star’s final fate. By focusing on the physics behind outcomes such as white dwarfs and what can come after the red giant phase for very massive stars, you’ll gain intuition about how mass, pressure, temperature, and gravity shape a star’s journey.

On the cosmology side, the course helps you become confident with the measurements that allow astronomers to map the universe. You’ll understand how parallax is used to calculate distances, what a parsec actually means, and how the simple relationship between distance and parallax fits into real problem solving. You’ll also connect observational tools like Doppler effects with larger-scale ideas such as Hubble’s Law and the cosmic microwave background, building an evidence-based view of an expanding universe.

Throughout the course, short focused questions and practice-style problems reinforce what you learn so you can apply definitions and equations accurately under exam conditions. By the end, you should be able to explain stellar birth and evolution in physical terms, interpret basic astronomical distance measurements, and describe the observational foundations of modern cosmology with far more confidence.