Duration
20h Th
Number of credits
| Specialised master in cosmos exploration | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Carl Sagan said, "We are made of star-stuff". And he was right!
The stars we see in the sky are born, evolve over the course of their lives, and then die. During their lifetime, the nuclear reactions that occur within them modify the chemical elements, which are then found in the interstellar medium and constitute the material of which subsequent generations of stars, planets and, therefore, lives will be made.
In this course, we analyse the major phases of the life of stars, from their birth to their death. We position the Sun, our star, among the others and answer the question: "Is the Sun unique or just a star like so many others? ". We also discuss the various techniques used to "decode" starlight and thus obtain valuable data on its size, distance and chemical composition. We show that a very large part of what we know about the cosmos comes from what we learn from starlight.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
This course aims to show the main stages of the life of a star, from birth in a protostellar nebula to its death. We will illustrate these steps by simulating the evolution of a star using the online version of the MESA tool. We will also describe the different stellar observation techniques. At the end of the course, the student will be able to understand and describe the evolution of stars of different masses and make the link between theoretical predictions and observations.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
None
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Oral lessons in classroom. A slide show will be used and made available to students.
Part of the course will be via the online version of the MESA tool, which will require a computer with Internet access (desktop computers will be available if needed).
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Face-to-face courses
Recommended or required readings
The lecture notes (slides) will be made available after the courses.
Assessment methods and criteria
The evaluation will be based on a project, on choice:
- use of the MESA tool to illustrate a particular point of stellar evolution.
- or bibliographical review on a particular point of the course.
This project will be defined by mutual agreement between the student and the two lecturers.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
10 courses of 2h each, Q1, Thursday morning, 10h-12h
Contacts
Lecturers:
- Dr Valérie Van Grootel
valerie.vangrootel@uliege.be
- Dr Anne Thoul
anne.thoul@uliege.be