Extragalactic Astrophysics & Cosmology (PHYS3080)

Course overview

This course examines galactic, extra-galactic, and cosmological astrophysics in detail. Topics to be covered include: the structure of the Milky Way, observational and theoretical aspects of galaxy formation and evolution, star formation rates, active galaxies and quasars, the cosmic microwave background, and the standard model of cosmology, including treatments of dark matter and dark energy.

This course will explore the evolution of the universe from the big bang, through the formation of the elements, the emission of the cosmic microwave background, and the formation of large scale structure; including studies of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies, active galaxies, and black holes. Throughout the course the emphasis will be on understanding the physical mechanisms driving the processes under study, such as radiation physics and gravitation. We will cover in detail the observational evidence that has led us to our modern understanding of the universe. For the course website please log in to the UQ Blackboard system at https://learn.uq.edu.au/

In the School of Mathematics and Physics we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold both students and staff accountable for actively contributing to the establishment of a respectful and supportive learning environment.

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and against UQ Policy, and will not be tolerated. We have developed a suite of resources to assist you in recognising, reporting, and addressing such behaviour. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team, or alternatively contact an SMP Classroom Inclusivity Champion (see Blackboard for contact details). Our Inclusivity Champions are here to listen, to understand your concerns, and to explore potential actions that can be taken to resolve them. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.

Course requirements

Assumed background

This course follows on from PHYS2082 (Space Science & Stellar Astrophysics). The material from that course is assumed to be known, although it will be briefly reviewed as necessary in this course.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

PHYS2082 + PHYS1002

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

PHYS2020 & (MATH1051 or MATH1071)

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

PHYS7080 (co-taught, last offered 2022)

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

All activities for this course will happen in person and on campus. If you are ill, then do not attend any classes in person. Alternative arrangements can be organised – consult Blackboard for details.

Aims and outcomes

The aim of the course is to develop a detailed understanding of the physical processes responsible for the fundamental properties of stars and galaxies as well as the ability to describe the processes and solve numerical problems based on the following material.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Final Examination - during Exam Period

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

40%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item

Distance Ladder Project

• Team or group-based
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project

Weight

20%

Due date

11/04/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submit your answers electronically on the course Blackboard website. Students will be permitted to submit a draft of their final report for plagiarism checking.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Extensions greater than 7 days are not possible due to the release of solutions.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

If you require an extension to the submission date please apply for one in advance of the deadline. If you submit work late without having an approved extension you will lose 10% of the maximum mark for every 24 hour period that has commenced, up to a maximum of 7 days past the official due date at which point you can't obtain any marks for the project.

Cosmological parameter Project

• Team or group-based
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project

Weight

20%

Due date

30/05/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submit your answers electronically on the course Blackboard website. Students will be permitted to submit a draft of their final report for plagiarism checking.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Extensions greater than 7 days are not possible due to the release of solutions.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

If you require an extension to the submission date please apply for one in advance of the deadline. If you submit work late without having an approved extension you will lose 10% of the maximum mark for every 24 hour period that has commenced, up to a maximum of 7 days past the official due date at which point you can't obtain any marks for the project.

Problem Sheets

Mode

Written

Category

Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

20%

Due date

4/04/2025 2:00 pm

23/05/2025 2:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submit your answers electronically on the course Blackboard website. Students will be permitted to submit a draft of their answers for plagiarism checking.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Extensions greater than 7 days are not possible due to the release of solutions.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

If you require an extension to any of the problem sets please apply for one in advance of the deadlines. If you submit work late without having an approved extension you will lose 10% of the maximum mark for every 24 hour period that has commenced, up to a maximum of 7 days past the official due date at which point you can't obtain any marks for the project.

Reading quizzes

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

Must answer 75% of all questions

Due date

There will be 11 reading quizzes each due at 9am Monday in weeks 2-13

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your answers electronically on the course Blackboard website.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

No extensions are possible as these need to be completed before class.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

No late submission permitted as these need to be completed before class.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Hurdles

Students must satisfy the following condition to pass (grade 4 or higher) the course:

1. Score 40% or higher in the final exam and get an overall score for the course of at least 50%
2. Satisfactorily complete at least 75 per cent of all pre-lecture reading quizzes.ﾠﾠ

The alternative assessment for failure to satisfy (2) is to write a 2000-2500 word essay summarising the major concepts of Learning Objectives 1.1 and 1.2. ﾠThe essay must be submitted electronically via Blackboard before the 24th of May and will be graded by the course coordinator. Failure to submit this essay on time or submission of an inadequate essay will result in the failure of the course with a grade that is no higher than 2.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment in this course will be a 2-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Artificial Intelligence

Assessment tasks in this course evaluate students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum date applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for details. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.