Essential Information
| Type | Courses |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and Times | Six-week course held on Tuesday evenings | See page for available dates |
| Prices | £96 |
This six-week course is for people with some prior knowledge of astronomy, who are interested in exploring topics at the cutting edge of modern astronomical research and the limits of human knowledge.
The course covers Solar System exploration, exoplanets, dark matter and dark energy, cosmology and the Big Bang.
While the course may be studied independently, it is an ideal follow-on course for those who have already taken Introduction to Astronomy. After completing Introduction to Astrophysics, students will be able to progress to our more advanced courses, including our GCSE-level Intermediate Astronomy and our university foundation level Foundation Astrophysics.
Everyone taking a course is also entitled to a 10% discount on books purchased from Royal Museums Greenwich - please check with your course tutor for more details!
Age: 18+
With the exciting renovation project occurring at the Royal Observatory, our on-site courses have relocated down the hill to the National Maritime Museum. Our expert tutors will run their sessions in a unique environment with access to a range of resources provided by the galleries and exhibitions of the Museum.
When do courses run?
Courses take place on Tuesday evenings from 7-9pm and run for six weeks in total. The full dates for the 2025/26 academic year are below; when making your booking, simply select the start date of the course you'd like to join in the calendar:
- 16 September – 21 October 2025
- 06 January – 10 February 2026
- 21 April – 26 May 2026
Please note: Each course is intended to be run on-site at the National Maritime Museum, although occasional online sessions may become necessary in rare circumstances. Please only book if you are certain you will be able to attend an on-site course.
"Very interesting even though I found some of the formulae difficult, no doubt because they are. Many thanks to Giuseppe Nicolosi for his hard work, expertise and enthusiasm"
Course taker autumn 2022
Find other courses you may be interested in
We offer a wide range of adult courses related to astronomy, from short six-week introductory sessions through one-year intermediate courses, to modular two-year advanced courses.
Introduction to Astronomy
Learn the basics of astronomy with expert tutors from Royal Observatory Greenwich
Foundation Astrophysics
A series of ten-week courses on more advanced topics in astrophysics
Introduction to Astronomy Online
Learn the basics of astronomy at the home of time and space in this online course
Public astronomy at the Royal Observatory
Learn all about our programme of events, including daytime observing sessions, evening lates, talks, community astronomy shows, film screenings in the planetarium, astronomy courses and more
Main image courtesy of NASA (Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing by Gary Eason © CC BY)