Suitable for ages 18+

Essential Information

Type Courses
Location
Date and Times 10-week module held on Tuesday evenings | See page for details
Prices £200 per module
Book now See all available courses

Our Foundation Astrophysics programme provides you with the opportunity to study a number of topics in astronomy at foundation degree level, without the costs associated with accreditation or the pressure of exams.

While not formally accredited, students are assessed through coursework and receive certificates of achievement from the Royal Observatory Greenwich on the completion of all modules.

There are six ten-week modules in the programme, which do not have to be studied in order. Each module runs on consecutive Tuesdays with gaps during holidays. When making your booking, simply select the start date of the module you'd like to join.

Please note

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.

Visualisation of a supermassive black hole surrounded by a disk of material called an accretion disc
Echo mapping in a black hole accretion disk (NASA JPL-Caltech)

What can I study?

The modules running for the 2025/26 academic year are below. All of these courses require knowledge of basic science and algebra.

Module 4: Stars

16 September - 25 November 2025 | 6.30pm - 9pm (holiday on 28 October)

This module provides an excellent foundation on the physics of stars. The motion and distance of the stars are starting points. We will look at physical properties such as magnitude, luminosity, temperature, mass, size and spectral class. The module also explores the formation, development and demise of high and low mass stars and the dense objects they leave behind. The recycling of the interstellar medium and the metallicity of stars provides interesting links to both star and planet formation. 

Module 5: Galaxies

2 December 2025 - 3 March 2026 | 6.30pm - 9pm (holidays from 16-30 December and on 17 February)

This module explores our current understanding of galaxies. We begin by exploring the structure and makeup of the Milky Way and the various stellar populations of which it is composed. The nature of open clusters, globular clusters and the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy are also covered. Then we move on to observations of other galaxies, determining their distances and classifying them. Some of these have active galactic nuclei and we work out a standard model of the features of all active galactic nuclei, including quasars. The module closes with an exploration of galaxy formation. 

Module 6: Cosmology

10 March - 26 May 2026 | 6.30pm - 9pm (holidays from 7-14 April)

In a solid introduction to modern cosmology, we begin with the spatial distribution of galaxies and evidence for the Big Bang. We shall discuss the geometry of space‑time and various cosmological models. Next comes observational cosmology, exploring the age and rate of expansion of the universe before addressing its thermal, energy and particle evolution. Finally, the module investigates problems encountered in modern cosmology and a number of possible solutions, including quantum theories of gravity and the anthropic principle. 

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. 

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.

Ages: 18+

Meet the tutor - Roger O'Brien

Roger has been an amateur astronomer for more than six decades. He graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a BSc in Astronomy in 1995, where staff sponsored him as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. His professional tutoring experience includes teaching at the Open University, City Lit and the Royal Observatory Greenwich, leading a wide range of courses from very basic to undergraduate level. Roger finds the variety stimulating and still enjoys doing some actual observing, volunteering as a demonstrator at the Hampstead Observatory. On the more theoretical side, he has a keen interest in Cosmology. 

A well organised course. Roger is an excellent tutor

Course taker autumn 2022

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Main image: James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam Image of the 'Cosmic Cliffs' in Carina Nebula (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)