Astronomy
Astronomy is offered at St Bart’s as a ‘twilight subject’. This means students attend lessons that fall outside the main timetable, either during their lunchtime or after school. The GCSE is studied during Years 9-10, with students entered for exams at the end of Year 10.
Astronomy is a subject that builds on an interest in the night sky and stories about our continuing exploration of our solar system and universe. The course explores our position in the universe, the movements of planets and stars, the cycles in the night and daytime sky, and the way in which we use technology to observe and interact with space.
Students will follow an incredible story of how scientists, from ancient civilisations to the modern day, have used their imagination and carefully recorded visual measurements to explore the universe in which we live. It’s a diverse subject and develops transferable skills, such as problem-solving and research techniques.
Students can also join the Astronomy Club (open to all years).
GCSE (Year 9-10)
Examination Board: EDEXCEL
Course Description
The Astronomy course is designed to develop students’ skills, knowledge and understanding of working scientifically and covers the following topics:
Topic 1 – Planet Earth
Students will gain an understanding of the planet Earth and its internal structure. They will learn about the major divisions on Earth’s surface and how its atmosphere affects observations.
Topic 2 – The lunar disc
Students will gain an understanding of the Moon and its surface formations, and be able to identify some of the main features on its surface. Students will study the rotation and revolution of the Moon and the effect of libration.
Topic 3 – The Earth-Moon-Sun system
Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun and how they affect each other. They will also study tides, precession and eclipses.
Topic 4 – Time and the Earth-Moon-Sun cycles
Students will gain an understanding of astronomical definitions and measurements of time. They will study synodic and sidereal time, solstices and equinoxes and the need for time zones.
Topic 5 – Solar System observation
Students will gain an understanding of how to observe the Sun and planets, including the locations of the planets in relation to the Earth and the Sun and safely observing the Sun.
Topic 6 – Celestial observation
Students will gain an understanding of how to observe a variety of naked-eye astronomical phenomena. They will study how to plan their observations to be at the best time and location, taking into account effects such as weather and light pollution.
Topic 7 – Early models of the Solar System
Students will gain an understanding of how ancient civilisations observed the solar system. They will also study how early astronomers modelled the solar system.
Topic 8 – Planetary motion and gravity
Students will gain an understanding of the motion of the planets around the Sun and the role of gravity. They will study Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and Newton’s law of universal gravitation.
Topic 9 – Exploring the Moon
Students will gain an understanding of the Moon, its internal structure and features on the far side. They will study how the constant drive to improve the accuracy, detail and range of observations have provided a context for the exploration of the Moon.
Topic 10 – Solar astronomy
Students will gain an understanding of the structure of the Sun, its energy production process and the solar wind. Students will also use sunspot data to determine information about the Sun’s rotation period and the solar cycle.
Topic 11 – Exploring the Solar System
Students will investigate the main bodies in the Solar System and their characteristics. They will develop understanding that the constant drive to improve the accuracy, detail and range of observations has provided a context for the invention of the telescope, the development of the space telescope and probes to the outer reaches of our solar system and has provided a context for the manned exploration of the Moon.
Topic 12 – Formation of planetary systems
Students will gain an understanding of how the interaction of gravitational and tidal forces led to the formation of our solar system. They will use this information to study exoplanets and also the possibility of life existing elsewhere.
Topic 13 – Exploring starlight
Students will gain an understanding of how stars are observed and how we can obtain information about them from just observing the light they emit. They will study the evolution of stars and different types of stars. Students will also find out why we observe stars in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum and where telescopes are located to enable better observations to be made.
Topic 14 – Stellar evolution
Students will gain an understanding of how and why stars evolve. They will study how stars form and how they end their life, depending on their size.
Topic 15 – Our place in the Galaxy
Students will gain an understanding of the Milky Way, our place in it and how it fits into the Universe. They will study different types of galaxies and the main theories for their evolution.
Topic 16 – Cosmology
Students will gain an understanding of redshift and Hubble’s law for distant galaxies. They will also study the evidence and explanation for the expanding universe. Students will explore dark matter and dark energy and the possible fate of the Universe.
Assessment
The Astronomy GCSE consists of two externally-examined papers.
Paper 1: Naked-eye Astronomy (1 hour and 45 minutes and 50% of the qualification). This paper covers course topics 1-8 and consists of a mixture of question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, calculations, graphical and extended-open-response questions.
Paper 2: Telescopic Astronomy (1 hour and 45 minutes and 50% of the qualification). This paper covers course topics 9-16 and consists of a mixture of question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, calculations, graphical and extended-open-response questions.
