Mysteries Of The Universe (FutureLearn)

On this course, you’ll answer these questions and more. You’ll delve into the deepest and darkest mysteries of the cosmos, and come out the other side with up-to-date knowledge of the latest thinking in cosmology and astronomy.
Explore dark matter, dark energy, and black holes

Alongside Profesor Tomotsugu Goto at National Tsing Hua University, you’ll learn about the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) Model and dark energy, seeing why astronomers are fascinated by these topics.

You’ll explore how dark energy is accelerating the expansion of the universe – but we don’t know why or how. You’ll study how dark energy makes up 25% of the energy in the universe – but we don’t know what it is.
Study black holes, and the universe’s origin and end

Black holes are some of the most mysterious entities in the universe. You’ll identify what they really are, and what we know about them, getting an overview of Newton and Einstein’s theories of gravity and gravitational lensing, and how they are being updated.

Ultimately, you’ll come away with a basic understanding of what we have left to discover about the universe – including how it began and how it might end – and what astronomers are doing to attempt to solve these great mysteries.

What topics will you cover?

- Deep into the Universe

- Advancements in Astronomy: Past, Present, and Future

- Einstein’s Biggest Blunder

- Cosmic Microwave Background

- Inflation

- Dark Matter and Dark Energy

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for learners with an interest in astronomy/cosmology and the universe. It uses as little as equations possible, and focuses on concepts rather than calculations.