Course Summary
This course provides an introduction to Black Holes, their properties, and how they affect the universe around them. Through this course, students will gain a better understanding of the fundamental principles of Black Holes and how they are studied by astronomers.Key Learning Points
- Learn about the history of Black Holes and how they were discovered
- Understand the properties of Black Holes, including their event horizons and singularities
- Explore the impact that Black Holes have on the universe around them
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the basic principles of Black Holes and their properties
- Explore the impact that Black Holes have on the universe around them
- Learn about the latest research and discoveries in the field of Black Holes
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Basic knowledge of physics and mathematics
- Interest in astronomy and astrophysics
Course Difficulty Level
IntermediateCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
Similar Courses
- Exploring Black Holes: General Relativity and Astrophysics
- Introduction to Astrophysics
Related Education Paths
Notable People in This Field
- Stephen Hawking
- Kip Thorne
Related Books
Description
What is a black hole? Do they really exist? How do they form? How are they related
Outline
- Introduction to Black Holes
- 01.01 – Introduction to Black Holes
- 01.02 – Black Holes in Pop Culture
- 01.03 – Connecting Gravity and Light
- 01.04 – Getting on the Same Wavelength
- 01.05 – Working with Light
- 01.06 – Doppler Shift
- 01.07 – Newtonian Gravity
- 01.08 – Escape Velocity
- 01.09 – Dark Stars
- 01.10 – What is a Black Hole?
- 01.11 – Summary: Black Hole Basics
- How are black holes depicted in Japanese manga? Interview with Dr. Mimi Okabe
- Meet Your Instructors
- Welcome to Week 1
- Explore Escape Velocity
- Interactive Learning Objects
- Module 1: Introduction to Black Holes
- Life and Death of a Star
- 02.01 – Introduction: Life and Death of a Star
- 02.02 – The Stellar Nursery
- Where are the Sun's siblings? Interview with Dr. Erik Rosolowsky, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 02.03 – Now That's a Stellar Sequence!
- 02.04 – Energy Production in Stars
- 02.05 – Energy Loss from Stars
- 02.06 – The Sun's Light and Life on Earth
- What is a Super-Earth? Interview with Dr. Kelsey Hoffman, researcher at the SETI Institute
- 02.07 – End of a Star's Life
- 02.08 – Life After the Death of Low Mass Stars
- 02.09 – Life After the Death of High Mass Stars
- 02.10 – Summary: The Circle of Life
- Module 2: Life & Death of a Star
- The Structure of Spacetime
- 03.01 – Introduction: The Structure of Spacetime
- 03.02 – Fishing in Spacetime
- 03.03 – Introducing Special Relativity Theory
- 03.04 – Spacetime
- Could there be extra dimensions? Interview with Dr. Douglas Gingrich, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 03.05 A - Events and Simultaneity
- 03.05 B - Time Dilation and Length Contraction
- 03.05 C - The Twins Paradox
- 03.06 – The Equivalence Principle
- How do black holes fall? Interview with Dr. Jeremy Heyl, Professor at the University of British Columbia.
- 03.07 – Curved Spacetime
- The history of the earliest test of general relativity. Interview with Dr. Robert Smith, Professor of History at the University of Alberta.
- 03.08 – Summary: Living Relativistically
- Explore Special Relativity
- Module 3: The Structure of Spacetime
- Sizing Up Black Holes
- 04.01 – Introduction: Sizing up Black Holes
- 04.02 – May the Schwarz(schild) Be With You
- 04.03 – Dancing with the Stars
- 04.04 – The Big Black Hole Weigh-in
- Is there a limit to the size of a black hole? Interview with Dr. Gregory Sivakoff, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 04.05 New Version - Stellar Mass Black Holes (Will become the current version once subtitles are generated and checked.)
- 04.05 – Original Version - Stellar Mass Black Holes (Will be deleted in late August)
- 04.06 – Supermassive Black Holes
- How do supermassive black holes form? Interview with Dr. Daryl Haggard, Professor at McGill University
- 04.07 – Intermediate Mass Black Holes - Old version. Will be deleted at the end of August.
- 04.07 - New Version of Intermediate Mass Black Holes (will become standard version once subtitles are generated)
- 04.08 – SUPERtiny Black Holes
- 04.09 – Summary: Preparing to Explore
- Module 4: Sizing Up Black Holes
- Approaching a Black Hole
- 05.01 – Journey into a Black Hole
- 05.02 – Jets
- What is important about a black hole's jet? Interview with Dr. Bryan Gaensler, Director of the Dunlap Observatory at the University of Toronto
- 05.03 – Black Hole Companions
- How can a star be like a vampire? Interview with Dr. Craig Heinke, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 05.04 – Sipping on Star Soup
- 05.05 – Have a Corona!
- 05.06 – What is Accretion?
- How do black holes grow? Interview with Dr. Robert Thacker, Professor at St. Mary's University
- 05.07 – Spinning Through the Disc
- 05.08 – Innermost Stable Circular Orbit
- 05.09 – Summary: Teetering on the Edge
- Module 5: Approaching a Black Hole
- Crossing the Event Horizon
- 06.01 – Introduction: Across the Event Horizon
- 06.02 – The Event Horizon
- 06.03 – The Singularity
- What happens at the singularity of a black hole? Interview with Dr. Valeri Frolov, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 06.04 – Spinning Black Holes
- How can you determine if a black hole is spinning? Interview with Dr. Fiona Harrison, Professor at Caltech University
- 06.05 – Wormholes
- 06.06 - Summary: Crossing the Event Horizon
- Visit a Black Hole
- Module 6: Crossing the Event Horizon
- Inside a Black Hole
- 07.01 – Black Holes: The Final Frontier
- 07.02 – Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
- 07.03 – Hawking Radiation
- What is Hawking Radiation? Interview with Dr. Don Page, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 07.04 – Information in a Black Hole
- What is quantum information? Interview with Dr. Lindsay LeBlanc, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 07.05 – Black Hole Thermodynamics
- How do you cool a gas with lasers? Interview with Dr. Lindsay LeBlanc, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 07.06 – Lifespan of a Black Hole
- How could you create a black hole in the Large Hadron Collider? Interview with Dr. Doug Gingrich, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 07.07 – Summary: Inside a Black Hole
- Module 7: Inside a Black Hole
- Hunting for Black Holes
- 08.01 – Introduction: Hiding in Plain Sight
- 08.02 – Telescopes
- Why are X-ray telescopes useful for studying black holes? Interview with Dr. Daryl Haggard, Professor at McGill University
- 08.03 – Chopping Up Rainbows
- 08.04 – Advanced Illumination
- 08.05 – Black Hole Discs
- 08.06 – Staring into the Hot Mess
- 08.07 – Beam Me Up!
- What types of jets could a black hole have? Interview with Dr. Gregory Sivakoff, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 08.08 – Summary: Hunting for Black Holes
- Module 8: Hunting for Black Holes
- Our Eyes in the Skies
- 09.01 – Introduction: Turn To Face The Strange
- 09.02 – To Feed Or Not To Feed
- 09.03 – Companion Stars in Black Hole Binaries
- What is a black hole outburst? Interview with Dr. Aarran Shaw, Astronomer at the University of Alberta
- 09.04 – The Alternative Diets of Supermassive Black Holes
- 09.05 – The Special Case of SGR A*
- Why is Sagittarius A* important? Interview with Dr. Fiona Harrison, Professor at Caltech University
- 09.06 – The Hermits of the Black Hole Family
- What does microlensing have in common with exoplanet searches? Interview with Dr. Kelsey Hoffman, Researcher at the SETI Institute
- 09.07 – It's On... Now What?
- 09.08 – Impact of Black Holes on Galaxies
- What is the impact of a supermassive black hole on a galaxy? Interview with Dr. Sarah Gallagher, Professor at Western University
- 09.09 Seeking Out the Elusive
- Can intermediate mass black holes be found in globular clusters? Interview with Dr. Craig Heinke
- 09.10 – Summary: Our Eyes in the Sky
- Module 9: Our Eyes in the Sky
- Riding the Gravity Wave
- 10.01 – Introduction: Seeing with Gravity
- 10.02 – Gravitational Lensing
- 10.02 B. Gravitational Lensing: The Black Hole in M87
- 10.03 – Gravitational Radiation
- 10.04A Binary Inspiral
- How do binary pairs of black holes form? Interview with Dr. Tyrone Woods, Researcher at Monash University
- 10.04B Neutron Star Mergers
- Where does the gold in your ring come from? Interview with Dr. Rodrigo Fernandez, Professor at the University of Alberta
- How does a neutron star's vibrations affect binary inspiral? Interview with Dr. Jocelyn Read, Professor at California State Fullerton
- 10.04C Black Hole Mergers
- 10.04 – Binaries and Gravitational Waves (Original version. Will be deleted and replaced with 10.4 A,B,C videos at the end of August)
- 10.05 – Gravitational Telescopes
- 10.06 – Pulsar Timing Arrays
- What is a pulsar timing array? Interview with Dr. Ingrid Stairs, Professor at the University of British Columbia
- 10.07 – Summary: The Final Countdown
- Acknowledgements
- Module 10: Riding the Gravity Wave
Summary of User Reviews
Discover the mysteries of black holes in this comprehensive Astro 101 course on Coursera. Users praise the engaging content and knowledgeable instructor, making it a must-take for anyone interested in astronomy.Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
engaging contentPros from User Reviews
- Instructor is highly knowledgeable and engaging
- Course covers a wide range of topics related to black holes
- Videos and lectures are well-produced and easy to follow
- Quizzes and assignments are challenging but rewarding
- Great opportunity to learn at your own pace
Cons from User Reviews
- Some users found the course difficult to follow without prior knowledge of astronomy
- Course material can be quite technical and dense
- Discussion forums can be overwhelming and hard to navigate
- Not all topics are covered in equal depth
- Some users felt that the course lacked practical applications
Sharon Morsink
4.8 Raiting
Astro 101: Black Holes
- 4.8
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What is a black hole? Do they really exist? How do they form? How are they related to stars? What would happen if you fell into one?...
