280423 VU Current observing trends in multivawelength astronomy (2023S)

The course will be held in English and is aimed at higher Bachelors's and Master's students.

This course offers an in-depth overview of current astrophysical research with topics ranging from Solar and stellar to extragalactic astrophysics. Covering wavelengths from X-rays to radio, we would focus on each band individually and explain what physical processes are responsible for the emission in different wavelength regions. Further discussion will include available instrumentation, how to observe or access the data, and how to extract information from it using state-of-the-art research techniques.

For most spectral bands, there will be exercises to demonstrate the use of spectral, photometric and other data to learn more about our objects of interest. For example, detecting and characterising an Earth-like planet around a Sun-like star is one of the big scientific goals of this century. Students will learn about the physics behind planet detection (among many other topics) and be provided with real high-resolution spectra and photometric data. They will learn how to analyse these data in order to detect a planet and determine its properties.

There will also be discussions on how to access and use archival data, the most commonly used software for each spectral band, how to write observing proposals, and (if weather and instrumentation at the institute permit) some hands-on observations.