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- Level Foundation
- Duration 18 hours
- Course by University of Alberta
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Offered by
About
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? How do you see a black hole if they emit no light? What's the difference between a black hole and a really dark star? Could a particle accelerator create a black hole? Can a black hole also be a worm hole or a time machine? In Astro 101: Black Holes, you will explore the concepts behind black holes. Using the theme of black holes, you will learn the basic ideas of astronomy, relativity, and quantum physics. After completing this course, you will be able to: - Describe the essential properties of black holes. - Explain recent black hole research using plain language and appropriate analogies. - Compare black holes in popular culture to modern physics to distinguish science fact from science fiction. - Describe the application of fundamental physical concepts including gravity, special and general relativity, and quantum mechanics to reported scientific observations. - Recognize different types of stars and distinguish which stars can potentially become black holes. - Differentiate types of black holes and classify each type as observed or theoretical. - Characterize formation theories associated with each type of black hole. - Identify different ways of detecting black holes, and appropriate technologies associated with each detection method. - Summarize the puzzles facing black hole researchers in modern science.Modules
Introduction to Black Holes
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12
Videos
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4
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 1: Introduction to Black Holes
12
Videos
- 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?
- How are black holes depicted in Japanese manga? Interview with Dr. Mimi Okabe [https://www.ualberta.ca/modern-languages-and-cultural-studies/people/contract-academic-staff/mimi-okabe.html]
- 01.11 – Summary: Black Hole Basics
4
Readings
- Meet Your Instructors
- Welcome to Week 1
- Explore Escape Velocity
- Interactive Learning Objects
Life and Death of a Star
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12
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 2: Life & Death of a Star
12
Videos
- 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
The Structure of Spacetime
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13
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 3: The Structure of Spacetime
13
Videos
- 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
1
Readings
- Explore Special Relativity
Sizing Up Black Holes
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11
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 4: Sizing Up Black Holes
11
Videos
- 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 - Stellar Mass Black Holes
- 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
- 04.08 – SUPERtiny Black Holes
- 04.09 – Summary: Preparing to Explore
Approaching a Black Hole
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12
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 5: Approaching a Black Hole
12
Videos
- 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 (Updated Version 20210825)
- 05.04 – Sipping on Star Soup
- How can a star be like a vampire? Interview with Dr. Craig Heinke, Professor at the University of Alberta
- 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
Crossing the Event Horizon
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8
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 6: Crossing the Event Horizon
8
Videos
- 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
1
Readings
- Visit a Black Hole
Inside a Black Hole
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11
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 7: Inside a Black Hole
11
Videos
- 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
Hunting for Black Holes
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10
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 8: Hunting for Black Holes
10
Videos
- 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
Our Eyes in the Sky
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15
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 9: Our Eyes in the Sky
15
Videos
- 09.01 – Introduction: Turn To Face The Strange
- 09.02 – To Feed Or Not To Feed
- 09.03 – Companion Stars in Black Hole Binaries (20210825 Update)
- 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
Gravitational Telescopes
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14
Videos
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Module 10: Riding the Gravity Wave
14
Videos
- 10.01 – Introduction: Seeing with Gravity
- 10.02 – Gravitational Lensing
- 10.02 B. Gravitational Lensing: The Black Hole in M87
- 10.03 – Gravitational Radiation
- 10.04 A - Binary Inspiral
- How do binary pairs of black holes form? Interview with Dr. Tyrone Woods, Researcher at Monash University
- 10.04 B - 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
- 10.04 C - Black Hole Mergers
- 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
1
Readings
- Acknowledgements
Auto Summary
Astro 101: Black Holes is a foundational course in Personal Development offered by Coursera. Led by expert instructors, the course delves into the fascinating world of black holes, exploring their properties, formation, and detection methods. Over 1080 minutes, learners will gain a solid understanding of astronomy, relativity, and quantum physics, while distinguishing science fact from fiction. Ideal for beginner astronomy enthusiasts, the course provides a comprehensive overview of black hole research and theories. Subscription options include a Starter plan, making it accessible for all curious minds.
Instructor
Sharon Morsink