Master of Science in Astronomy and Space Sciences

1430501 - Stellar Astrophysics (3 crs)

Basic Concepts; Properties of Stars, Classification of Stars and HR Diagram; Binary Stars; Variable Stars; Stellar Formation, Nucleosynthesis, Stellar Evolution, and Stellar Remnants; Stellar Clusters; Radiation Transfer in Stars; Stellar Atmospheres; Stellar Interiors; Chemically Peculiar Stars and Diffusion; The Sun; Research Projects.

1430502 - Planetary Science (3 crs)

This course offers an in-depth exploration of planetary science, focusing on both theoretical and observational perspectives. Students will examine the origin and evolution of the solar system, including the characteristics of its planets and moons, as well as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), asteroids, and Earth as a model for planetary development. Additional topics include meteorites, impact craters, ice worlds, and recent discoveries in exoplanets. Through lectures and research projects, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the processes shaping planetary bodies and their implications for habitability and exploration.

1430503 - Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics (3 crs)

This course will cover one of the most exciting areas of contemporary astronomy, covering a large variety of phenomena and objects in the Universe. A thorough treatment is given of the physical processes that govern the behavior of particles and emission of radiation in astrophysical environments and then discuss different observable aspects such as neutron stars, black holes, Active Galactic Nuclei, etc. This course will also emphasize on how observations are made and the limitations imposed on them. We will discuss that the new disciplines of radio, millimeter, infrared, ultraviolet, X, and gamma-ray astronomies combined with optical astronomy have led to the growth on many new areas of astrophysics.

1430504 - Solar and Space Physics (3 crs)

This course delves into the physical processes that link the Sun to the planets. It investigates the behavior of the sparse, magnetized plasma that fills the solar system. Key topics include plasma physics, the solar interior and atmosphere, the solar wind, coronal mass ejections, planetary magnetospheres, and space weather.

1430505 - Observational Astronomical Techniques (3 crs)

This course offers an in-depth examination of the tools and techniques that astronomers utilize to observe the universe, blending foundational methods with cutting-edge advancements in multi-messenger astronomy. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to equip students with essential skills for a variety of observational tasks, including preparation for observation campaigns, photometry, spectroscopy, and spectrophotometry, as well as the handling of telescopes and their mounts. Furthermore, students will receive training in analyzing observational data from various space telescopes.

1430506 - Space Weather (3 crs)

Space weather is an emerging field of space science focused on understanding the societal and technological impacts of the solar-terrestrial relationship. The Sun, which has a tremendous influence on Earth's space environment, releases vast amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic and particle radiation that can damage or destroy satellite, navigation, communication, and power distribution systems. This is a course about how to forecast space weather. It will give the tools and necessary knowledge to analyze and predict space weather.

1430507 - Celestial Mechanics ( 3 crs)

This course in celestial mechanics treats Newtonian mechanics and gravitation – separate chapters are devoted to Newton's Laws of motion and law of gravitation as applied to system of particles; motion in the gravitation field with an especially full discussion of the two body problem; Keplerian orbits. The course will also treat rigid body rotation, the three-body problem, and also the orbital perturbation theory.

1430508 - General Relativity (3 crs)

Review of special relativity and Newtonian gravity; Gravity as the geometry of curved spacetime; Geodesics and conservation laws; Schwarzschild geometry; Post-Newtonian expansions and tests of general relativity; Gravitational collapse and black holes; Linearized gravity and gravitational waves; Cosmological models for the expanding Universe.

1430509 - Data Analysis and Astrostatistics (3 crs)

This course will cover a variety of topics in the area of Statistics and Probabilities with the intention to utilize them in spectral fitting and parameter determination. The students will get a hands-on experience with conduction and analysis of optical photometry using the telescopes available at our institute. Experience with Bias, Dark frames, flat frames, and Johnson UBVRI system to calibrate their fluxes will be gained. In addition, some basic properties of spectral analysis will be discussed.

1430590 – Project Course (3 crs)

Students who do not opt to take the thesis option must complete the project course. During this phase, students are expected to implement a proposed project as outlined by their project supervisor. Each student is required to prepare a detailed report, a poster, and make a formal presentation of their work that will be used to evaluate their project and verbal and communication skills.

1430599 – Master Thesis (9 crs)

The student has to undertake and complete a research topic under the supervision of a faculty member. The thesis work should provide the student with in-depth perspective of a particular research problem in his chosen field of specialization. It is anticipated that the student be able to carry out his research fairly independently under the direction of his supervisor. The student is required to submit a final thesis documenting his research and defend his work in front of a committee.

1430601 -ComputationalAstrophysics (3 crs)

In this course, the student will encounter for the very first time the environment of modern Theoretical Astrophysics. Although a large part of this course will revise the basic equations governing the relevant topics, the course will mainly focus on the numerical principles and code development to tackle the problem. From Ordinary Differential Equation to sophisticated solvers for Hydrodynamical equations will be discussed. At the end of each topical unit we will solve an important problem using computer language (from low level C to high level such as Python). Also, some visualization tools will be employed. Main topics in this course are: Gravitational Dynamics, Stellar Structure and Evolutions, Hydrodynamics, and Radiative Transfer.

1430602 - Radio Astronomy (3 crs)

This course is to give students the background needed to understand radio astronomy, to recognize when radio observations might help solve an astrophysical problem, and to design, propose, and analyze radio observations. It will cover topics such as descriptions of the properties and use of radio telescopes and various types of receivers needed to analyze cosmic radio signals, the techniques of radiometry, spectroscopy, interferometry, and the descriptions of radiation mechanisms responsible for broadband and spectral line radiation.

1430603 - Research Methodology (3 crs)

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific research process, including literature sources, information gathering, and the writing of scientific articles, theses, and reports. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of scientific writing and editing, with a strong emphasis on constructing and supporting scientific arguments.

The students will learn to utilize a range of tools to access journals, such as NASA ADS, SIMBAD, Google Scholar, and the Web of Knowledge. A significant portion of the course will focus on structuring papers and reports using Microsoft Word and LaTeX, adhering to the templates of leading journals in Astronomy and Astrophysics, including the "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS)" and "Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A)," among others.

Students will also explore various writing styles, including theses, reviews, journal articles, and lab reports. Furthermore, the course will incorporate the use of citation management tools such as ZOTERO, Mendeley (for Microsoft Word), and BibTeX (for LaTeX), alongside different citation styles required by journals. Lastly, the course will emphasize the development of essential soft skills, including effective communication and presentation techniques

1430604 - Atmospheric Physics and Meteorology (3 crs)

The course is mainly intended for students to get a grasp on atmospheric physics and meteorology of the Earth. The course introduces the basic terminology, followed by a detailed description of the atmospheric elements (pressure, temperature, humidity, etc.) and ways of measuring them. Moreover, the thermodynamics of the atmosphere including vertical charts, recent models of Earth's atmospheres, and weather forecasting, are discussed. Instabilities in the atmosphere, radiative transfer, and basic hydrodynamics and chemistry, the ozone layer, etc. are included in the course. Also, in the light of the Emirate Mars mission, the last part of the course is dedicated to extraterrestrial atmospheres like the Martian Atmosphere and the capabilities of the mission.

1430605 - Radiative Processes in Astrophysics (3 crs)

The course will discuss classical radiation properties and radiative transfer. More specifically, essential radiative transfer concepts, reddening, Einstein relations, moments of the radiative transfer equation, grey atmosphere, opacities, the Eddington approximation, radiative force, line profile formation, line broadening, the curve of growth, etc. Emission mechanisms such as Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron/cyclotron, as well as Compton scattering will also be discussed. Application to specific objects such as X-ray sources and stellar atmospheres will be discussed.

1430606 - Variable and Binary Stars (3 crs)

The course describes binary stars in terms of the means of their detection: visual, eclipsing, spectroscopic, and astrometric. It will explain the importance of binary stars in determining stellar masses and classify variable stars as either intrinsic or extrinsic and periodic or non-periodic. It will also show the importance of the period-luminosity relationship for determining the distance of cepheids. The course will allow the students to see how to perform an investigation to model the light curves of eclipsing binaries using computer simulation.

1430607 – Cosmology (3 crs)

This course is to give students the necessary cosmological tools to understand the main cosmological principles and the significant recent developments in the field. The course will cover topics such as the cosmological constant, the accelerating Universe, the cosmic microwave background radiation, the different cosmological models, the large-scale structure of the Universe, etc. It will also involve discussions of current theories and recent observations.

1430608 - Astronomical Optics (3 crs)

This course provides an overview of optical systems for astronomy. It introduces astronomical and optical concepts related to astronomical observations, such as stars, exoplanets, etc. By focusing on a particularly challenging observational problem of modern astronomy, the course will teach design and analysis of high precision optical systems and measurement techniques for astronomy, including spectroscopy, photometry, optical metrology, and interferometry. Design and fabrication of both ground-based and space-based astronomical observatories and instruments will be discussed.