---
title: Astrophysics & Cosmology
description: This discipline studies the physical properties of celestial bodies and the origin, evolution, and ultimate fate of the universe. Learners will understand stellar evolution, galactic dynamics, black holes, and the cosmic microwave background radiation.
category: sciences
subcategory: physics
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/astrophysics-and-cosmology
---

# Astrophysics & Cosmology

This discipline studies the physical properties of celestial bodies and the origin, evolution, and ultimate fate of the universe. Learners will understand stellar evolution, galactic dynamics, black holes, and the cosmic microwave background radiation.

## Available Resources

1 Books • 3 Courses • 3 Websites

## Websites

### 1. arXiv astro-ph.CO

The daily listing of new cosmology and nongalactic astrophysics preprints on arXiv, covering dark energy, large-scale structure, the CMB, and early-universe theory. It is where results appear before journal publication, so following it tracks the field in real time.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://arxiv.org/list/astro-ph.CO/recent

**Tags:** cosmology, preprints, arxiv, dark-energy, research-papers

### 2. NASA Astrophysics

NASA's astrophysics division portal, covering current missions such as Hubble, Webb and Chandra alongside mission data archives and science summaries. Useful for tracking what instruments are observing now and finding the datasets behind published results.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics

**Tags:** nasa, space-missions, observational-astronomy, data-archives, telescopes

### 3. Quanta Magazine

**Author:** Simons Foundation

Online publication covering cutting-edge research in physics, mathematics, biology, and computer science with in-depth articles.

**Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.quantamagazine.org

**Tags:** website, sciences, physics

## Courses

### 1. Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space

This course is designed for anyone who is interested in learning more about modern astronomy. We will help you get up to date on the most recent astronomical discoveries while also providing support at an introductory level for those who have no background in science.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/astro

**Tags:** online course, modern astronomy, cosmology, solar system, university of arizona

### 2. Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space

**Author:** Chris Impey

University of Arizona survey course in four parts: planets and the search for life, the life cycles of stars, galaxies and their environments, and the history of the universe. Learners gain a conceptual grasp of modern astronomy and cosmology without advanced mathematics.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/astronomy

**Tags:** astronomy, cosmology, stars, galaxies, planetary-science

### 3. The Early Universe (MIT 8.286)

**Author:** Alan Guth

Modern cosmology, beginning with classical expanding-universe models and moving to the particle physics of the hot early universe and cosmic inflation. Includes 23 lecture videos by the originator of inflationary cosmology, slide notes, problem sets, and exams with solutions.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/8-286-the-early-universe-fall-2013/

**Tags:** cosmology, big-bang, cosmic-inflation, early-universe, expanding-universe

## Youtubes

### 1. The Biggest Ideas in the Universe

**Author:** Sean Carroll

Deep theoretical physics series covering cosmology, quantum mechanics, and fundamental physics with mathematical rigor.

**Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrxfgDEc2NxZJcWcrxH3jyjUUrJlnoyzX

**Tags:** youtube, sciences, physics

## Books

### 1. A Brief History of Time

**Author:** Stephen Hawking

Landmark cosmology book explaining the universe's structure, origin, black holes, and time from big bang to theoretical physics.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Time-Stephen-Hawking/dp/0553380168?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** book, sciences, physics

---

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