Astronomy, space science and astrophysics allow us to see the Universe and our place in it. Through studying these subjects mankind has continually enlarged its horizons and explored the cosmos. The subjects continually evolve and change every year based on discoveries by researchers around the world. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, practised by most of the world's ancient civilisations, and one of the most modern, relying for many recent discoveries on high technology and the space programme. It is an observational science that provides our view of the vast ranges of scales of space, time and physical conditions in the Universe. Astrophysics emphasises the underlying physical concepts of the stars and galaxies, which make up the universe, providing an understanding of the physical nature of bodies and processes in space and the instruments and techniques used in modern astronomical research. Space is often referred to as the final frontier of exploration by mankind. Space exploration and observations depend to a large extent on satellites and other forms of space probes. Designers of space equipment need a good understanding of physics and astrophysics, together with specialised engineering skills.

Our students go into areas such as research and development, technical management, computing, software design, the media and teaching. Many also go on to postgraduate study.