Astronomy and the Universe

To provide students with an overview of current and emerging worldviews through a study of cosmologies, astronomy and space science. Students will undertake studies in the night sky, perception and conception, and explore personal and other views of the cosmos including indigenous Australian views and past cultures and current scientific views of the creation of the cosmos. Students will collect evidence (through personal observations, telescopes, space probes, spectroscopy, secondary sources), determine the viability and trustworthiness of evidence, and formulate and test hypotheses. Students will explore evidence and ideas about the origin of the universe, the structure of the cosmos, solar systems, stars, planets, moons and galaxies. Students will examine prospects and possibilities for living away from Earth, the potential for other life in space and current and future space exploration, with foresight, examination of moral imperatives and consideration for developing young people's ideas about the universe.