In this option, students are introduced to ways that the question about life beyond Earth’s Solar System is investigated by astronomers. Students consider the likelihood of life, including intelligent life, beyond the Solar System, the methods used to find suitably habitable planets, and how the search for life beyond the Solar System is conducted. They examine how telescopes are deployed to observe starlight from across our galaxy and to detect possible signals from other life.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to apply concepts of light and atomic physics to describe and analyse the search for life beyond Earth’s Solar System.