Astronomers have always been keen to harness the latest technological advances in their quest for ever more precise and revealing observations. As a consequence, astronomy in recent years has been one of the most rapidly expanding of all physical sciences and many exciting and unexpected discoveries continue to be made.Why study Astronomy at UC?

UC is the only university in New Zealand to offer the study of Astronomy at all levels. The Department of Physics and Astronomy has an exciting programme of teaching and research often using state-of-the-art facilities as part of its core work. These include:

• field stations for meteor and atmospheric research which are located at Birdlings Flat and at Scott Base, Antarctica
• an internationally important astronomical observatory at Mount John, Tekapo, equipped with computer-controlled instruments and cryogenic detectors
• UC is a partner in the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), one of the world's largest telescopes
• UC constructed Hercules, a high resolution spectograph to search for planets and do improved stellar astrophysics.