Astronomy

How old is the Universe? How do galaxies develop? What is found between the stars? How are planetary systems formed? Are you fascinated by questions like these? Then Astronomy is right for you!

If you are interested in natural sciences, this international programme will appeal to you. You will study the physical processes in the universe, which means that physics and mathematics are an important part of the programme.

Our three-year programme has been frequently voted as a top-degree Astronomy programme in the Netherlands and has a regular intake of more than 70 students, ensuring many contact hours and availability of excellent facilities. You still have the opportunity to switch to (Applied) Mathematics in the first semester and you can still switch to (Applied) Physics in the first year. This means you can never go wrong!

Nearly every year sees spectacular discoveries in the field of astronomy. These are largely driven by technological advances. In Groningen you can concentrate on a wide range of topics such as our milky way, the structure and dynamics of galaxies, the universe itself and the formation of planetary systems, as well as the development and improvement of instruments. Our broad programme even offers a specialization in instrumentation and informatics in the minor phase as an alternative to the general Astronomy minor.

Groningen astronomers belong to the top of the world. Astronomy research has been carried out at Groningen University since 1883. They have been heavily involved in the construction and use of the Westerbork radio telescope (WSRT). At the moment they play a key role in the development and use of the LOFAR network of radio telescopes and the future Square Kilometer Array, while leading the development of instruments for the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in Chile. They also have key roles in space projects, such as leading the development of the HIFI detector in the Herschel satellite, the data processing center of the upcoming Euclid cosmology satellite, while having a leading role in the Gaia satellite mapping of our Milky Way.