GCSE Astronomy (Edexcel)

26 free revision lessons in 2 units. Open the course or go straight to a lesson.

Naked-eye Astronomy

Earth, Moon and Sun cycles, the celestial sphere, and how ancient observers built the first models of the Solar System

1. Planet Earth: Shape, Structure and Atmosphere
2. The Lunar Disc: Features, Rotation and Libration
3. Earth-Moon-Sun: Scale, Eclipses and Tides
4. Ancient Astronomy: Eratosthenes, Aristarchus and Precession
5. Time: Sidereal vs Solar Days and the Equation of Time
6. Phases, Seasons and Time Zones
7. Observing the Sun and Planets in Motion
8. The Night Sky: Constellations, Asterisms and Pointers
9. The Celestial Sphere and Coordinate Systems
10. Diurnal Motion, Circumpolarity and Observing Conditions
11. Early Models of the Solar System
12. Planetary Motion and Gravity

Telescopic Astronomy

Telescopes, stars and galaxies — from the Sun's interior to the Hubble constant and the fate of the Universe

1. Exploring the Moon: Origin, Far Side and Apollo
2. The Sun: Structure, Fusion and Atmosphere
3. Sunspots, the Solar Cycle and the Solar Wind
4. The Solar System: Planets, Dwarf Planets and Small Bodies
5. Telescopes: Optics, Magnification and Resolution
6. Space Probes and Crewed Exploration
7. Formation of Planetary Systems and Gravitational Forces
8. Exoplanets, Habitable Zones and the Search for Life
9. Magnitude, Distance and Stellar Spectra
10. The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram and Variable Stars
11. Telescopes Across the Spectrum and in Space
12. Stellar Evolution: Birth, Life and Death of Stars
13. The Milky Way and Other Galaxies
14. Cosmology: Redshift, Hubble's Law and the Big Bang

How to revise Astronomy

• Retrieval Practice
• Spaced Repetition
• Interleaving
• Dual Coding
• Elaborative Interrogation
• Knowledge Organisers
• Timed Practice

All subjects