Since 2016, Tohoku University's Center for the Advancement of Open Online Education has offered a range of open-access courses to the public through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These dynamic courses aim to broaden the reach of the university's education and research activities.

As part of this initiative, a new course, "Galactic Archaeology: Probing galactic past from ancient stars," will launch on October 21, 2026. The course will draw on the expertise of Professor Masashi Chiba from the Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University.

Course Information

Course period: October 21, 2026, 3:00 p.m. - December 22, 2026, 11:59 p.m. (JST)
Language: English
Course fee: Free

In this course, we will learn the basic concepts of Galactic Archaeology and how they can be used to understand how galaxies are formed and dark matter.

Course Details

Week 1: Basics of Galactic Archaeology
Week 2: Formation and Evolution of the Galaxy
Week 3: Galaxy Formation in the Local Group and Beyond
Week 4: Dark Matter on Galaxy Scales
*This course is offered in English.

A certificate of completion and an open badge will be awarded to those who meet the course requirements.

Registration

Registration period: July 8, 2026, 11 a.m. - December 16, 2026, 10 a.m. (JST)

• Registration link: https://lms.gacco.org/courses/course-v1:gacco+ga207+2026_10/about
• Gacco registration: https://lms.gacco.org/register
• Registration Instructions: pdf

Contact:

Center for the Advancement of Open Online Education, Tohoku University
Email: secretary.moocgrp.tohoku.ac.jp
Website: https://sites.google.com/tohoku.ac.jp/tu-mooc/