The projects are a vital part in developing research skills in astrophysics. A project is normally done by a group of 3
students. The students undertake a project on a topic chosen from a list, or on an approved idea of their own. However, the projects are quite open-ended and the students will play a major role in shaping the final direction of the project.
The projects available span a wide range of astrophysics. Recent examples include using the University Observatory to study the surface brightness profiles of nearby galaxies, the ages of star clusters, the luminosity of supernovae and the structure of clusters of galaxies. These projects require the students to learn how to use the telescope. There is plenty of scope for the students to come up with their own  targets to observe. Non-observatory projects can involve using on-line databases such  as the SDSS or 2MASS to study some astrophysical class of objects, or data from the Kepler satellite to study extrasolar planets. Computational projects are also available, for example, developing numerical techniques to detect gravitational waves from  coalescing black-holes in synthetic data. A more practical project involves
using a small radio telescope to investigate radio emission from the Galactic Plane or the Sun. A successful project will require substantial amount of background reading, the design of suitable observations or data collection and intelligent analysis and final production of a full report