PUPILS living thousands of miles apart have been studying astronomy from afar - thanks to online courses run by Jodrell Bank.

During the course of their courses many never meet, but instead chat online about pulsars, the Milky Way, stellar explosions and radiation in space.

Last week Dr Tim O’Brien said some of his part-time students had successfully completed the course without ever visiting the world famous Lovell Telescope near Chelford.

“The flight from Mexico might be a bit too far every Thursday morning,” he said.

Not everyone who signs up for one of the four courses has studied astronomy before.

They are, says Dr O’Brien, simply interested in the subject matter. Students are set exercises and assessments by Jodrell Bank, and then given deadlines to complete them.

“They can also talk to each other and their tutors through the internet,” said Dr O’Brien who founded the courses and now runs them.

“It’s a bit different to the traditional face-to-face course.”

A course can last up to six months and cost £363.

But the end result are credits towards a higher education qualification such as a degree.

Students can go online to use two smaller telescopes at Jodrell Bank and make observations.

But some choose to visit the observatory for the weekend and use the telescopes there.

“That’s quite a unique opportunity for them,” said Dr O’Brien, head of outreach at Jodrell Bank.