ASTRONOMY 3: Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System

Winter 2012

Origin

Primitive atmosphere, accretion from the solar nebula

Ejection as a consequence of intense bombardment

Secondary atmosphere:

Outgassing, condensation/sublimation, and accretion of planetesimals with trapped gas

Loses through, impact, thermal escape, condensation, solar wind stripping, and chemical reaction

Basic Properties

airless moon and mercury, range of density and temperature between Venus, Earth, and Mars

Pressure and hydrostatic equilibrium

Density scale height

Temperature of different layers and thermal velocity

magnetosphere, trapped particles, radiation belt, and aurora

trapped radiation and green house effect

atmospheric ecology

water and carbon cycles

pressure and seasonal variations

coriolis force and circulation

trade wind and Hadley cell

Green house effect

Venus atmosphere

Dense, high pressure and temperature

low-rotation and dynamics

preservation of green house effect

Global air-sea coupling

comparative solar heating

Earth atmosphere

composition and biomarker

Global air-sea coupling

Circulation and coriolois effects

Short-term variations, El Neno

Long-term variations, ice ages and global warming

Ozone depletion

Origin of Earth atmosphere: degassing through volcanism

Geomagnetic field and aurora Borealis

Mars

thin atmosphere, less greenhouse gas, and dry

ionization of hydrogen molecule, escape of hydrogen, and oxidation

seasonal change of polar caps and atmosphere

present-day water distribution

dust storm and wind erosion

evidences for water erosion

deduction of ancient water

inference of an an dense atmosphere