ASTRONOMY 3: Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System

Winter 2009

1. Planet Earth (9, 10)
                a. Atmosphere: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere,
                   thermosphere, solar heating mild greenhouse effect, 
                   composition
                b. weather: trade winds, air-sea coupling, el Neno, ice ages
                   and global warming
                c. atmospheric evolution: volcanic out-gassing, biological
                   activities, ozone depletion, CO2 cycle
                d. plate tectonics: volcanism and fault lines at plate
                   boundaries, movement of the plates, mid oceanic ridges,
                   Pangaea super continent
                e. seismic tomography: thrust and striker-slip faults,
                   propagation of P and S waves, probe of earth interior
                f. interior structure of the Earth: minerals in lithosphere,
                   asthenosphere, mantle, outer and inner core, radioactive 
                   decay, hot interior
                g. evolution of the Earth: planetesimal impact, magma ocean,
                   differentiation, out-gassing, thickening of lithosphere, sea 
                   floor spreading, mantle convection and heat transfer, 
                   subduction zones, surface erosion
		h. biological evolution: definition of life, molecular 
                   structure of life, origin of life, nature of early life
                   on earth, driving forces of evolution, natural selection, 
                   rise of oxygen in the atmosphere, explosion of diversity,
                   mass extinction and cosmic catastrophe, environmental 
                   factors which may affect the future biological evolution

2. Atmophsere of terrestrial planets (10)
a) Atmosphere diversity: dry & thick CO2 on Venus, moderate & Oxygen rich 
                   on the Earth, dry & thin CO2 on Mars,
b) Hydrostatic equilibrium, a balance between gravity and pressure
c) Different layers of atmosphere and its interaction with incoming particles
d) Green house effect: trapping of solar radiation and reprocessed infrared 
                   photons.
e) scattering of light by atmospheric molecules
f) magnetosphere and solar wind: aurora
g) weather: coriolis effect and trade wind on slowly rotating Venus and 
                   moderately rotating Earth and Mars, seasonal changes
h) clouds and precipitation: water and carbon cycles on the Earth, concentration
                   of CO2 in Venus atmosphere and Mars crust.
i) sources and losses of atmospheric gas: out-gassing & retention of inert gases
j) climatic history of Venus, Earth, and Mars. Signs for past surface and 
                        subterranean liquid water on Mars and
			implication of past atmosphere

3. Structure and atmosphere of Jupiter and Saturn (11)
a)Composition: 	Jupiter and Saturn (mostly H and He)
b)Internal structure: hydrostatic equilibrium implies high pressure in the core
		oblateness shape 
		property of gas and solid under high pressure (different ices)
		Helium precipitation
c)radiative properties: gravitational contraction provides an energy source
		radiate more energy than absorption of the solar radiation
		tidal interaction with satellites
d)Atmosphere properties: chemical composition, hydrogen, methane haze, 
                ammonia, water
		bands with different wind speeds, orderly zonal jets
		cloud tops of different molecules,
		great red spots, great dark spots, and anti cyclones,
		turbulence, chaotic eddies in shear layers, lightning
		convection and heat transfer
e)magnetic field: decameter and decimeter radiation, aurora, magnetosphere,
                current sheet, Saturn's field is 20 times weaker than Jupiter's

4. Galileo satellites (11): 
a) general:	orbital resonance between Io, Europa, and Ganymede
		cores in Io, Europa, and Ganymede but not in Callisto
		satellites nearer Jupiter has younger surface
b) Io:		active volcanoes and hot, molten interior
		Jupiter tide provides an energy source
		large plumes due to relatively low gravity
		eruption sites as hot spots
		ejecta: snow of sulfur and sulfur dioxide
c) Europa:	covered with large ice sheets
		possible ocean beneath the surface
		active surface with up willing, fault lines, linear  
		craters with concentric rings out to 200 km
		surface is older than 1 billion year
		cryovolcanism
d) Ganymede:	different albedo on two sides
		dark terrain as old as the solar system 
		ice marginally stable against sublimation
		bright grove terrain with parallel graben: ridges and valleys 
		tectonic stretching
		craters with central peaks and pits
e) Callisto:	heavily crater with a lack of small craters: degrade in time 
		multi-ringed structure of the largest crater: fracture
		no signs of internal activity
		not completely differentiated

5. Structure and atmosphere of Uranus and Neptune  (11)
a) The discovery of Uranus and Neptune: telescopic search, departure from
                Kepler's law, prediction of Neptune's existence
b) Composition: Uranus and Neptune (90% heavy elements and 2 Earth mass gas)
c) Orbits:      Uranus' side way spin, equinox, seasons, atmospheric flow
d) atmosphere:   determined by rotation, methane clouds
e) Interior:    mostly ice mantle and rocky core
f) Magnetic field: off centered and mis aligned magnetosphere. 

6. Other large satellites: (11) 
a) Titan:	presence of an atmosphere: cooler environment
		atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and methane
		other organic molecules
		extended vertical structure due to relatively small gravity
		methane lakes, rain, and ecology
b) Triton:	revolve around Neptune ``backwards''
		signs of flooding by cryovolcanism
		cantaloupe terrain due to pressure of ice up welling
		very few craters and young surface
		thin atmosphere
c) Pluto & Charon: outermost planet: 3:2 resonance with Neptune
		synchronous rotation
		chemical composition on Pluto is similar to Triton
		frozen methane and nitrogen

7. Planetary rings (11)
a) composition:	diverse properties
		Jupiter: micron size particles
		Saturn: a large collision of icy particles
		Uranus: confined rings discovered through occultation
		Neptune: arcs
b) dynamics:	particle composition
                sedimentation into a flatten plane
		Keplerian rotation speed
		inelastic collisions
		resonances and density waves
		shepherd satellites
		sharp edges and gaps
c) origin:	debris disk
		Roche limit for satellite formation


8. Asteroids, Meteorites and comets (12)
a) asteroids:   primary location, main belt & Trojan asteroids
                surface features: piles of loose gravel
                residual planetesimals
		rotation and binary asteroids, mass and density determination
                orbits perturbed by Jupiter and Saturn
b) meteor shower: Earth passage through residual comet tails.
c) different types of meteorites: survival in atmospheric entry
		isotopic and structure provide clues to solar system formation
		achondrites: heated and reprocessed
		iron: differentiated in parent body
		carbonaceous chondrites: primitive rocks, isotopic signatures
		binding strength
d) comets:	preserved at large distance from the Sun
                presence of organic material
		internal structure: dirty ice balls, two tails
		origin of comets: short period comets from Kuiper Belt 
		and long period comets from the Oort's cloud.


9. Cometary reservoirs (12)
a) Kepler's laws of planetary orbits: eccentric orbits, peri helion and 
                aphelion, relation between period and distance 
b) different types of comets: long period comets and Oort's clouds, short 
                period comets and Kuiper Belt objects
c) collisions: potential and kinetic energy, penetration through atmosphere
d) Newton's law of gravitation: gravity is proportional to the mass and inverse
		proportional to the square of the distance
e) impact records: radioactive dating, erosion of impact craters, mass 
                extinction
f) impact craters on the Moon: record preserved in the highlands


10. Origin of life on Earth and the evolution of planetary environment (9,10)
a) The uniqueness of the Earth: plate tectonic, atmospheric oxygen, 
                surface liquid water
b) dynamic history of the earth surface: theory of plate tectonic
c) air-sea coupling and climatic regulation
d) Life on Earth:  oldest fossil record: 3.5 Gyr old
		emergence of life: volcanic vents, rocks, warm little pond, or 
		brought in
		life under extreme environments
		impact on ecology
		catastrophes and mass extinction
e) Environmental Evolution:
		Faint early Sun and CO2 atmosphere
		CO2 cycle and crustal tectonics
		continent formation
		changes in the oxygen content, byproduct not essential for life
		proliferation of life
		impact and mass extinction

11. Life in the Solar System (9,10)
a) Basis of Life:  important necessities of life: molecular structure, liquid
		water transport, and energy
		carbon-based molecular basis of life
		DNA and RNA structure: self replication and assembly
		autocatalytic network
		metal stable: adjustment to environmental changes
b) Life elsewhere: Mars exploration and Mars meteorite
		habitable zones: Europa, Titan, giant planets' atmosphere, 
		and elsewhere
		search for life elsewhere: biomarker

12  Our Sun (14)
a) Determination method of gross properties: distance, mass, luminosity, 
                temperature, and composition
b) Internal structure: hydrostatic equilibrium, ie balance between gravity and 
                pressure gradient 
c) nuclear fusion as the energy source which power the Sun, it needs 
               hydrogen to react in a hot temperature environment
d) the solar thermostat in the core: a process which maintains equilibrium
e) probing the solar interior with helioseismology and solar neutrinos
f) transport of heat through radiation and convection in the solar envelope
g) granulation as the surface marking of convection
h) sun spots and magnetic field: 22 year cycle 
i) eruption and solar wind.


13. Extrasolar planets (24)
a) different methods of planetary detection: Doppler effect, 
			proper motion, micro-lensing, occultation, imaging
b) determination of planets' mass and radius with radial velocity and eclipse
c) ubiquity of planets: common existence
d) diversity of planetary systems: short period and eccentric planets
e) multiple-planet systems 
f) detectable signs of life

14) Life beyond the Earth (13)
a) Search for life on Mars, Europa, and Titan
b) habitable zone
c) signature of life
d) survivability of life elsewhere
e) Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
f) drake equation on the number of civilization 
g) interstellar travel 
h) Fermi's paradox: where are the aliens