Solar Systems

When this course is completed, the student will have learned:

1. A brief history of mans views of the universe, including Geocentric Model, Heliocentric Model, and the birth of modern astronomy.
2. Understanding of planetary motion and how it is affected by mass and distance as described by Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion and Newtonian mechanics (Newton’s three Laws of Motion and Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation).
3. Understanding the properties of electromagnetic radiation and how it interacts with matter. This includes concepts of frequency wavelength, velocity, diffraction, scattering, and the absorption of EMR by Earth’s atmosphere.
4. Understand the concept of Black body radiation and perform simple Black Body calculation using Wien’s Law and Stefan’s Law
5. Understand the basics of spectroscopy including: Describing the characteristics of continuous emission and absorption spectra and under what conditions each are produced. Explain the relation between emission and absorption lines and what information they convey. Explain how electron transitions within atoms produce unique emission and absorption spectrum. Describe the general features of spectra produced by molecules. List and explain the kinds of information that can be obtained by analyzing the spectra of astronomical objects
6. Understand the basic properties and used of telescope including: Basic designs of the major types of telescopes, explain the advantages of reflective telescopes and why very large telescopes for most astronomical studies, describe the detectors used in astronomical telescope, discuss some of the current efforts to improve ground based telescopes, explain how interferometer is used to enhanced the usefulness of astronomical observations.
7. Understand the basic properties of Earth including: explain how earth atmosphere heats and protects, outline the current model of Earth’s interior and describe experiments used to establish the model, summarize the evidence for continental drift and the physical process driving it, discuss the nature and origin of the earth magnetosphere, describe how the moon and sun influence earth surface and affect it spin.
8. Understand, describe, and compare the basic properties of the moon and mercury including: describe the surface features of the Moon and Mercury, explain how the Moons rotation is influenced by the earth and how Mercury’s rotation is influenced by the Sun, explain how creating can be used to estimate the age of the body’s surface, describe evidence for ancient volcanism, describe the leading theory for the formation of the Moon, compare the Moon’s interior structure with Mercury
9. Understand and describe the physical properties of Venus including: describe the characteristics of Venus’s atmosphere and compare to Earth’s, Compare large scale surface features and geology of Venus with Earth and the Moon, discuss evidence for ongoing volcanic activity on Venus, explain the greenhouse effect on Venus, describe Venus’s magnetic field and internal structure.
10. Understand and describe the physical properties of Mars including: summarize the general orbital and physical properties of Mars, describe observational evidence for seasonal changes on Mars, compare the surface features and geology of Mars with Moon and Earth, discuss the evidence that Mars once had a much denser atmosphere and running water , explain where the ancient water on Mars may be found , compare the atmosphere of Mars with those of Earth and Venus, discuss what is known of the internal structure of Mars, describe the characteristics of the Martian moons and explain their probable origin
11. Describe and explain the physical properties of Jupiter by: specify the ways in which Jupiter differs from the terrestrial planets, discuss the processes responsible for the appearance of Jupiter’s atmosphere, describe Jupiter’s internal structure and composition, and summarize the characteristics of Jupiter’s magnetosphere. Discuss the orbital and physical properties of the Galilean moons of Jupiter. From this, explain how tidal forces can produce internal stresses in Jovian moons and the effect of these forces.
12. Describe and explain the physical properties of Saturn including: orbital and physical properties of Saturn compared with Jupiter’s, describe the compositions and structure of Saturn’s atmosphere and interior, explain why Saturn’s internal heat source and magnetosphere differ from Jupiter’s, describe the structure and composition of Saturn’s rings, define the Roche limit and explain its relation to Saturn’s rings, summarize the general characteristics of Titan, discuss some 0f the orbital and geological properties of Saturn’s smaller moons.
13. Describe and explain the physical properties of Uranus and Neptune by: summarize the similarities and differences between Uranus and Neptune and compare these planets with the other two Jovian worlds, describe what is known about the interiors of Uranus and Neptune, explain what the moons of the outer planets tell us about their past, contrast the rings of Uranus and Neptune with those of Jupiter and Saturn.
14. Describe and explain the physical properties of solar system debris by: describe the orbital properties of the major groups of asteroid, summarize the composition and structure of a typical asteroid or comet, discuss the characteristics of cometary orbits and their relationship to their origin, describe the composition of the solar system beyond Neptune and why Pluto is no longer considered a planet, distinguish between the terms meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite, summarize the orbital and physical properties of meteoroids and what this suggest about their origin.
15. Describe and explain how planetary systems are formed by: Listing the major facts that nay theory of solar system formation must explain, explain how terrestrial planets are formed, explain why planetary densities depends on the distance from the sun, discuss the leading theories for the formation of the Jovian worlds, describe how comets and asteroid are formed, outline the properties of the know extra-solar planets, discuss how extra-solar planets fit in with current theories of solar system formation.