AST 401: Planets and Planetary Systems

A 3-credit course offered as part of the Minor in Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A), and also available as an elective for students pursuing a major in Physics.

This course is part of two tracks within the Minor in A&A: the Data-Intensive Astronomy (DIA) track and the Space and Planetary Science (SPS) track. The necessary mathematics and physics are introduced from the ground up, ensuring accessibility for students from diverse backgrounds, including physical and life sciences, electrical engineering, and computer science.

Prerequisite: None.

Course Content

Formation

How did the theories of stellar system formation evolve? What is the current status of such theories? How did our solar system form and when?

Solar System

How big is our solar system and how small is the orbit of Pluto compared to the Oort cloud? How does the solar wind create the heliosphere and interact with the magnetospheres of the planets? How to navigate the solar system?

Planets

What are the key differences between rocky, gassy and icy planets? Interior structure and surface activity of planets. Magnetospheres.

Exoplanets

What are the most successful methods of detecting planets around stars other than the sun? How many planets could there be in the Milky Way and the universe? Types of exoplanets.

Atmospheres

How different are the atmospheres of different types of planets? How can life affect the chemical composition of the atmosphere? Methods of detecting chemical compounds in planetary atmospheres using spectra.

Astrobiology

What is life? How can a planet harbor life? What are the possibilities of intelligent life on a planet? Ways of detecting life. Search for (SETI) and Communication with (CETI) Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

Keystone Project

Detecting exoplanets from telescope images using Python.

Textbooks

  1. Stephen Eales, Planets and Planetary Systems, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
  2. Frontiers of Astrobiology, edited by C. Impey et al., Cambridge University Press, 2012.
  3. Donald Goldsmith, Exoplanets: Hidden Worlds and the Quest for Extraterrestrial Life, Harvard
    University Press, 2018.