About this course: Learn about the science behind the current exploration of the solar system in this free class. Use principles from physics, chemistry, biology, and geology to understand the latest from Mars, comprehend the outer solar system, ponder planets outside our solar system, and search for habitability in our neighborhood and beyond. This course is generally taught at an advanced level assuming a prior knowledge of undergraduate math and physics, but the majority of the concepts and lectures can be understood without these prerequisites. The quizzes and final exam are designed to make you think critically about the material you have learned rather than to simply make you memorize facts. The class is expected to be challenging but rewarding.
Created by: Caltech
Taught by: Mike Brown, Professor
Planetary Astronomy
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Unit 1: Water on Mars (week 1)
11 videos, 1 reading
- Discussion Prompt: Welcome! Please introduce yourself.
- Video: Lecture 1.01: Early views of Mars
- Discussion Prompt: What's in the sky right now?
- Video: Lecture 1.02: Mars has canals!
- Video: Lecture 1.03: Taking the temperature of Mars
- Video: Lecture 1.04: Mars DOES have water (in the atmosphere)!
- Reading: Note on the next lecture
- Video: Lecture 1.05: Heating and composition of the polar caps
- Video: Lecture 1.06: Let's fly to Mars
- Video: Lecture 1.07: The first missions to Mars
- Video: Lecture 1.08: Water on earth
- Video: Lecture 1.09: Mariner 9 -- Mars had FLOWING water!
- Discussion Prompt: Groundwater sapping or not?
- Video: Lecture 1.10: Viking and the start of modern Martian science
Graded: Quiz 1
WEEK 2
Unit 1: Water on Mars (week 2)
10 videos
- Video: Lecture 1.12: Outflow channels
- Video: Lecture 1.13:Valley Networks
- Video: Lecture 1.14: Climate cycles on Mars
- Discussion Prompt: Polar layered terrains?
- Video: Lecture 1.15: Was early Mars warmer and wetter?
- Video: Lecture 1.16: Atmospheric escape
- Video: Lecture 1.17 Martian topography
- Video: Lecture 1.18: Gamma ray spectroscopy and subsurface water
- Video: Lecture 1.19: Glaciers on Mars!
- Video: Lecture 1.20 Origin of low latitude ice
Graded: Quiz 2
WEEK 3
Unit 1: Water on Mars (week 3)
10 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Lecture 1.22: Thermal spectroscopy and mineral identification
- Video: Lecture 1.23: Geology from the Opportunity rover
- Video: Lecture 1.24: Geochemistry from the Opportunity rover
- Video: Lecture 1.25: Introduction to guest lecturers
- Reading: Note on the next lectures
- Video: Lecture 1.26: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 1
- Video: Lecture 1.27: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 2
- Video: Lecture 1.28: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 1
- Video: lecture 1.29: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 2
- Video: Lecture 1.30: Where was the water on Mars?
- Discussion Prompt: Where was the water on Mars?
Graded: Quiz 3
WEEK 4
Unit 2: The insides of giant planets (week 1)
11 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Note on the next section
- Video: Lecture 2.02: Measuring density
- Discussion Prompt: Transit of Venus!
- Video: Lecture 2.03: Using density
- Video: Lecture 2.04: Hydrostatic equilibrium
- Video: Lecture 2.05: Hydrogen equation of state
- Video: Lecture 2.06: Heat transport
- Video: Lecture 2.07: Theoretical internal structure
- Video: Lecture 2.08: A core from gravity?
- Video: Lecture 2.09: Magnetic fields
- Video: Lecture 2.10: The upper atmosphere and the Galileo probe
- Video: Lecture 2.11: Picture models
Graded: Quiz 4
WEEK 5
Unit 2: The insides of giant planets (week 2)
10 videos
- Video: Lecture 2.13: Core formation
- Video: Lecture 2.14: Core-collapse vs. Disk instability
- Discussion Prompt: Core collapse vs. disk instability?
- Video: Lecture 2.15: Saturn and the ice giants
- Video: Lecture 2.16: Discovering hot Jupiters
- Video: Lecture 2.17: Densities of hot Jupiters
- Video: Lecture 2.18: Inflating hot Jupiters
- Video: Lecture 2.19: Kepler and the sub-Neptunes
- Video: Lecture 2.20: Exoplanet spectroscopy
- Video: Lecture 2.21: Juno and future exploration
- Discussion Prompt: Juno results?
Graded: Quiz 5
WEEK 6
Unit 3: Big questions from small bodies (week 1)
12 videos
- Video: Lecture 3.02: The formation of small bodies
- Video: Lecture 3.03: The formation of terrestrial planets
- Video: Lecture 3.04: The surface density of the solar system
- Video: Lecture 3.05: An ode to comets
- Video: Lecture 3.06: The composition of comets
- Video: Lecture 3.07: Where do comets come from?
- Video: Lecture 3.08: The formation of the Oort cloud
- Video: Lecture 3.09: Meteorites and the beginning of the solar system
- Discussion Prompt: Lead-lead dating
- Video: Lecture 3.10: Types of meteorites: Chondrites
- Video: Lecture 3.11: Types of meteorites: Achondrites
- Video: Lecture 3.12: Asteroids and meteorite delivery
Graded: Quiz 6
WEEK 7
Unit 3: Big questions from small bodies (week 2)
9 videos
- Video: Lecture 3.14 : Pictures of asteroids
- Video: Lecture 3.15: Asteroid hazards
- Video: Lecture 3.16: The Kuiper belt
- Video: Lecture 3.17: Properties of dwarf planets
- Video: Lecture 3.18: Dynamical instabilities
- Discussion Prompt: Lucy!
- Video: Lecture 3.19:The Grand Tack
- Video: Lecture 3.20: Planet Nine
- Video: Lecture 3.21: A trip to the Subaru telescope
Graded: Quiz 7
WEEK 8
Unit 4: Life in the solar system (week 1)
10 videos
- Discussion Prompt: Life as we do (or don't) know it
- Video: Lecture 4.02: Photosynthesis
- Video: Lecture 4.03: Water
- Video: Lecture 4.04: Alternative energy sources
- Video: Lecture 4.05: History of life on Earth
- Video: Lecture 4.06: Mars -- The Viking experiement
- Video: Lecture 4.07: Mars -- Microbial hitchhikers
- Video: Lecture 4.08: Mars -- Methane?
- Video: Lecture 4.09: Mars -- Methane!!
- Video: Lecture 4.10: Mars -- a habitable environment
Graded: Quiz 8
WEEK 9
Unit 4: Life in the solar system and beyond (week 2)
11 videos
- Video: Lecture 4.12: Energy on Europa
- Video: Lecture 4.13: Exploring Europa
- Discussion Prompt: Europa Clipper!
- Video: Lecture 4.14: Enceladus
- Video: Lecture 4.15: Introduction to Titan
- Video: Lecture 4.16: Weird life on Titan
- Video: Lecture 4.17: Habitable zones
- Video: Lecture 4.18: Detecting exo-life
- Video: Lecture 4.19: Looking around M-dwarfs
- Discussion Prompt: Planets!
- Video: Lecture 4.20: A mission to find life in the solar system
- Video: Lecture 4.21: All good things must come to an end
Graded: Quiz 9
WEEK 10
Final exam
4 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Bonus material
- Video: Bonus: What we used to think about Sedna (before we knew about Planet Nine!)
- Video: Bonus: Seasons on Titan
- Video: Bonus: Why Pluto had to die
Graded: Final exam
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Ratings and Reviews
Absolutely fantastic; stunned at the detail and complexity in which the material is covered with. The Instructor is very engaging and he has a genuine passion for this topic. The material is challenging but manageable. Definitely will recommend.
Great course, nicely taught and regularly updated. It taught me a lot.
Outstanding! Great course and excellent professor
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Almost wish I could forget everything I just learned so I could take it again. Fantastic course.