PHYS 275: Astrophysics 1 - Solar System

Winter 2007

Instructor:
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Michael Balogh
888-4567 x37518
PHY 254
mbalogh@uwaterloo.ca
Tues 2:30-5:30
PHY145
13:00-14:20 Tuesdays & Thursdays
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Mayumi Onishi
Phys 207
35074
monishi@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca

Textbooks

Required: Moons and Planets, W.K. Hartmann
Suggested: Physical processes in the solar system, John D. Landstreet

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the Solar system. We will explore:

Dynamics of the solar system (e.g. orbits)
Formation of the solar system (star and planet formation)
Properties of the planets (surfaces, interiors and atmospheres)

Lectures

All lecture materials are at https://uwangel.uwaterloo.ca/uwangel/frameIndex.htm

Course outline and useful information

Lecture	Date	Content	LINKS	Chapters H=Hartmann L=Landstreet	Assignment
Lecture 1	Jan 4	The solar system An inventory: Planets and moons Sizes and distances	ppt Notes	L1,H2	1 Due Fri, Jan 12
Lecture 2	Jan 9	Celestial Mechanics Orbits Kepler's laws	ppt Notes	H3	1 Due Fri, Jan 12
Lecture 3	Jan 11	Orbits Orbital energy Orbital resonance	ppt Notes	H3,L1	2 Due Fri, Jan 19
Lecture 4	Jan 16	Solar System Physics Tidal forces Rings Radiation pressure	ppt Notes	H3,L1	2 Due Fri, Jan 19
Lecture 5	Jan 18	Light and matter Blackbody radiation Kirchoff's laws Doppler shifts States of matter	ppt Notes	L2	3 Due Fri, Jan 26
Lecture 6	Jan 23	The Sun and other stars I Types of stars The solar interior Energy sources	ppt Notes	L3	3 Due Fri, Jan 26
Lecture 7	Jan 25	The Sun part II and Meteorites part I Energy transport in the Sun The solar atmosphere Meteor sizes and trajectories	ppt Notes	H6,L3,L5	4 Due Fri, Feb 2
Lecture 8	Jan 30	Meteor ages and origins Differentiation Chondrites Primeval impact rates Radioactive decay Origins	ppt Notes	H6,L5	4 Due Fri, Feb 2
Lecture 9	Feb 1	Asteroids Asteroid families Sizes and albedos Composition and interiors	ppt Notes	H7,L6	5 Due Fri, Feb 16
Lecture 10	Feb 6	Asteroids and Comets Heat sources Energy balance	ppt Notes	H7,L6,L7	5 Due Fri, Feb 16
Lecture 11	Feb 8	Comets Sublimation Orbits and origins Coma and tails Comet nuclei	ppt Notes	H7,L7	5 Due Fri, Feb 16
Lecture 12	Feb 13	Star formation The interstellar medium Jeans mass Star formation	ppt Notes	H5,L4	6 Due Mon, Mar 5
Lecture 13	Feb 15	Planet formation Stellar disks Condensation Planetesimals Gravitational accretion	ppt Notes	H5,L4	6 Due Mon, Mar 5
Feb 19-23: Reading Week
Midterm	Feb 27
Lecture 14	March 1	Terrestrial interiors Planet densities Moment of inertia Seismology Heat sources and transport	ppt Notes	H8,L8,L9	7 Due Mon, Mar 12
Lecture 15	March 6	Planetary surfaces Rocks Craters Surface ages	ppt Notes	H9,L9	7 Due Mon, Mar 12
Lecture 16	March 8	Planetary surfaces Volcanoes Tectonics Atmospheric effects Chemistry	ppt Notes	H10	8 Due Mon, Mar 19
Lecture 17	March 13	Terrestrial bodies Small bodies: From Deimos to Ganymede	ppt Notes	H10,L9	8 Due Mon, Mar 19
Lecture 18	March 15	Terrestrial bodies Mercury Mars, Venus, Earth	ppt Notes	H10,H13,L8,L9	9 Due Mon, Mar 26
Lecture 19	March 20	Terrestrial atmospheres Thermal structure Chemical structure Greenhouse effect Winds Escape of atmospheres Venus, Mars, Titan	ppt Notes	H11,L10	9 Due Mon, Mar 26
Lecture 20	March 22	The gas giants Composition and interiors Heat balance Clouds Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune	ppt Notes	H11,L11	10 Due Mon, Apr 2
Lecture 21	March 27	Extrasolar planets Detection methods Inventory Future missions Novae Type 1a supernovae	ppt Notes	-	10 Due Mon, Apr 2
Lecture 22	March 29	Extraterrestrial life Early Earth conditions Amino acids Extremophiles Atmospheric development The Drake equation Life in the solar system SETI	ppt Notes	H12	N/A -
	April 3	Exam Review

Please note: Any copyrighted images contained in these lectures are the property of their authors.

Grading Policy

10 assignments: 25%
Midterm: 35%
Final exam: 40%

Attendance Policy

Not all the information needed for the assignments and exams can be found in the main course textbook. Therefore regular class attendance is strongly encouraged. Attendance is less crucial if you read the Landstreet text as well as the Hartmann, but there will still be some lecture material not found in either book.

Academic Integrity

Collaboration on assignments is permitted, but you must:
a) declare the names of all collaborators
b) present your own, individual solution. Direct copying is not allowed.
c) understand and be able to defend your solution if challenged.