1
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
Astronomy 1210 Course Particulars
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
●
Course Home Page
http://www.astro.virginia.edu/class/skrutskie/astr121/
–
Three in-class exams – 55% + Final 25%
–
Two Labs (Telescope Observing + Your option) - 10%
–
In-class “wildcards” - 10%
Textbook: Cosmic Perspective (6th or 5th) edition
–
●
NO clickers, No supplementary material, just the text
Exam results and basic course information (and some
assignments) will appear on Collab
2
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
PPT
HTML Lecture Notes,
Web Readings, Lectures
Cosmic Perspective – The Textbook
Exam Content
3
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
At the End of the Semester...
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
●
●
A fairly broad and extensive knowledge of the planets
and moons in the solar system and how a perspective
on all of these objects leads to appreciation for the
prospects of life elsewhere in the Solar System and in
the Galaxy.
An ability to keep current – on your own – with events
going on in the night sky, long after this course has
ended. “Keep looking up....”
An ability to track the progress of and results from the
vast investment in space exploration that we make as a
society and appreciate why these investments are more
important than just pretty pictures.
4
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
At the End of the Semester...
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
●
●
A fairly broad and extensive knowledge of the planets
and moons in the solar system and how a perspective
on all of these objects leads to appreciation for the
prospects of life elsewhere in the Solar System and in
the Galaxy.
An appreciation for how the night sky “works” and an
ability to keep current – on your own – with events
going on in the night sky long after this course has
ended. “Keep looking up....”
An ability to track the progress of and results from the
vast investment in space exploration that we make as a
society and appreciate why these investments are more
important than just pretty pictures.
5
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
At the End of the Semester...
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
●
●
A fairly broad and extensive knowledge of the planets
and moons in the solar system and how a perspective
on all of these objects leads to appreciation for the
prospects of life elsewhere in the Solar System and in
the Galaxy.
An appreciation for how the night sky “works” and an
ability to keep current – on your own – with events
going on in the night sky long after this course has
ended. “Keep looking up....”
An ability to track the progress of and results from the
vast investment in space exploration that we make as a
society and appreciate why these investments are more
important than just pretty pictures and scientific
results.
6
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
A Brief Warning
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
Yes, this course is a 1000-level “introductory” course,
however...
–
The “1000” is an indicator that the course has no
prerequisites, not that it is “easy”
–
The information content is dense
–
Astronomy is simply applied physics – be prepared for
some math and conceptual physics.
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
1972
8
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
Mercury
9
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
After a 7-year journey
MESSENGER dropped into
orbit on March 18, 2011!
10
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
11
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
12
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
13
Astronomy
1210
–
circa 2012
Astronomy 121 circa 2006 NOT
NotYour
YourGrandma's
Grandma'sSolar
SolarSystem
System
14
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
Saturn
Cassini Spacecraft Orbital Insertion: June 2004
15
Astronomy
1210
–
circa 2012
Astronomy 121 circa 2006 NOT
NotYour
YourGrandma's
Grandma'sSolar
SolarSystem
System
16
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
17
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
18
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
Asteroids and Comets
19
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
20
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
22
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
Pluto – planet no more...
New Horizons Page
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
1972
24
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
26
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
ca. 1990
27
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
In the past year...
–
The Dawn spacecraft dropped into orbit around the
asteroid Vesta for a year-long exploration
28
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
29
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
In the past year...
●
The Juno mission was launched on its way to orbit Jupiter
●
Mars Science Lab was launched and is on its way to Mars
●
GRAIL (a lunar gravity mission) launched and just arrived
in lunar orbit.
30
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
In the past year...
●
The Juno mission was launched on its way to orbit Jupiter
●
Mars Science Lab was launched and is on its way to Mars
●
GRAIL (a lunar gravity mission) launched and just arrived
in lunar orbit.
31
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
In the past year...
●
The Juno mission was launched on its way to orbit Jupiter
●
Mars Science Lab was launched and is on its way to Mars
●
GRAIL (a lunar gravity mission) launched and just arrived
in lunar orbit.
32
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
1972
33
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
A new perspective on prospects
for life elsewhere
–
Life is more tolerant of extreme
environments than previously
thought.
–
DNA analysis suggests life likely
originated in volcanic vents.
–
Life's prerequisites (especially
liquid water) are more prevalent in
solar systems.
–
Planets share material. Impacts
can transport life naturally from
one world to another increasing
the odds of survival.
34
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
A new perspective on prospects
for life elsewhere
–
Life is more tolerant of extreme
environments than previously
thought.
–
DNA analysis suggests life likely
originated in volcanic vents.
–
Life's prerequisites (especially
liquid water) are more prevalent in
solar systems.
–
Planets share material. Impacts
can transport life naturally from
one world to another increasing
the odds of survival.
35
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
A new perspective on prospects
for life elsewhere
–
Life is more tolerant of extreme
environments than previously
thought.
–
DNA analysis suggests life likely
originated in volcanic vents.
–
Life's prerequisites (especially
liquid water) are more prevalent in
solar systems.
–
Planets share material. Impacts
can transport life naturally from
one world to another increasing
the odds of survival.
36
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
A new perspective on prospects
for life elsewhere
–
Life is more tolerant of extreme
environments than previously
thought.
–
DNA analysis suggests life likely
originated in volcanic vents.
–
Life's prerequisites (especially
liquid water) are more prevalent in
solar systems.
–
Planets share material. Impacts
can transport life naturally from
one world to another increasing
the odds of survival.
37
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
Hundreds of planets have been found
around other stars.
–
It took until 1995 to find the first one.
http://www.planetary.org/blog/
38
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
●
Hundreds of planets have been found
around other stars.
–
It took until 1995 to find the first one.
The techniques applied to
date find “big” planets,
but today we are finding
earth-sized planets and
developing the
technology to determine
if they are earth-like.