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
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
After a 7-year journey
MESSENGER dropped into
orbit on March 18, 2011!
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
11
Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
13
Astronomy
circa 2012
Astronomy1210
121 –circa
2006 NOT
NotYour
YourGrandma's
Grandma'sSolar
SolarSystem
System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
Saturn
Cassini Spacecraft Orbital Insertion: June 2004
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Astronomy
circa 2012
Astronomy1210
121 –circa
2006 NOT
NotYour
YourGrandma's
Grandma'sSolar
SolarSystem
System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
Asteroids and Comets
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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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
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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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
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Astronomy 1210 – circa 2012
NOT Your Grandma's Solar System
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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.

http://www.planetary.org/blog/
It took until 1995 to find the first one.
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 earthsized planets and developing
the technology to determine if
they are earth-like.