The Science of the Solar System
4.9
261 ratings
The Science of the Solar System
Caltech
Informações sobre o curso
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.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1
Section
Unit 1: Water on Mars (week 1)
11 videos (Total 133 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
11 videos
Lecture 1.01: Early views of Mars11m
Lecture 1.02: Mars has canals!13m
Lecture 1.03: Taking the temperature of Mars19m
Lecture 1.04: Mars DOES have water (in the atmosphere)! 10m
Lecture 1.05: Heating and composition of the polar caps18m
Lecture 1.06: Let's fly to Mars 9m
Lecture 1.07: The first missions to Mars 7m
Lecture 1.08: Water on earth 9m
Lecture 1.09: Mariner 9 -- Mars had FLOWING water!17m
Lecture 1.10: Viking and the start of modern Martian science6m
1 readings
Note on the next lecture10m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 112m
2
Section
Unit 1: Water on Mars (week 2)
10 videos (Total 142 min), 1 quiz
10 videos
Lecture 1.12: Outflow channels15m
Lecture 1.13:Valley Networks9m
Lecture 1.14: Climate cycles on Mars 16m
Lecture 1.15: Was early Mars warmer and wetter? 18m
Lecture 1.16: Atmospheric escape14m
Lecture 1.17 Martian topography15m
Lecture 1.18: Gamma ray spectroscopy and subsurface water14m
Lecture 1.19: Glaciers on Mars!10m
Lecture 1.20 Origin of low latitude ice 11m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 220m
3
Section
Unit 1: Water on Mars (week 3)
10 videos (Total 141 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
10 videos
Lecture 1.22: Thermal spectroscopy and mineral identification14m
Lecture 1.23: Geology from the Opportunity rover 15m
Lecture 1.24: Geochemistry from the Opportunity rover 10m
Lecture 1.25: Introduction to guest lecturers 7m
Lecture 1.26: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 1 10m
Lecture 1.27: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 2 17m
Lecture 1.28: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 1 12m
lecture 1.29: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 2 18m
Lecture 1.30: Where was the water on Mars?16m
1 readings
Note on the next lectures10m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 328m
4
Section
Unit 2: The insides of giant planets (week 1)
11 videos (Total 114 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
11 videos
Lecture 2.02: Measuring density 14m
Lecture 2.03: Using density 7m
Lecture 2.04: Hydrostatic equilibrium 14m
Lecture 2.05: Hydrogen equation of state 12m
Lecture 2.06: Heat transport14m
Lecture 2.07: Theoretical internal structure 9m
Lecture 2.08: A core from gravity?6m
Lecture 2.09: Magnetic fields11m
Lecture 2.10: The upper atmosphere and the Galileo probe 7m
Lecture 2.11: Picture models 7m
1 readings
Note on the next section10m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 416m
5
Section
Unit 2: The insides of giant planets (week 2)
10 videos (Total 140 min), 1 quiz
10 videos
Lecture 2.13: Core formation 15m
Lecture 2.14: Core-collapse vs. Disk instability 15m
Lecture 2.15: Saturn and the ice giants 12m
Lecture 2.16: Discovering hot Jupiters11m
Lecture 2.17: Densities of hot Jupiters 7m
Lecture 2.18: Inflating hot Jupiters12m
Lecture 2.19: Kepler and the sub-Neptunes 18m
Lecture 2.20: Exoplanet spectroscopy20m
Lecture 2.21: Juno and future exploration8m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 520m
6
Section
Unit 3: Big questions from small bodies (week 1)
12 videos (Total 162 min), 1 quiz
12 videos
Lecture 3.02: The formation of small bodies16m
Lecture 3.03: The formation of terrestrial planets16m
Lecture 3.04: The surface density of the solar system11m
Lecture 3.05: An ode to comets5m
Lecture 3.06: The composition of comets13m
Lecture 3.07: Where do comets come from?10m
Lecture 3.08: The formation of the Oort cloud15m
Lecture 3.09: Meteorites and the beginning of the solar system11m
Lecture 3.10: Types of meteorites: Chondrites11m
Lecture 3.11: Types of meteorites: Achondrites13m
Lecture 3.12: Asteroids and meteorite delivery19m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 618m
7
Section
Unit 3: Big questions from small bodies (week 2)
9 videos (Total 155 min), 1 quiz
9 videos
Lecture 3.14 : Pictures of asteroids15m
Lecture 3.15: Asteroid hazards24m
Lecture 3.16: The Kuiper belt20m
Lecture 3.17: Properties of dwarf planets25m
Lecture 3.18: Dynamical instabilities14m
Lecture 3.19:The Grand Tack16m
Lecture 3.20: Planet Nine20m
Lecture 3.21: A trip to the Subaru telescope8m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 720m
8
Section
Unit 4: Life in the solar system (week 1)
10 videos (Total 108 min), 1 quiz
10 videos
Lecture 4.02: Photosynthesis 8m
Lecture 4.03: Water 9m
Lecture 4.04: Alternative energy sources 11m
Lecture 4.05: History of life on Earth8m
Lecture 4.06: Mars -- The Viking experiement 9m
Lecture 4.07: Mars -- Microbial hitchhikers 8m
Lecture 4.08: Mars -- Methane?16m
Lecture 4.09: Mars -- Methane!!5m
Lecture 4.10: Mars -- a habitable environment18m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 816m
9
Section
Unit 4: Life in the solar system and beyond (week 2)
11 videos (Total 134 min), 1 quiz
11 videos
Lecture 4.12: Energy on Europa13m
Lecture 4.13: Exploring Europa11m
Lecture 4.14: Enceladus12m
Lecture 4.15: Introduction to Titan12m
Lecture 4.16: Weird life on Titan8m
Lecture 4.17: Habitable zones 12m
Lecture 4.18: Detecting exo-life 11m
Lecture 4.19: Looking around M-dwarfs 10m
Lecture 4.20: A mission to find life in the solar system 15m
Lecture 4.21: All good things must come to an end 7m
1 practice exercises
Quiz 910m
10
Section
Final exam
4 videos (Total 75 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
4 videos
Bonus: What we used to think about Sedna (before we knew about Planet Nine!)16m
Bonus: Seasons on Titan17m
Bonus: Why Pluto had to die31m
1 readings
Bonus material10m
1 practice exercises
Final exam26m
4.9
83%
Top Reviews
By GN•Nov 29th 2017
Challenging. Amazing. Mind-Blowing.\n\nSpace enthusiasts should totally do this course. And yeah, did I say that Mike Brown is the coolest teacher ever. Never a dull moment in the lectures. :)
By JA•Dec 7th 2017
Excellent Course! Very informative and gives a brief overview of the history of the Solar System and some of the questions driving new and current missions. Thank you.
Instructor
Mike Brown
ProfessorAbout Caltech
Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering research and education institution, where extraordinary faculty and students seek answers to complex questions, discover new knowledge, lead innovation, and transform our future. Caltech's mission is to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society.
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