PTYS/ASTR 206 Our Golden Age of Planetary Exploration 1/11/07

Transcription

1 Our Golden Age of Planetary Exploration

2 Location/Time Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00AM -12:15 PM Kuiper Space Sciences 308 Course Vitals Photo by amateur Wesley Higgins Instructor Joe Giacalone, KSS 431, Teaching Assistants Jade Bond John Weirich Course Homepage /

3 What is the motivation for this class what is it about? There have been 3 major revolutions in planetary science Greek Philosophy (500 BC-200 AD) Copernican Revolution ( AD) Age of spacecraft (1960-present) The Solar system is very accessible to detailed examination We are currently in the Golden Age of Planetary Exploration

4 Prerequisites: Course Vitals (cont.) Successful completion of two Tier 1 NATS courses Familiarity with simple math tools (algebra, trig, units) Willingness to solve problems related to physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and biology Textbook (required): Universe: The Solar System: (2nd edition) by Freedman and Kaufmann Exam and homework questions will be based partly on material in the textbook. The Solar System

5 Emphasis This may possibly be your last science class! But not the last time you will encounter science Our Focus will be on scientific UNDERSTANDING of the basic physical processes at work in the solar system And how they help us relate the planets to one another and to Earth Comet McNaught, a bright comet currently visible shortly after sunset (Photo by amateur Stefan Seip)

6 Course Vitals (cont.) Will there be any math? Yes there will be some math in this class mostly in the homework assignments you can still do well if you do not have a strong math background Please see us (TA or instructor) if you are having difficulty with the math Generally speaking the math itself is no more complicated than that which you will encounter for the rest of your life!

7 Course Vitals (cont.) In the classroom Use common sense and courtesy Turn cell phones and other communication devices off! No food or drink allowed in the lecture hall (except bottled water). Constructive participation is strongly encouraged (feel free to ask questions please!!). Outside the class Do the reading assignments! Start homework assignments early! Be careful of Academic Integrity. If you are having difficulty with the material or anything else about the class, feel free to contact any of us we are here to help!

8 Course Vitals (cont.) Grading Scale > 89% A 78 88% B 67-77% C 56-66% D < 55% E We do not intend to use a statistical grading curve, but MAY if special circumstances warrant it. Factors considered in borderline cases: + positive performance gradient + in-class participation + participation in out-of-class activities + In order to be considered for moving up a grade, you MUST have handed in all of your homework!

9 Course vitals (cont.) Grading Breakdown 20% Best of 2 mid-term exams 10% Worst of 2 mid-term exams 20% Final exam 25% Homework 10% In-class activities 5% Quizzes 10% Term Paper Active Region on the Sun

10 Course Vitals (cont.) Course Assignments 2 in-class, closed book exams + a final exam In-class activities About ½ will be graded (decided by a coin toss) Homework worth the most towards your final grade, will take the most time You are encouraged to work together on homework, and in-class activities. You MUST turn in your own (original) work It is not acceptable to turn in work identical to that of another student (use your own words!) Term Paper Details to be discussed later

11 Please turn in the personal information sheet today (last page of the handout) We will have preceptors in this course -- please indicate if you wish to be one Preceptors will hold weekly study sessions Gas clouds on Jupiter

12 Why study the solar system? Importance to Earth and its inhabitants we must understand the environment in which we live to understand how to survive Importance for understanding the origin of life Subject of many research projects Many basic properties are a mystery How did Earth get its water? Did Mars once have oceans of water and a thick atmosphere? How thick is the ice crust of Europa? Why does the number of spots on the Sun go up and down on an 11-year cycle?

13 General list of topics to covered in this course Planetary orbits, Ancient Planetary Astronomy, Imaging Structure and Formation of the Solar System Fundamental Planetary Processes Cratering,Surfaces, Interiors,Atmospheres A detailed look at each planet, and other objects in the solar system (Sun, asteroids, comets, etc.) Astrobiology -- Extraterrestrial life? Schematic of the greenhouse effect A more-detailed schedule is on the course website and in today s handout Schematic of plate tectonics

14 There are often rapid advances made in Planetary Science because of accessibility of the solar system to humans We will try to discuss these as they happen Topical Lectures Other topical subjects include: Global warming Greenhouse effect Asteroid and comet impacts Water on Mars & HiRISE Solar Storms and Space Weather Cassini at Saturn Is Pluto a planet? Phoenix lander mission to Mars: due to be launched in August 2007

15 New Discoveries Water on Mars discovered by a team in this Department (images from Mars Global Surveyor)

16 A small list of highlights from 2006 Arrival of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at Mars HiRISE! Launch of several new missions including New Horizons (mission to Pluto) STEREO (Solar mission) Venus express (mission to Venus) Pluto is demoted Discovery of many new extrasolar planets New Horizons mission to Pluto: launched last January

17 UofA mission on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Currently in orbit around Mars Will map the surface of Mars at unprecedented resolution HiRISE

18 MRO/HiRISE image of Mars s Victoria Crater and rover

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20 Cassini in orbit about the Saturn system

21 Cassini/VIMS image

22 The spacecraft fleet observing the Sun and its Environment STEREO Ulysses SOHO ACE Voyager And MANY others not shown here

23 SOHO/LASCO (C3) movie of the Sun during the Halloween Storm period in 2003 The Sun is shielded from view in this movie by an occulting disk What is seen are stars, a planet, and the active solar corona This is a time-lapse movie

24 The increasingly important role of amateur astronomy Amateur photos can rival those produced by spacecraft cameras webcam and CCD imaging small and affordable telescopes can search for extrasolar planets comet hunting

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26 The best film picture of Saturn as of the early 1970s Photo by Steve Larson, this department

27 Picture taken in my backyard (10 telescope and a webcam)

28 Webcam video of Saturn

29 stacking of best images obtained from the webcam video

30 Picture of taken by amateur Wesley Higgins

31 Picture of taken by spacecraft Cassini

32 How did the solar system form? A perfectly valid and sensible question We use the scientific method to answer it Clues are obtained by observing the basic properties of the solar system and invoking Comparative Planetology Planets and moons often have similarities similarities and differences give clues to the origin of the solar system

33 Comparing the Planets/Moons Amateur photo by Dominique Dierick Planet Types Heavily Cratered Worlds Terrestrial Planet Worlds with few (if any) impact craters Gas Giant

34 How Do We Measure Astronomical Objects? Angular measurements Still need to know how far the Earth is from the object How do we measure this? Spectroscopy Measuring the light emitted (or reflected off of) the object Need to understand the properties of light Often requires going into space (i.e. some forms of radiation do not make it to the ground) Picking it up and looking at it Requires going there! Other clever ideas are also in use Must be innovative because these objects are so far away!

35 Angular Measure If you draw lines from your eye to each of two stars, the angle between these lines is the angular distance between these two stars

36 Angular Measurements Subdivide one degree into 60 arcminutes minutes of arc abbreviated as 60 arcmin or 60 Subdivide one arcminute into 60 arcseconds seconds of arc abbreviated as 60 arcsec or 60 1 = 60 arcmin = 60 1 = 60 arcsec = 60

37 Practice (or brush up on) Unit Conversion! The conversion of a value from one set of units to another is an important and often overlooked step in any science calculation. You must include units in your quantitative calculations to receive full credit. Read Chapter 1 of the text for more information on important units in astronomy and examples of unit conversion A Martian solar eclipse seen by the rover Opportunity (Phobos is the moon)

38 Powers-of-ten notation is a useful shorthand system for writing numbers Common Prefixes Factor Name Symbol (billion) 10 9 Giga- G (million) 10 6 Mega- M (thousand) 10 3 kilo- k (hundredth) 10-2 centi- c (thousandth) 10-3 milli- m (millionth) 10-6 micro- μ (billionth) 10-9 nano- n

39 Announcements Reading Assignment Chapters 1 and 4 There will be an in-class activity on Tuesday (1/16) The first homework assignment will be assigned (available for download from the course website) on Tuesday (it will be due 1/25)