Caltech - The Science of the Solar System 

Introduction to Science of the Solar System

Lecture 1.01: Early views of Mars

Lecture 1.02: Mars has canals!

Lecture 1.03: Taking the temperature of Mars

Lecture 1.04: Mars DOES have water (in the atmosphere)!

Lecture 1.05: Heating and composition of the polar caps

Lecture 1.06: Let's fly to Mars

Lecture 1.07: The first missions to Mars

Lecture 1.08: Water on earth

Lecture 1.09: Mariner 9 -- Mars had FLOWING water!

Lecture 1.10: Viking and the start of modern Martian science

Note on the next lecture

Quiz 1

Lecture 1.11: Craters and surface ages

Lecture 1.12: Outflow channels

Lecture 1.13:Valley Networks

Lecture 1.14: Climate cycles on Mars

Lecture 1.15: Was early Mars warmer and wetter?

Lecture 1.16: Atmospheric escape

Lecture 1.17 Martian topography

Lecture 1.18: Gamma ray spectroscopy and subsurface water

Lecture 1.19: Glaciers on Mars!

Lecture 1.20 Origin of low latitude ice

Quiz 2

Lecture 1.21: Evolution of the interior

Lecture 1.22: Thermal spectroscopy and mineral identification

Lecture 1.23: Geology from the Opportunity rover

Lecture 1.24: Geochemistry from the Opportunity rover

Lecture 1.25: Introduction to guest lecturers

Lecture 1.26: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 1

Lecture 1.27: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 2

Lecture 1.28: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 1

lecture 1.29: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 2

Lecture 1.30: Where was the water on Mars?

Note on the next lectures

Quiz 3

Lecture 2.01: Introduction to Jupiter

Lecture 2.02: Measuring density

Lecture 2.03: Using density

Lecture 2.04: Hydrostatic equilibrium

Lecture 2.05: Hydrogen equation of state

Lecture 2.06: Heat transport

Lecture 2.07: Theoretical internal structure

Lecture 2.08: A core from gravity?

Lecture 2.09: Magnetic fields

Lecture 2.10: The upper atmosphere and the Galileo probe

Lecture 2.11: Picture models

Note on the next section

Quiz 4

Lecture 2.12: Planetesimal formation

Lecture 2.13: Core formation

Lecture 2.14: Core-collapse vs. Disk instability

Lecture 2.15: Saturn and the ice giants

Lecture 2.16: Discovering hot Jupiters

Lecture 2.17: Densities of hot Jupiters

Lecture 2.18: Inflating hot Jupiters

Lecture 2.19: Kepler and the sub-Neptunes

Lecture 2.20: Exoplanet spectroscopy

Lecture 2.21: Juno and future exploration

Quiz 5

Lecture 3.01: Introduction to the small bodies

Lecture 3.02: The formation of small bodies

Lecture 3.03: The formation of terrestrial planets

Lecture 3.04: The surface density of the solar system

Lecture 3.05: An ode to comets

Lecture 3.06: The composition of comets

Lecture 3.07: Where do comets come from?

Lecture 3.08: The formation of the Oort cloud

Lecture 3.09: Meteorites and the beginning of the solar system

Lecture 3.10: Types of meteorites: Chondrites

Lecture 3.11: Types of meteorites: Achondrites

Lecture 3.12: Asteroids and meteorite delivery

Quiz 6

Lecture 3.13: Asteroid compositions

Lecture 3.14 : Pictures of asteroids

Lecture 3.15: Asteroid hazards

Lecture 3.16: The Kuiper belt

Lecture 3.17: Properties of dwarf planets

Lecture 3.18: Dynamical instabilities

Lecture 3.19:The Grand Tack

Lecture 3.20: Planet Nine

Lecture 3.21: A trip to the Subaru telescope

Quiz 7

Lecture 4.01: Introduction to life

Lecture 4.02: Photosynthesis

Lecture 4.03: Water

Lecture 4.04: Alternative energy sources

Lecture 4.05: History of life on Earth

Lecture 4.06: Mars -- The Viking experiement

Lecture 4.07: Mars -- Microbial hitchhikers

Lecture 4.08: Mars -- Methane?

Lecture 4.09: Mars -- Methane!!

Lecture 4.10: Mars -- a habitable environment

Quiz 8

Lecture 4.11: Oceans on Europa

Lecture 4.12: Energy on Europa

Lecture 4.13: Exploring Europa

Lecture 4.14: Enceladus

Lecture 4.15: Introduction to Titan

Lecture 4.16: Weird life on Titan

Lecture 4.17: Habitable zones

Lecture 4.18: Detecting exo-life

Lecture 4.19: Looking around M-dwarfs

Lecture 4.20: A mission to find life in the solar system

Lecture 4.21: All good things must come to an end

Quiz 9

Bonus: The formation of the moon

Bonus: What we used to think about Sedna (before we knew about Planet Nine!)

Bonus: Seasons on Titan

Bonus: Why Pluto had to die

Bonus material

Final exam