Descriptive Astronomy: PHY 101

Here's a study guide for Tuesday's final exam (Preble 335, 8:00-10:00 a.m.).

General
 

Fix online	Views of the Solar System
The Nine Planets	Windows to the Universe

Extrasolar Planets: Results (so far)

• Planetary systems form from protoplanetary disks, or "proplyds."  You can tell that they're flattened disks when they happen to be viewed edge-on.
• A Scientific American article discusses an extrasolar planetary system discovered in 1999.
  (Larger versions of the diagrams can be viewed here.)
• Savor cosmic diversity by going through this slide show of the Top 10 Exoplanets
  (coming soon: Top 10 Party Exoplanets)
• OK, so we find an Earthlike planet with an Earthlike orbit around a Sunlike star: What do we look for to check for life on that planet?
• Optional:

• In order to have life, a planet must not only be the right size but also the right distance from the right kind of parent star.  That is, different kinds of star have different habitable zones in which life could form -- or at least could most easily form.

Circling Back: Planetary Migration and the Lunar Cataclysm

Focus: "Hot Jupiters" around other stars changed their orbits early in their lives, and the four large planets in our own solar system seem to have done some of that as well.  Could this explain the "late heavy bombardment" of the inner solar system 3.9 Ga ago?

• This article discusses the possibility that shifts in the orbits of the outer planets made for a hellish time on the Moon and on Earth -- and perhaps stimulated a wet period on Mars.
• Optional:

• Here's another clear description of the planetary migration model for our solar system.

Headstart on Next Week

Good luck with your finals!

Links from previous weeks are here

-- and don't forget the future!  Here are the requirements for your final paper

For enlightening fun, take a look at the Astronomy Picture of the Day

You're always welcome to send me feedback about the course.

Descriptive Astronomy has been brought to you by Chris Magri and The University of Maine at Farmington

URL: http://academic.umf.maine.edu/~magri/phy101/