The Solar System

Note that this unit of study covers Chapters 7–12 of the textbook.

• Overview of our Solar System (37:46)
• Regularities in Planetary Motions (18:50)
• Some Physical Properties of Planets (11:06)
• Formation of the Solar System (13:00)
• Age of the Solar System (9:46)
• Evolution of the Solar System (22:16)
• Planetary Atmospheres (36:54)
• Tidal Forces and their Astronomical Consequences (21:29)
• Planetary Rings (10:08)

• Overview of our Solar System
• Planetary Motions, Physical Properties of Planets, Formation of the Solar System
• Evolution of the Solar System
• Planetary Atmospheres
• Tidal Forces, Satellites, and Rings

• ERSC 1P94 Brock's new (as of 2016) Planetary Sciences course; check it out!
• Overview: JPL; Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; Nine Planets (yes, they know that there are only eight official planets now); To Scale: The Solar System (a film by Alex Gorosh and Wylie Overstreet)
• Explore the Solar System: BBC
• Components of the solar system: NASA; Solar system visualizer, M. VanDaniker et al, University of Maryland
• Formation of planetary systems: F. Bagenal, University of Colorado; J. Schombert, University of Oregon; A. Zabludoff, University of Arizona
• Other planetary systems: HubbleSite; Exoplanets; G.H. Bell, Arizona State University; TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets discovered in 2017, B. McDonald (CBC)
• Close encounters: Alien star system buzzed our solar system (BBC)
• Summary: S. Morgan, University of Northern Iowa

• Overview: NASA; D.H. Weinberg, Ohio State University; The 25 biggest turning points in Earth's history (BBC)
• The Earth as a planet: Nine Planets
• The Earth's interior: Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; E.C. Robertson, USGS; N. Strobel, Bakersfield College; Plate Tectonics (BBC);
• The age of the Earth: R. Pogge, Ohio State University; J. Schombert, University of Oregon
• Motions in the Earth's interior: N. Strobel, Bakersfield College; Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; Plate tectonics (YouTube); Journey to the centre of the Earth (BBC)
• The Earth's magnetic field: N. Strobel, Bakersfield College; Earth's magnetic field reversals mimicked in the lab (Nature); Does an anomaly in the Earth's magnetic field portend a reversal? (J. Tarduno and V. Hare)
• The Earth's atmosphere: Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; UCAR; N. Strobel, Bakersfield College
• The Earth's spin: Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; N. Strobel, Bakersfield College
• Keeping time: N. Strobel, Bakersfield College; D. Husfeld and C. Kronberg, MAA
• Cosmic Influences on Earth: Events in space may have changed the course of evolution on Earth (BBC)
• Summary: Saylor; N. Strobel, Bakersfield College

• Overview: NASA; J. Schombert, University of Oregon; Cornell University; Recent Findings About the Moon, B. Denevi, Physics Today, 2017
• The Moon's surface: Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; R.W. O'Connell, University of Virginia; Young volcanoes on the Moon (T. Phillips, NASA)
• The Moon's structure: Wikipedia; S. Stern, Southwest Research Institute (pdf)
• The Moon's orbit and motions: NASA; N. Strobel, Bakersfield College
• The Moon's origin and history: Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; Planetary Science Institute
• Tides: Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee, Part 1 and Part 2
• Summary: N. Strobel, Bakersfield College; R.W. Pogge, Ohio State University; X. Li, Nanjing University


• Music: Claire de Lune (Debussy); Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven); Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)

• Overview: C. Palma, Pennsylvania State University
• Mercury: NASA; Nine Planets; A.L. Sprague et al, University of Arizona
• Venus: NASA; Nine Planets; J. Schombert, University of Oregon
• Mars: NASA; Nine Planets; J. Schombert, University of Oregon; G. Worthey, Washington State University; Was Mars’ Magnetic Field Blasted Away? (Universe Today)
• Why the terrestrial planets are so different from each other: N. Strobel, Bakersfield College
• Summary: P. Watson, Carleton University; T. Harrison, New Mexico State University

• Overview: University of Colorado; G. Worthey, Washington State University
• Jupiter: New Discoveries About Jupiter, K. Chang, New York Times, 2017; NASA; Nine Planets; J. Schombert, University of Oregon; Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee
• Saturn: NASA; Nine Planets; J. Schombert, University of Oregon; Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee; New Images of Saturn from the Cassini Explorer, New York Times, 2017
• Uranus: NASA; Nine Planets; J. Schombert, University of Oregon; Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee
• Neptune: NASA; Nine Planets; J. Schombert, University of Oregon; Yost and Daunt, University of Tennessee
• Summary: P. Watson, Carleton University