Steinn Sigurðsson - Astronomy 420(W) - Planets and Planetary System Formation - Fall 2012

E-mail me - steinn@astro.psu.edu if you have any difficulty reading or downloading pages

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Syllabus and Basic Information:

• Syllabus
• Ancillary information - rules etc
• A LaTeX primer
• The Astrophysical Data System is a free, searchable on-line database of all the major journals in asttronomy and astrophysics.
• arXiv - preprint database
  These are very useful for tracking down references and copies of papers, though going to the library is also recommended!

  Other useful resource:

• Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ARAA).
  These are blue books with black markings on the spine.
  A reference set (do NOT remove) is in the 5th floor reading room.
  A good way to get started is to browse through the index of the last few volumes of ARAA and see if there is a review on the subject of your paper. If there is, you have found a very good (if lengthy) starting point!
  

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  Topics to be covered:
  • Basic Orbit Theory
  • Solar System Overview
  • Planet Formation - Minimum Mass Solar Model
  • Exoplanets: Discovery
  • Exoplanet: Observational Techniques:
    • Timing
    • Radial Velocity
    • Microlensing
    • Transits
    • Direct Imaging
    • Astrometry
  • Comparative Exoplanetology
  • Planet Formation Revisited
  • Migration and Scattering
  • Terrestrial, Super and Giant
  • Exoplanet Structure
  • Atmospheres
  • Habitability
  • Astrobiology
  • Biosignatures
  • Future Prospects

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  Schedule - new one only partially in place yet.
  Lecture notes are not yet online
  Caveat: - class topic sequence may be extended, folded, cut or expanded at my discretion without notice - will have converged on the basic sequence by mid Sept.

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  Outline of course -

  Class	Date	Topic	Class	Date	Topic	Class	Date	Topic
  1	27 Aug	(N) Introduction and Organization - Potential Theory	2	29 Aug	(N) Introduction - Orbits	3	31 Aug	(N) Introduction - Keplerian Dynamics
  4	03 Sep	(N) NO CLASS	5	05 Sep	(N) Solar System Overview: Planets DROP DAY	6	07 Sep	(N) Solar System Overview: Moons and Planetesimals
  7	10 Sep	XN Canonical Planet Formation	8	12 Sep	XN Viscous Disks Homework 1	9	14 Sep	(N) Disk Profiles
  10	17 Sep	XN Hierarchical Growth	11	19 Sep	(N) Giant Planet Formation Homework 1 due	12	21 Sep	XN Temperature Scaling
  13	24 Sep	XN Dust Aggregation	14	26 Sep	XN Dust Instabilities and Runaway Growth Homework 2	15	28 Sep	(N) Oligarchic Growth and Moon Formation - Beyond Nice
  16	01 Oct	(N) Exoplanets	17	03 Oct	(N) Pulsar Timing - Detection Methods Homework 2 due	18	05 Oct	(N) Astrometry - Detection Methods II Outline I due
  19	08 Oct	(N) Radial Velocity Detection I	20	10 Oct	(N) Radial Velocity Detection II Homework 3	21	12 Oct	(N) Transit Detection I
  22	15 Oct	(N) Transit Detection II	23	17 Oct	(N) Topic: Recent Developments Homework 3 due	24	19 Oct	(N) Microlensing
  25	22 Oct	(N) Direct Imaging First Paper due	26	24 Oct	(N) Exoplanetology: Discoveries to Date Homework 4	27	26 Oct	XN Comparative Exoplanetology I
  28	29 Oct	SANDY! Comparative Exoplanetology II	29	31 Oct	(N) Comparative Exoplanetology III Homework 4 due	30	02 Nov	XN Terrestrial Planets
  31	05 Nov	(N) Giant Planet Atmospheres Proposal Outline due	32	07 Nov	XN SuperEarths and Ice Giants Homework 5	33	09 Nov	XN Kepler - Guest Lecture
  34	12 Nov	(N) Planet Formation Revisited	35	14 Nov	(N) Migration Homework 5 due	36	16 Nov	Nice and Grand Tack - LATE DROP
  37	19 Nov	NO CLASS Proposal Due Due date for PlanetHunter teams	38	21 Nov	NO CLASS	39	23 Nov	NO CLASS
  40	26 Nov	Astrobiology Homework 6	41	28 Nov	Habitability Homework 6 due	42	30 Nov	Life in the Universe`
  43	03 Dec	TBD TOPICS - Future Missions etc	44	05 Dec	TBD TOPICS	45	07 Dec	TBD TOPICS
  46	10 Dec	Topics	47	12 Dec	Topics	48	14 Dec	LAST CLASS
  49	17 Dec	NO CLASS - FINAL PAPER DUE - PlanetHunters Project	50	19 Dec	NO CLASS	51	21 Dec	NO CLASS

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  Some relevant links - THESE ARE DATED BUT WILL BE UPDATED REAL SOON NOW... ;-)

  • Office of Space Science - Missions
  • ESA science missions
  • Penn State Astronomy
  • Bad Astronomy
  • AstroWeb
  • Space Telescope
  • Picture of the Day
  • Picture of the Day - Index
  • Astronomy Cafe
  • Ask an Astronomer
  • Hubble Space Telescope - Heritage
  • Astropix.com

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  Specific info

  • Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia
    NB: add Jason's and Jean's sites
  • HST Planet Project at PSU NB: add CEHW and PSU sites
  • SETI@home - search for intelligent life in the galaxy using your home computer!
  • The Sun live - SOHO images
  • Virtual Tour of the Sun
  • Bahcall's Standard Solar Model
  • The sky at different wavelengths
  • Deep Sky photos of stars
  • Hipparcos

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  This class follows the departmental academic integrity policy as described here in the dept web pages

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  This class follows the current Penn State policy on dealing with H1N1 influenza cases, as needed.

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  “Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course, contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 814-863-1807 (V/TTY). For further information regarding ODS, please visit the Office for Disability Services Web site at http://equity.psu.edu/ods/.

  In order to receive consideration for course accommodations, you must contact ODS and provide documentation (see the documentation guidelines at http://equity.psu.edu/ods/guidelines/documentation-guidelines). If the documentation supports the need for academic adjustments, ODS will provide a letter identifying appropriate academic adjustments. Please share this letter and discuss the adjustments with your instructor as early in the course as possible. You must contact ODS and request academic adjustment letters at the beginning of each semester.”

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  Last updated 08/12

  If you find an error or an unreadable link on this page, then E-Mail me!

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