2010 Course Handbook
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ASTR178: Other Worlds: Planets and Planetary Systems
This unit explores our solar system and the newly found planetary systems around other suns. We begin by examining the processes that have shaped the marvellous variety of worlds within our own solar system, from the scorched and buckled surface of Mercury, to the geysers of frozen methane on Neptune's largest moon, Triton. From this we build an understanding of how our solar system formed and subsequently evolved to become the system that we inhabit today. We then turn our attention to the ongoing discovery of a startling variety of planets around other stars and the advanced observing techniques employed. These provide a new and challenging perspective on our place in the Universe that is modifying the scientific theories of how generic planetary systems are formed. The unit highlights breaking news as the unit proceeds. As part of this unit there is the opportunity to observe the planets with the telescopes of the Macquarie University Observatory.
| Credit Points: | 3 |
| Contact Hours: | 3 |
| When Offered: | D2 - Day; Offered in the second half-year |
| Staff Contact(s): | Physics staff |
| Prerequisites: | |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCW(s): | PHYS178 |
| Unit Designation(s): | |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: | Department of Physics and Astronomy |
| People or Planet: | Planet |
Timetable Information
For unit timetable information please visit the Timetables@Macquarie Website .