ASTR 507 Planetary Science 3 credit Prereqs: None (permission of instructor for undergrads) Evaluation: Midterm and final exam. Homework assignments. In-class quizzes on readings. Note: This course usually has one-third of the enrollment from EOSC students. Text: 2nd edition, de Pater and Lissauer Planetary gravity fields (2 lectures) - rotational shapes, k2, Jn - central condensation, interior structure Tides. (2 lectures) Astronomical context (2 lectures) - cloud collapse mechanisms. Jeans - accretion disk structure. Disks. - Planet formation models Meteorite/small-body cosmochemistry (2-2.5 lectures from me, linked with more from Weis on basics of isotopic chemistry) - solar system formation time scales - structure of the asteroid belt - comet sources Hope Dominique will cover (amongst other things) : - basics of dating, both radiogenic and stable isoptopes - core formation times of terrestrial planets - atmospheric issues? (comfortable with this?) - meteoritic processes? (comfortable with this?) Impact cratering (1.5 lectures) - excavation physics - scaling laws; comparison between planets - cratered landscapes Planetary atmospheres (2 lectures) - Basic vertical structure - T gradients - diurnal heating input - jovian versus terrestrial atmospheres Climate change (1 lecture) - Basic orbital mechanics - Milankovitch theory Extrasolar planets (1 lecture) - Census - Clues to planet formation