The Science of the Solar System
John Murrell
Starting today is another MOOC with relevance to (planetary) astronomy – It is titled ‘The Science of the Solar System.
The synopsis is as follows:
Explore the solar system using concepts from physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. Learn the latest from Mars, explore the outer solar system, ponder planets outside our solar system, and search for habitability in the universe.
This course is a scientific exploration of our solar system. You will learn both what we know about the solar system around us but also how we have been using the tools of science to learn the things that we know. You will get to use some of the tools yourself.
Unlike typical solar system classes, which plod from one planet to the next, we will focus our examination of the solar system on four main topics: (1) Where is there water on Mars? (2) What is inside of a giant planet? (3) How can we use the smallest bodies in the solar system to answer the biggest questions? (4) Where might we look for life?
To answer these questions we will learn about details of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, planetary interiors and magnetism, the geological history of planets, spacecraft exploration, telescopic observations of planets around other stars, spectroscopic determinations of composition, biochemistry of water- and non-water based life, and many more. In short, we'll learn about the whole solar system and about planets in other systems besides ours.
Details on the following URL including how to sign up
There are a number of other courses on the bottom of this page – most seem to be ‘self-paced’ which means you can sign up any time.
Enjoy
John Murrell
Astronomer Without Portfolio
Website www.JohnMurrell.org.uk