Astronomy 141 - Autumn Quarter 2008
Life in the Universe

Prof. Scott Gaudi - MWF 9:30am-10:48am - 0120 Baker Systems Engineering

Unit 3: Life in the Solar System [October 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, 31, November 3, 5]

Lecture 1: The Solar System: Formation and Overview [Oct 17]

Lecture 2: Requirements for Habitability [Oct 20]

Lecture 3: The Deserts of Mars [Oct 22]

Lecture 4: Search for Life on Mars [Oct 24]

Lecture 5: Life on the the Moons of Jupiter [Oct 27]

Lecture 6: Life Elsewhere in the Solar System [Oct 29]

Lecture 7: What Happened on Venus? [Oct 31] ]

Lecture 8: Goldilocks and the Three Planets [Nov 3 ]

Lecture 9: How strange could life be? [Nov 5]

Related Readings in Life in the Universe

Lecture 1: Chapter 3.5, Chapter 7

Lecture 2: Chapter 7

Lecture 3: Chapters 8.1-8.3

Lecture 4: Chapters 8.4-8.5

Lecture 5: Chapters 9.1-9.2

Lecture 6: Chapters 9.3-9.4

Lecture 7: Chapters 10.2

Lecture 8: Chapters 10.1,10.3-10.4

Further Reading for Unit 3

The Search for Life in the Universe by Donald Goldsmith and Tobias Owen: Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.

Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach by Jonathan I. Lunine: Chapters 12, 13 and 14.

The links to the lectures provide outlines of the material covered in each class. In some cases they have additional text and links covering supplemental material or graphics. I will attempt to make the online lecture notes are made available starting the week in which the lectures occur, but some notes may not be accessible until later in the week for various reasons.

Please feel free to print out copies of these lecture outlines in advance of class, so you can follow along with the lecture. Many students find this helps them listen without the pressure of taking down detailed notes of their own, but while still making additional notes in the margins to highlight particularly emphasized points.

See A Note about Graphics to learn why some of the graphics shown in the lectures are not reproduced with these notes.

Students looking to explore these topics further using the Internet might want to look at Prof. Richard Pogge's Selected Astronomical Internet Links for this unit.

[ Return to the Astronomy 141 Main Page | Go forward to Unit 4 ]

Updated: 2006 December 27
Copyright © Scott Gaudi All Rights Reserved.