ASTR 217
Planets and Moons
Last Offered Spring 2020
Division III
Cross-listed GEOS 217
This course is not offered in the current catalog

Class Details

This course examines the history and geology of the solar system. No two planets are exactly alike, and as we acquire more data and higher-resolution images, our sense of wonder grows. However, we can’t hike around and hammer rocks on Venus or Titan, so we have to infer composition, form, texture and process from remotely-captured images and sparse chemical and spectral data. We will consider the origin of the solar system, the formation and evolution of planetary bodies, and the role of impacts, volcanism, tectonics and geomorphology in shaping them. We will summarize basic geological concepts of stratigraphy, structure and chronology and show how they can be applied off-world. We will review solar system exploration, and will include planetary data in lab exercises. This course is in the Solid Earth group for the Geosciences major.
The Class: Format: lecture/laboratory
Limit: 20
Expected: 12
Class#: 3622
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: Reading journal, lab exercises, class participation
Prerequisites: any 100-level GEOS or any 100-level ASTR course, or permission of instructor
Enrollment Preferences: Geosciences majors, Astronomy/Astrophysics majors, and sophomores
Distributions: Division III
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
ASTR 217 Division III GEOS 217 Division III
Attributes: GEOS Group C Electives - Solid Earth

Class Grid

Updated 4:47 pm

Course Catalog Search


(searches Title and Course Description only)
TERM




SUBJECT
DIVISION



DISTRIBUTION



ENROLLMENT LIMIT
COURSE TYPE
Start Time
End Time
Day(s)