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Bruce Betts' Online Astronomy Course 2012
The Planetary Society's Director of Projects, Dr. Bruce Betts, returned to the virtual classroom at California State University Dominguez Hills from February 8, 2012 to May 9, 2012 teaching Physics 195: Introduction to Planetary Science and Astronomy. Here is an archive of all 13 classes.
He is also teaching an updated version of the the same class in 2013. Go here to learn more.
Each class is one-and-a-half hours. Just click on a session title to get to a large version of the video for that class.
If you are curious about what was covered in the class, here is the syllabus (PDF) , or just see the descriptions with the classes below.
For those who are interested, here we've posted the midterm (PDF) and the midterm with answers (PDF). We will post the final as well at some point.
Session 1: Tour of the Solar System, Guest Mat Kaplan
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Overview Day: Tour of the Solar System, and a recording of Planetary Radio What's Up segment with Mat Kaplan
Session 2: How Do We Explore Planets in Space?
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
How do we explore planets and space?: Easy Things to Look for in the Night Sky with and without telescopes, telescopes, spacecraft, using multiple wavelengths, remote sensing, and In Situ Studies
Session 3: The Moon and Mercury
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
The Moon, Mercury, and Planetary Surfaces Processes
Session 4: The Triad Planets and Venus, Guest Emily Lakdawalla from The Planetary Society
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Venus, Earth, Mars Intercomparison, and Focus on Venus. Guest Emily Lakdawalla gives updates on Venus.
Session 6: Asteroids and the Asteroid Impact Threat
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Asteroids, including Near Earth Objects, and impact hazards to the Earth.
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Jupiter and its satellites, Magnetospheres
Session 8: Saturn and its moons
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Saturnian System, Ring Systems
Session 9: Saturn (continued), and Uranian and Neptunian Systems
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Uranian and Neptunian Systems
Session 10: Pluto, Kuiper Belt, Trans Neptunian Objects, Oort Cloud, and Comets
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Pluto system, Kuiper Belt Objects, Oort cloud, Comets and effects of the Sun (solar wind, light pressure)
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Extra Solar Planets: exploring other solar systems, and origins of our own
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
The Sun and Stars: Formation, evolution, types. Plus Solar Sails and Lagrange Points.
Session 13: Galaxies, Big Bang, and Life
Guests
- Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
Galaxies, Expansion of the Universe, Big Bang, Life and SETI
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 1: Tour of the Solar System
Take a tour of the Solar System in class 1 of Dr. Bruce Betts' online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 2: How We Explore Space
Guests
Lecture 2 of Dr. Bruce Betts' online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers easy things to see in the night sky without a telescope, and the electromagnetic spectrum (from gamma rays to visible to radio waves) -- what it is, and how and why we use different wavelength regions to explore planets and even learn their compositions. The class starts with guest Mat Kaplan, Media Producer for The Planetary Society and Bruce and Mat record a What's Up segment for Planetary Radio. Filmed at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 3: Telescopes, the Moon
Lecture 3 of Dr. Bruce Betts' online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers optical, radio, and space telescopes, the history, exploration, and importance of the Moon to our Solar System understanding, as well as impact cratering, lunar tides, phases, and solar eclipses. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 4: Mercury, Venus-Earth-Mars Atmospheres, Venus
Lecture 4 of Dr. Bruce Betts' online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers Mercury (characteristics, geology, core, exploration, water ice at poles), the Terrestrial Planet Atmospheres/Triad Planets -- a comparison of Venus, Earth, and Mars and why their atmospheres are so different, including discussions of the Greenhouse Effect, temperature systems (Kelvins, Celsius, Fahrenheit), and plate tectonics; and Venus (characteristics, geologic evolution, exploration). Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 5: Venus (cont.), Mars
Lecture 5 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers Venus (continued: surface landers, exploration), and Mars (characteristics, many types of geologic features, poles, exploration spacecraft: flyby, orbiters, and landers/rovers). Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 6: Mars (cont.), Asteroid Threat
Guests
- Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist, The Planetary Society
Lecture 6 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers Mars (continued: Phoenix, rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, including an update from Emily Lakdawalla of The Planetary Society, and moons), and the near Earth asteroid threat to Earth, including statistics, past impacts, and information on the recent 2012 DA14 flyby and Chelyabinsk fireball. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 7: Asteroid Belt, Jupiter System
Guests
- Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE Principal Investigator, Jet Propulsion Lab
Lecture 7 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers asteroid hunting from space with Dr. Amy Mainzer (JPL), NEOWISE principal investigator, in addition to covering the Asteroid Belt (characteristics, asteroids visited, meteorites), and the Jupiter system (planet, atmosphere and interior, magnetosphere, aurora, ring, moons including Io; icy Galilean satellites will be covered next week). Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 8: Icy Galilean Satellites, Saturn System
Lecture 8 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers the Icy Galilean Satellites (Europa, Ganymede, Callisto) of Jupiter, and the Saturnian System including atmosphere, interior, rings, and moons including Enceladus and Titan. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 9: Uranus and Neptune Systems, and Trans Neptunian Object Discovery
Guests
- Mike Brown, Planetary Astronomer, California Institute of Technology
Lecture 9 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course starts with guest Dr. Mike Brown of Caltech, discoverer of Trans Neptunian Objects, then covers the Uranian and Neptunian systems including atmospheres, interiors, rings, and moons including Triton. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 10: Trans Neptunian Objects including Pluto, KBOs, Comets
Lecture 10 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers Transneptunian Objects (TNOs) including the Pluto System, Eris, Kuiper Belt Objects, Comets, and the Oort Cloud, and also covers the solar wind, aurorae, and the heliosphere. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 11: Exoplanets and Solar System Origin and Formation
Lecture 11 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers Exoplanets (planets around other stars) including discovery techniques and current knowledge and characteristics, and multi-planet systems including a previously recorded interview with Kepler scientist Dr. Darin Ragozzine (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory). Lecture 11 also covers the origin and formation of the Solar System as well as a quick look at Kepler's 3rd law and planetary orbits. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 12: The Sun and Stars
Lecture 12 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers the Sun (physical characteristics, zones, solar cycle, sunspots, flares, coronal mass ejections, fusion, etc.) and Stars and Stellar Lecture 12 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers the Sun (physical characteristics, zones, solar cycle, sunspots, flares, coronal mass ejections, fusion, etc.) and Stars and Stellar Evolution (star types and colors, evolution, HR Diagrams, birth and death phases, white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes), as well as brief coverage of solar sails and Lagrange Points. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills. Note this lecture was previously recorded.
Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 13: Galaxies, the Universe, Life
Guests
- Bill Nye, Chief Executive Officer
Lecture 13 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course begins with a conversation with Bill Nye about profound questions in the universe, then covers galaxies (our place in the Milky Way, types of galaxies, Hubble Deep Field), the Universe (determining distances, expansion of the universe, Big Bang theory and evolution of the universe, WMAP and Planck results, dark matter, dark energy, neutrinos), and life in the universe (Earth life requirements, astrobiology, SETI). Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.
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