| Tue. Sep. 1 | Introduction to Planetary Science | Read Chap. 1 |
| Thu. Sep. 3 | Central Forces | Read Chap. 2.1 |
| Tue. Sep. 8 | Orbital Elements | Read Chap. 2.1 |
| Thu. Sep. 10 | The 2-Body Problem | Read Chap. 2.1 |
| Tue. Sep. 15 | The 3-Body Problem | Read Chap. 2.2 |
| Thu. Sep. 17 | Circular Restricted 3-Body Problem | Read Chap. 2.2 |
| Tue. Sep. 22 | Lagrange Points and Zero Velocity Curves | Read Chap. 2.2; HW #1 due |
| Thu. Sep. 24 | Resonances | Read Chap. 2.3-2.4 |
| Tue. Sep. 29 | Precession and Tides | Read Chap. 2.5-2.6 |
| Thu. Oct. 1 | Tides and Non-Gravitational Forces | Read Chap. 2.7-2.8 |
| Tue. Oct. 6 | Planetary Atmospheres | Read Chap. 4.1; HW #2 due |
| Thu. Oct. 8 | Planetary Atmospheres; QUIZ | Read Chap. 4.2; TERPS Abstracts due |
| Tue. Oct. 13 | FALL BREAK | |
| Thu. Oct. 15 | Planetary Atmospheres | Read Chap. 4.2 |
| Tue. Oct. 20 | Adiabatic Lapse Rate | Read Chap. 4.4; Midterm Preparation |
| Thu. Oct. 22 | MIDTERM | |
| Tue. Oct. 27 | Cloud Formation | Read Chap. 4.4 |
| Thu. Oct. 29 | Hadley Cells | Read Chap. 4.5 |
| Tue. Nov. 3 | Hurricanes | Read Chap. 4.5; HW #3 due |
| Thu. Nov. 5 | Interplanetary Magnetic Field | Read Chap. 7.1 |
| Tue. Nov. 10 | Planetary Magnetic Fields | Read Chap. 7.2 |
| Thu. Nov. 12 | Adiabatic Invariants | Read Chap. 7.3 |
| Tue. Nov. 17 | Meteorites: Finds, Falls, and Sources | Read Chap. 8.1-8.3; HW #4 due |
| Thu. Nov. 19 | Meteorites: Composition and Classification | Read Chap. 8.4-8.5 |
| Tue. Nov. 24 | Meteorites: Radioactive Decay | Read Chap. 8.6-8.8 |
| Thu. Nov. 26 | THANKSGIVING | |
| Tue. Dec. 1 | Planet Formation: Star Formation | Read Chap. 13.1-13.3 |
| Thu. Dec. 3 | Planet Formation: The Solar Nebula | Read Chap. 13.4-13.5; TERPS Summaries due |
| Tue. Dec. 8 | Planet Formation: From Dust to Planetesimals | Read Chap. 13.6-13.7; HW #5 due |
| Thu. Dec. 10 | Planet Formation: From Planetesimals to Planets TERPS Conference | Read Chap. 13.8-13.13; TERPS Presentations due |
| Thu. Dec. 17 | FINAL EXAM (10:30am-12:30pm) | |
Return
to ASTR630 Home Page Last Modified: Thu Jul 30 14:12:54 2026