We end our exploration of life on the Earth with a look at death in the
fossil record. This lecture looks at the role asteroidal impacts have
played in the history of the Earth, and their possible role in mass
extinction events in the fossil record. We will discuss near-earth
asteroids, historical impacts, and the K-T event in which a massive
asteroid impa ... Show More
Oct 2009
Lecture 22: The Family of the Sun
This first lecture of Unit 4 - Life in the Solar System - is a quick tour of our Solar System reviewing the planets, dwarf planets, moons, and small bodies that make up our celestial home. This lecture will introduce many of the places we will be considering in detail over the ne ... Show More
46m 22s
Oct 2009
Lecture 24: The Jovian Planets
We turn our attention to the Giant Planets of the outer Solar System: the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. We will review their structure and properties, and then examine their systems of moons, with special attention to the giant moons. While ... Show More
47m 50s
Mar 2006
Lecture 44: Life, the Universe, and Everything (Life Part II)
How can we search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and what are we looking for? This second part of a 2-part lecture picks up where we left off yesterday by examining SETI, the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence, and reviews what we might look for and how. We will use thi ... Show More
45m 56s
Sep 2007
Lecture 02: Astronomical Numbers
What are our units of measure in astronomy? To begin our exploration of astronomy, we first need to develop a common language for notating large numbers, and introduce the basic units of length, mass, and time that we will use throughout the quarter. This lecture is a quick revie ... Show More
43m 58s
Sep 2007
Welcome to Astronomy 161 for Autumn Quarter 2007
Welcome to the Astronomy 161 Lecture Podcasts. This is a brief message from me explaining the podcasts, and welcoming new and old listeners. University. Lectures will begin on Wednesday, 2007 Sept 19, and run through Friday, 2007 Nov 30. New lectures will appear shortly before 6p ... Show More
7m 35s