Asteroids are the leftover rocky materials from the formation of the
Solar System that reside primarily in a broad belt between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter. This lecture reviews the physical and orbital
properties of Asteroids, and discusses the role of Jupiter and orbital
resonances in dynamically sculpting the Main Belt of Asteroids. Once
again, we s ... Show More
Nov 2007
Lecture 41: Planetary Rings
All Jovian planets have rings. We are most familiar with the bright,
spectacular rings of Saturn, but the other Jovian planets have rings
systems around them. This lecture describes the different ring systems
and their properties, and discusses their origin, formation, and the
gr ... Show More
42m 55s
Nov 2007
Lecture 40: The Saturn System
Saturn is attended by a system of 60 known moons and bright, beautiful
rings. Today we will explore the moons of Saturn. Among the highlights
are Saturn's lone giant moon, Titan, the 2nd largest moon in the Solar
System and the only one with a heavy atmosphere. The atmosphere of
... Show More
40m 44s
Nov 2007
Lecture 39: The Moons of Jupiter
Jupiter has its own personal solar system in miniature of 63 known
moons. Most are tiny, irregular bodies that are a combination of
captured asteroids and comets, but it is the 4 largest, the giant
Galilean Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, that is of greatest
interest t ... Show More
42m 21s