Exploring the Solar System
HET602
Overview
To enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into a course from the provider.
Read before you start
Level of study: What does Postgraduate mean?
Postgraduate
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
No
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Domestic student fee:
$1,600.00 (AUD)
International student fee:
$1,825.00 (AUD)
Description
This unit aims to provide an introduction to our solar neighbourhood, including terrestrial planets, giant planets, minor bodies and the Sun. The emphasis is on conceptual astronomy rather than mathematical techniques.
Enrolment Restriction
In order to enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into one of the following courses:
- Graduate Certificate of Science (Astronomy)
- Graduate Diploma of Science (Astronomy)
- Master of Science (Astronomy)
If you wish to seek approval to enrol in this unit without being accepted in a course, please contact OUA regarding the process.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- understand the basic principles of both celestial motion and planetary astronomy, and discuss these concepts in a non-technical manner understandable to the general public
- understand and appreciate night sky observing and celestial phenomena
- understand our place in the solar neighbourhood, especially of the relationship between our present environment on Earth and that of our companions in the Solar System
- understand the social implications of planetary research
- research an astronomy topic in depth, using dependable sources of astronomical information on the internet.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Observing the night sky, star trails, the planets as wanderers |
| 2 | Lunar orbit and phases, tidal forces, synchronous rotation |
| 3 | Modelling the formation of the Solar System |
| 4 | The Earth: structure, surface geology, atmosphere and magnetic field |
| 5 | The Moon: interior, lunar surface characteristics and theory of formation |
| 6 | The terrestrials: Mercury, Venus and Mars; comparative planetary geology |
| 7 | Planets as habitats and signs of life |
| 8 | The asteroid belt: properties and evolution |
| 9 | The giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune |
| 10 | Satellites and planetary rings |
| 11 | Dwarf planets, Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, Comets and the dirty snowball model |
| 12 | The Sun: structure, nuclear power, solar activity and its effects on Earth |
Study Resources
Each unit offered through OUA provides students with unit information that includes assessment topics and due dates, policy information and contact numbers for university support and academic staff. Study materials will also clearly outline each week's topic, readings, student activities and the format of all assessment.
Textbooks are subject to change within the academic year. Students are advised to purchase their books no earlier than one to two months before the start of a unit.
Click on the titles of the listed books below to find out more:
Recommended textbooks
By:Rothery David A.
ISBN: -
Format:Print
Supplier:Go to Unibooks
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
- Graduate Certificate of Science (Astronomy), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
- Graduate Diploma of Science (Astronomy), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
- Master of Science (Astronomy), Swinburne University of Tnlgy
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
