1. Xi Zhang E&MS A261 <xiz@ucsc.edu>
Planetary Discovery
in the era of Spacecraft Exploration
Xi Zhang
E&MS A261
TA: Szilard Gyalay

2. Mid-Term Next Friday (Nov. 3), 10:40-11:45 am Same time, same place
Materials: week 1 – next Wed (read your textbook!).
Close book and close note
No smartphones allowed
A small calculator is allowed, but the math can be readily done without them
~50 multiple choice questions
Equation sheet will be provided 2

3. Mercury Made of metal and rock; large iron core
Desolate, cratered; long, tall, steep cliffs
Very hot, very cold: 425 celsius degree (day), –170 celsius degree (night)

4. Overview of Solar System

5. What properties of our solar system must a formation theory explain?
Patterns of motion of the large bodies
Orbit in same direction and plane
Existence of two types of planets
Terrestrial and jovian
Existence of smaller bodies
Asteroids and comets
Notable exceptions to usual patterns
Rotation of Uranus, Earth's Moon, etc.

6. Today’s Outline
Formation of star and planetary system

7. Origin of the Universe: The Big Bang
The Big Bang produces Hydrogen and Helium

8. Galactic Recycling
Elements that formed planets were made in stars and then recycled through interstellar space.
We can see stars forming in other interstellar gas clouds.
Insert TCP7e Figure 8.1

9. Life and Death of a Star

10. Nebular Theory
The nebular theory states that our solar system formed from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar gas cloud—the solar nebula.
(Nebula is the Latin word for cloud.)
Kant and Laplace proposed the nebular hypothesis over two centuries ago.
A large amount of
evidence now supports
this idea.

11. Collapse (initiated by supernova?)
Heating, Flattening, and
spinning up
Condensation (Ice and rock)
Accretion of planetesimals
Solar Wind stripping of gas
Sun ignites!

12. Collapse (initiated by supernova?)
Heating, Flattening, and
spinning up
Condensation (Ice and rock)
Accretion of planetesimals
Solar Wind stripping of gas
Sun ignites!

13. What caused the orderly patterns of motion in our solar system?

15. Conservation of Angular Momentum
Rotation speed of the cloud from which our solar system formed must have increased as the cloud contracted, for the same reason a skater speeds up as she pulls in her arms.

16. Flattening
Collisions between particles in the cloud caused it to flatten into a disk.
Collisions between gas particles in cloud gradually reduce random motions.
Collisions between gas particles also reduce up and down motions.
Spinning cloud flattens as it shrinks.

17. Disks around Other Stars
Observations of disks around other stars support the nebular hypothesis.

18. Protoplanetary Disk from ALMA
Atacama Large Millimeter Array image of HL Tauri, 450 light years from Earth

19. Collapse (initiated by supernova?)
Heating, Flattening, and
spinning up
Condensation (Ice and rock)
Accretion of planetesimals
Solar Wind stripping of gas
Sun ignites!

20. How to explain two major types of planets

21. Structure of disk
As gravity causes cloud to contract, it heats up (conservation of energy).
Inner parts of disk are hotter than outer parts.
Rock can be solid at much greater temperatures than ice.

22. Frost Line (or Snow Line)
Inside the frost line: too hot for hydrogen compounds to form ices
Outside the frost line: cold enough for ices to form

23. How did the terrestrial planets form?
Small particles of rock and metal were present inside the frost line.
Planetesimals of rock and metal built up as these particles collided.
Gravity eventually assembled these planetesimals into terrestrial planets.

24. How did the terrestrial planets form?
Tiny solid particles stick to form planetesimals.
Gravity draws planetesimals together to form planets.
This process of assembly
is called accretion.

25. Accretion of Planetesimals
Many smaller objects collected into just a few large ones.

26. Quiz Time…

27. How did the jovian planets form?
Ice could also form small particles outside the frost line.
Larger planetesimals and planets were able to form.
Gravity of these larger planets was able to draw in surrounding H and He gases.

28. How did the jovian planets form?
Gravity of rock and ice in jovian planets draws in H and He gases.
A combination of photons and the solar wind —outflowing matter from the Sun—blew away the leftover gases.

29. Collapse (initiated by supernova?)
Heating, Flattening, and
spinning up
Condensation (Ice and rock)
Accretion of planetesimals
Solar Wind stripping of gas
Sun ignites!

30. Solar Rotation
In nebular theory, young Sun rotated much faster than now.
Friction between solar magnetic field and solar nebular probably slowed the rotation over time.

31. Collapse (initiated by supernova?)
Heating, Flattening, and
spinning up
Condensation (Ice and rock)
Accretion of planetesimals
Solar Wind stripping of gas
Sun ignites!

32. Asteroids and Comets Leftovers from the accretion process
Rocky asteroids inside frost line
Icy comets outside frost line