Course information#
This page summarises the formal information for the course as registered with the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The official course catalogue entry is maintained in Ocasys.
At a glance#
Course title |
Planetary Systems |
Course code |
WBAS002-05 |
Credits |
5 ECTS |
Level |
2nd-year BSc Astronomy (Bachelor) |
Faculty |
|
Institute |
|
Language of instruction |
English |
Period |
Semester 1a (September to November 2026) |
Coordinator and lecturer |
dr. Tim Lichtenberg |
Guest lecturer |
dr. Mara Attia (they/them), Atmospheres I and II |
Teaching assistants |
Mariana Sastre, Emma Postolec, Soumil Kelkar, Imre Kisvárdai |
Timetable |
|
Contact |
|
Tutorial and worksheet questions |
Course description#
This course provides a physics-based introduction to the planets of the Solar System and the wider population of extrasolar planetary systems. After setting the historical and observational context, it develops the core physical concepts needed to understand how planetary systems form and evolve: orbital dynamics and planet formation, heat generation and energy transport, and chemical differentiation and magnetic field generation. Building on these foundations, the course treats the atmospheres, surfaces, and interiors of planets as coupled, evolving systems, and shows how spacecraft missions and telescope observations constrain them. The major classes of Solar System bodies are then surveyed in turn: the terrestrial planets (Earth, Venus, Mercury, Mars), the gas and ice giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), and the small bodies (meteorites, asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects, and comets), with emphasis on what each reveals about the conditions of planet formation. The course closes with the detection, demographics, and characterisation of exoplanets, and a synthesis that places the Solar System within the observed diversity of planetary systems and considers the conditions relevant to planetary habitability and astrobiology.
Learning outcomes#
At the end of the course, the student is able to:
Describe the formation and early evolution of planetary systems, from protoplanetary disks through accretion to mature architectures, and place the Solar System within the wider exoplanet population.
Explain the principal mechanisms of heat generation and energy transport in planetary interiors and atmospheres, and how they drive the thermal and chemical evolution of a body.
Describe the structure, composition, and dynamics of planetary atmospheres, surfaces, and interiors, and how these evolve over time, including the basics of the solar wind and its interaction with planetary magnetospheres.
Apply fundamental physics (orbital mechanics, thermodynamics, radiative transfer) to quantitative problems in planetary science.
Compare and contrast the major classes of Solar System bodies (terrestrial planets, gas and ice giants, and small bodies such as meteorites, asteroids, and comets) in terms of their formation, structure, and observable properties.
Evaluate the main exoplanet detection methods and interpret observational data in the context of planetary demographics and characterisation.
Synthesise knowledge across these sub-disciplines to assess the diversity of planetary systems and the conditions relevant to planetary habitability.
Prerequisites#
Required: Classical Mechanics (orbital dynamics, energy conservation) and Thermodynamics (heat transfer, phase equilibria).
Recommended: Introduction to Astronomy/Astrophysics, including basic familiarity with radiative transfer (for example from Physics of Stars). No prior planetary science is assumed.
Assessment#
The course is assessed by a single final written exam, which determines the full final grade (100%). A final grade of higher than 5.5 is required to pass the course. The re-sit has the same format as the exam; if very few students are enrolled, an oral exam is offered instead.
The exam lasts two hours and consists of six questions at the shape and level of the worksheet problems; each question spans two to three lectures, and any formula a question needs beyond the short must-know list is printed in the question. It is closed book: a calculator and a pen are all that is needed. The short list of relations every student must know from memory is published on the mock exams page, together with a downloadable PDF version.
Seven worksheets are provided as ungraded formative practice and are discussed in the tutorial sessions. They are strongly recommended as exam preparation but do not count towards the final grade. The worksheets and their full solutions, together with three mock exams with full solutions, are published on this website as the course runs.
Course structure#
The course runs over the teaching period of Semester 1a and comprises 14 lectures, weekly tutorial sessions, and a final written exam. Each teaching week consists of two 90-minute lectures and one tutorial in which the worksheet for that block is discussed. The tutorials are led by the teaching assistants listed above. The full lecture sequence is listed on the landing page, and the lecture notes follow that order.
Note
Send all questions about the tutorials and worksheets to the teaching assistants at ips-tas-2026@formingworlds.space. The lead assistant for that week’s worksheet replies.
The indicative study-load breakdown for the 5 ECTS (140 hours total) is:
Component |
Hours |
|---|---|
Lectures |
28 |
Tutorials |
14 |
Final exam |
2 |
Self-study |
96 |
Total |
140 |
Course materials#
The course is taught from these custom lecture notes; there is no required or recommended textbook. The notes are self-contained and freely available on this site.