Planetary Systems#
WBAS002-05 Planetary Systems | Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen Level: 2nd-year BSc Astronomy | Credits: 5 ECTS Period: September to November 2026 | See the course information page for the full syllabus.
These lecture notes accompany the course Planetary Systems, covering the formation, structure, and evolution of planets in our solar system and beyond.
Lectures#
Lecture 1: Introduction & History of Planetary Science
Lecture 2: Planet Formation 101 & Orbital Dynamics
Lecture 3: Planetary Heat & Energy Transport
Lecture 4: Chemical Differentiation & Magnetospheres
Lecture 5: Atmospheres I: Composition, Structure, & Dynamics
Lecture 6: Atmospheres II: Clouds, Weather, & Climate
Lecture 7: Planetary Surfaces: Geology, Geomorphology, & Geophysics
Lecture 8: Planetary Interiors: Structure, Composition, & Dynamics
Lecture 9: Rocky Planets: Earth & Venus
Lecture 10: Rocky Planets: Mercury & Mars
Lecture 11: Gas & Ice Giants
Lecture 12: Meteorites, Asteroids, Minor Planets & Comets
Lecture 13: Exoplanets: Detection, Demographics, & Characterization
Lecture 14: Synthesis & Astrobiology
Worksheets and mock exams#
The seven worksheet problem sets with full solutions are collected on the worksheets page, and the mock exams on the mock exams page.
About#
These notes are developed by Tim Lichtenberg at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute. They are designed to be self-contained and do not require a separate textbook.
Reporting errors & typos#
If you find a mistake, an error, a typo, or a mislabelled figure anywhere in these notes or in the slide decks, please report it. Students taking the course and readers outside it are equally welcome to do so, and corrections of any size are useful.
Either open an issue in the GitHub repository, or send an email to tim.lichtenberg@rug.nl.