A brief summary of each class meeting is posted here, after the class is completed. This page is a good summary for tests and so forth.

Day 1 (1/30/2008): Course introduction; what astrobiology is about

Day 2 (2/1/2008): Distances in astronomy; the astronomical unit (AU) and the light year (LY); typical values of distances inside and outside the solar system; how to measure distances with radar and parallax (brief)

Day 3 (2/4/2008): Regular motions in the sky (stars, Sun, Moon); irregular motions of the planets; geocentric and heliocentric models; the work of Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Tycho; Johannes Kepler (brief)

Day 4 (2/6/2008): Galileo and Newton; law of gravitation; calculations with Kepler's third law

Day 5 (2/8/2008): Kepler's laws and Newton's law of universal gravitation; examples of calculations with the Kepler-Newton law; how to find the Sun's mass; how to find the Earth's mass

Day 6 (2/11/2008): More on motion and distance; masses of binary star systems; the mass of Sirius; geometry review; degrees and radians; the equation for a slender (skinny) triangle; examples; how to find distances with the slender-triangle equation

Day 7 (2/13/2008): Astronomy and chemistry background to astrobiology; structure of atoms; abundances of atoms; molecules and structures; the composition of stars; the interstellar medium (ISM); broad outline of star formation and maturity; broad outline of solar system formation; nuclear fusion and the stellar balancing act; stellar deaths (planetary nebula and supernova); supernovas (okay, supernovae) lead to the formation of new elements

Day 8 (2/15/2008): Interstellar clouds and the interstellar medium (ISM); mass. temperature, composition, and size (volume) as related to the ISM and interstellar clouds; temperature scales; cloud collapse and solar system formation; three types of planets and how their compositions relate to distance from the Sun and mass

Day 9 (2/18/2008):Light and the electromagnetic spectrum

Day 10 (2/20/2008): Test #1 (Chapters 1 - 3)

Day 11 (2/22/2008): Review of solar system formation; early Earth's history; dates and events; relative dating; Nicholas Steno and superposition; radioactivity and isotopes; absolute dating

Day 12 (2/25/2008): Reasons for studying the Earth's history; review of Earth's, and Solar System's, formation; key events over geological and biological time; Hadean era; role of impacts; oldest rocks; first evidence of life (cells); differentiation of Earth; inner structure of the Earth

Day 13 ( 2/27/2008): Earth's evolution on the inside; Earth's evolution on the outside; continential drift; plate tectonics; plate movements; observable features from plate movements; earthquakes; outgassing from the early Earth; evolution of the Earth's atmosphere from interstellar gases to domination by nitrogen and carbon dioxide

Day 14 (2/29/2008): Characteristics of life; atoms make molecules; molecules in space; molecules have composition and structure and can be chiral; amino acids make proteins and DNA helps; what is DNA and what does it do

Day 15 (3/3/2008): How DNA does its job; complementary strands and DNA; cells and the three domains of life; energy sources; plants, animals, and energy usage; astrobiology lessons; environments; examples of extremophiles; Europa, an extreme environent

Day 16 (3/5/2008): Role of carbon

Day 17 (3/7/2008): Origin of life; Miller-Urey experiment; date of origin; endogeneous and exogenous ideas; thermal vents; panspermia; atmospheric chenges; banded iron formation; ozone formation

Day 18 (3/10/2008): Types of evolution; role of impacts

Day 19 (3/12/2008): Water's unusual properties

Day 20 (3/14/2008): Test #2 (Chapters 1 - 6)

Day 21 (3/26/2008): No class meeting; Assignment = Study Chapter 7

Day 22 (3/28/2008): Chapter 7 - An astrobiological tour of the solar system

Day 23 (3/31/2008): Mars - properties, characteristics, geological features

Day 24 (4/2/2008): Mars and the Viking astrobiology experiments; their results; the aftermath

Day 25 (4/4/2008): Mars - concluded -  future Mars missions; meteorites from Mars; claims of life in Martian meteorites; extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (and many examples)

Day 26 (4/7/2008): Jovian moons

Day 27 (4/9/2008): Jovian moons, part  II

Day 28 (4/11/2008): Comets and astrobiology

Day 29 (4/14/2008): Planets and environments; habitable zones

Day 30 (4/16/2008): No class meeting; Assignment = Study Chapter 10

Day 31 (4/18/2008): Complete Chapter 10

Day 32 (4/21/2008): Begin Chapter 11 (spectroscopy of stars)

Day 33 (4/23/2008): Test #3 (Chapter 7 - 10)

Day 34 (4/25/2008): Extrasolar planets and how to find them

Day 35 (4/28/2008): SETI and SETI strategies (stars, planets, biochemistry, civilizations, light waves); Drake equation; the water hole part of the spectrum

Day 36 (4/30/2008): Classifying stars

Day 37 (5/2/2008): Communications by radio waves; sending and receiving information

Day 38 (5/5/2008): More SETI; space travel; the Pioneer and Voyager missions; travel to stars; 24 minutes of video

Day 39 (5/7/2008): Continue with SETI; contact with extraterrestrials; space travel problems; rate x time = distance issues; difficulties with prolonged space missions; nuclear propulsion possibilities; about 30 minutes of video

Day 40 (5/9/2008): Review and conclude course; music from the Voyager record