Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing the course the students have a first encounter with the field of planetology, they learn the basic theory and observational techniques on the existence of extra-solar planetary systems and the evolution of the solar system and finally they are taught the basic use of perturbation theory in celestial mechanics
Course Content (Syllabus)
Description of the solar system: physical and orbital properties (planets, satellites, small bodies). Fundamentals of Celestial Mechanics: equations of motion, perturbation theory, gravitational and non-gravitational forces. Stability of the solar system: secular orbital perturbations and climate, resonant motion. Space exploration: artificial satellite orbits and use, design of interplanetary trajectories. Extra-solar planetary systems: observational techniques, dynamics and systems classification. Theory of planet formation: proto-planetary discs, planet formation and evolution of young systems. Time-line of our solar system.