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The Science of the Solar System

The Science of the Solar System

Instructor: Mike Brown

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10 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

814 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

10 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

814 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

You will learn how scientists use spacecraft, telescopes, theory, and lab experiments to understand the solar system around us.

Skills you'll gain

Chemistry

Details to know

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Assessments

10 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 10 modules in this course

Learn about the science behind the current exploration of the solar system in this FREE CLASS (all class materials are available for free in preview). Use principles from physics, chemistry, biology, and geology to understand the latest from Mars, comprehend the outer solar system, ponder planets outside our solar system, and search for habitability in our neighborhood and beyond. This course is generally taught at an advanced level assuming a prior knowledge of undergraduate math and physics, but the majority of the concepts and lectures can be understood without these prerequisites. The quizzes and final exam are designed to make you think critically about the material you have learned rather than to simply make you memorize facts. The class is expected to be challenging but rewarding.

What's included

11 videos1 reading1 assignment3 discussion prompts

11 videosTotal 133 minutes

Introduction to Science of the Solar System9 minutes
Lecture 1.01: Early views of Mars12 minutes
Lecture 1.02: Mars has canals!13 minutes
Lecture 1.03: Taking the temperature of Mars20 minutes
Lecture 1.04: Mars DOES have water (in the atmosphere)! 11 minutes
Lecture 1.05: Heating and composition of the polar caps19 minutes
Lecture 1.06: Let's fly to Mars 9 minutes
Lecture 1.07: The first missions to Mars 7 minutes
Lecture 1.08: Water on earth 10 minutes
Lecture 1.09: Mariner 9 -- Mars had FLOWING water!17 minutes
Lecture 1.10: Viking and the start of modern Martian science6 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Note on the next lecture10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 130 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Welcome! Please introduce yourself.10 minutes
What's in the sky right now?10 minutes
Groundwater sapping or not?10 minutes

What's included

10 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt

10 videosTotal 142 minutes

Lecture 1.11: Craters and surface ages16 minutes
Lecture 1.12: Outflow channels16 minutes
Lecture 1.13:Valley Networks10 minutes
Lecture 1.14: Climate cycles on Mars 16 minutes
Lecture 1.15: Was early Mars warmer and wetter? 18 minutes
Lecture 1.16: Atmospheric escape14 minutes
Lecture 1.17 Martian topography15 minutes
Lecture 1.18: Gamma ray spectroscopy and subsurface water14 minutes
Lecture 1.19: Glaciers on Mars!11 minutes
Lecture 1.20 Origin of low latitude ice 11 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 230 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Polar layered terrains?10 minutes

What's included

10 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt

10 videosTotal 141 minutes

Lecture 1.21: Evolution of the interior19 minutes
Lecture 1.22: Thermal spectroscopy and mineral identification15 minutes
Lecture 1.23: Geology from the Opportunity rover 15 minutes
Lecture 1.24: Geochemistry from the Opportunity rover 11 minutes
Lecture 1.25: Introduction to guest lecturers 7 minutes
Lecture 1.26: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 1 11 minutes
Lecture 1.27: Mineralogy on Mars, Part 2 17 minutes
Lecture 1.28: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 1 12 minutes
lecture 1.29: Results from the Curiosity Rover, Part 2 18 minutes
Lecture 1.30: Where was the water on Mars?17 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Note on the next lectures10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 330 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Where was the water on Mars?10 minutes

What's included

11 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt

11 videosTotal 114 minutes

Lecture 2.01: Introduction to Jupiter 8 minutes
Lecture 2.02: Measuring density 14 minutes
Lecture 2.03: Using density 7 minutes
Lecture 2.04: Hydrostatic equilibrium 14 minutes
Lecture 2.05: Hydrogen equation of state 13 minutes
Lecture 2.06: Heat transport14 minutes
Lecture 2.07: Theoretical internal structure 9 minutes
Lecture 2.08: A core from gravity?7 minutes
Lecture 2.09: Magnetic fields12 minutes
Lecture 2.10: The upper atmosphere and the Galileo probe 7 minutes
Lecture 2.11: Picture models 8 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Note on the next section10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 430 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Transit of Venus!10 minutes

What's included

10 videos1 assignment2 discussion prompts

10 videosTotal 140 minutes

Lecture 2.12: Planetesimal formation19 minutes
Lecture 2.13: Core formation 15 minutes
Lecture 2.14: Core-collapse vs. Disk instability 15 minutes
Lecture 2.15: Saturn and the ice giants 12 minutes
Lecture 2.16: Discovering hot Jupiters12 minutes
Lecture 2.17: Densities of hot Jupiters 7 minutes
Lecture 2.18: Inflating hot Jupiters12 minutes
Lecture 2.19: Kepler and the sub-Neptunes 19 minutes
Lecture 2.20: Exoplanet spectroscopy20 minutes
Lecture 2.21: Juno and future exploration8 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 530 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Core collapse vs. disk instability?10 minutes
Juno results?10 minutes

What's included

12 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt

12 videosTotal 162 minutes

Lecture 3.01: Introduction to the small bodies17 minutes
Lecture 3.02: The formation of small bodies16 minutes
Lecture 3.03: The formation of terrestrial planets16 minutes
Lecture 3.04: The surface density of the solar system11 minutes
Lecture 3.05: An ode to comets6 minutes
Lecture 3.06: The composition of comets13 minutes
Lecture 3.07: Where do comets come from?11 minutes
Lecture 3.08: The formation of the Oort cloud15 minutes
Lecture 3.09: Meteorites and the beginning of the solar system12 minutes
Lecture 3.10: Types of meteorites: Chondrites12 minutes
Lecture 3.11: Types of meteorites: Achondrites13 minutes
Lecture 3.12: Asteroids and meteorite delivery19 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 630 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Lead-lead dating10 minutes

What's included

9 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt

9 videosTotal 155 minutes

Lecture 3.13: Asteroid compositions11 minutes
Lecture 3.14 : Pictures of asteroids16 minutes
Lecture 3.15: Asteroid hazards24 minutes
Lecture 3.16: The Kuiper belt20 minutes
Lecture 3.17: Properties of dwarf planets26 minutes
Lecture 3.18: Dynamical instabilities14 minutes
Lecture 3.19:The Grand Tack16 minutes
Lecture 3.20: Planet Nine21 minutes
Lecture 3.21: A trip to the Subaru telescope8 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 730 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Lucy!10 minutes

What's included

10 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt

10 videosTotal 108 minutes

Lecture 4.01: Introduction to life 11 minutes
Lecture 4.02: Photosynthesis 9 minutes
Lecture 4.03: Water 10 minutes
Lecture 4.04: Alternative energy sources 11 minutes
Lecture 4.05: History of life on Earth9 minutes
Lecture 4.06: Mars -- The Viking experiement 9 minutes
Lecture 4.07: Mars -- Microbial hitchhikers 9 minutes
Lecture 4.08: Mars -- Methane?16 minutes
Lecture 4.09: Mars -- Methane!!5 minutes
Lecture 4.10: Mars -- a habitable environment19 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 830 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Life as we do (or don't) know it10 minutes

What's included

11 videos1 assignment2 discussion prompts

11 videosTotal 134 minutes

Lecture 4.11: Oceans on Europa19 minutes
Lecture 4.12: Energy on Europa14 minutes
Lecture 4.13: Exploring Europa11 minutes
Lecture 4.14: Enceladus12 minutes
Lecture 4.15: Introduction to Titan13 minutes
Lecture 4.16: Weird life on Titan8 minutes
Lecture 4.17: Habitable zones 12 minutes
Lecture 4.18: Detecting exo-life 11 minutes
Lecture 4.19: Looking around M-dwarfs 10 minutes
Lecture 4.20: A mission to find life in the solar system 16 minutes
Lecture 4.21: All good things must come to an end 8 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Quiz 930 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Europa Clipper!10 minutes
Planets!10 minutes

What's included

4 videos1 reading1 assignment

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(239 ratings)

Top Instructor

Mike Brown

Caltech

1 Course75,183 learners

Offered by

Caltech

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Showing 3 of 814

Reviewed on Aug 26, 2020

I knew nothing about the solar system, but learned more than I will ever forget. Thank you.Excellent course. Love Mike as a teacher. So informative and brilliant!

Reviewed on Oct 9, 2025

What a fresh way to learn about our universe. As an engineering student, I never had the opportunity to read a course like this. Cannot recommend enough!

Reviewed on Oct 26, 2020

The course instructor is the best part of this course. That guy (respectfully) is an awesome teacher, I wish everyone would get teachers like him. Overall I got to learn a lot.

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Frequently asked questions

All course materials and assessments are freely accessible. You may pay to sign up to be eligible to receive a certificate upon passing, but that is absolutely not required in order to take, learn from, and enjoy the class. Additionally, all lectures can be found at www.youtube.com/@TheScienceoftheSolarSystem

To access course materials, assignments, and earn a Certificate, you'll need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. Eligible learners may also have the option to start with a Free Trial. Some courses may also offer a Full Course, No Certificate option. This lets you access course materials, submit required assessments, and receive a final grade, but you won't be able to earn or purchase a Certificate.

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.