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Astronomy190 - Topics in Astronomy

Astronomy and Astrobiology

Lecture 1 : What is Astrobiology?

Ty Robinson

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Syllabus I

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Campus Map

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Syllabus II

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Syllabus III

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Syllabus IV

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Schedule I

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SciFi Report I

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SciFi Report II

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SciFi Report III

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Questions?

What assignment is due Monday?

purchase the textbook

research SciFi books

none

purchase SciFi book

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Life Beyond Our Solar System

“There are countless suns and countless earths all rotating around their suns in exactly the same way as the seven planets of our system. We see only the suns because they are the largest bodies and are luminous, but their planets remain invisible to us because they are smaller and non-luminous. The countless worlds in the universe are no worse and no less inhabited than our Earth.”

- GIORDANO BRUNO (1584)

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Questions of the Day

• How is the science of astrobiology defined?

• What are astrobiologists looking for?

• What types of studies do astrobiologists perform?

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What is Astrobiology?

“The study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the Universe.”

“The study of the origin and evolution of life on Earth and the application of these studies to our search for life in the Universe.”

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Astrobiology in Pop CultureTake a few minutes to think of 3

movies/stories that you have encountered in the last year which deal with astrobiology.

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What are we looking for?

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Is it reasonable?

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Meet the Astrobiology Family

Earth & Planetary Science

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Biology

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Questions?

Which of the following could also be used to argue that it is reasonable to expect life exists beyond Earth?

life on Earth is Carbon-based

no matter where we look on Earth, we find life

Earth is just the right temperature for life

Mars once had liquid water on its surface

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NASA Astrobiology Institute Roadmap

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Goal #1

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The Kepler Mission

Transit Telescope

T. Brown and D. Charbonneau

Measures stellar brightness changes caused by transiting terrestrial planets. Monitoring 100,000 stars for 4 years!

Launched 2009

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Fomalhaut b

Pisces austrinus

120 AU

Mass of Neptune? Jupiter?

Orbit of Neptune

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Goal #2

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Mars Phoenix Lander

heat shield

parachute

Phoenix

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Goal #3

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Delivery of Organics Fragment of Murchison Meteorite (~82 kg recovered)

Organics Present in Murchison Meteorite (Pizzarello 2003)

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Goal #4

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Mass Extinctions

Manicouagan Crater, Quebec

~100 km

Chicxulub Crater, Yucatan Peninsula

~100 km

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Goal #5

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Extreme Environments

Chvian et al. 2008NASA Astrobiology Institute

Candidatus Desulforudis

audaxviator

“Strain 121”

Kashefi & Lovley 2003

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Goal #6

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Rise of Oxygen

Credit: Paul Hoffman

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Goal #7

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Earth Observations

QuickTime™ and aMPEG-4 Video decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

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Questions?

Which roadmap goal encompasses studies concerning the effects of global climate change on the biosphere?

Goal #3

Goal #4

Goal #6

Goal #5

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Questions of the Day

• How is the science of astrobiology defined?

• What are astrobiologists looking for?

• What types of studies do astrobiologists perform?