How To Build A Planet

WEEK 2 What is a star

An object in the universe in which fusion reactions occur, producing vast amounts of energy

How did the stars form

What are Population III stars

The first stars that formed in our universe

How can we distinguish Population III stars from later stars

What is the evidence that our Sun is a third-,fourth- and fifth-generation star

What are the stages in the lifecycle of a sun-sized star

What is the relationship between contraction and expansion

Where in its lifecycle is our sun

The first elements formed within minutes of the Big Bang. How did the other elements form

What is stellar nucleosynthesis

How do the processes that generate elements differ in sun-sized versus massive stars

How does the end stage of a sun-sized star differ to the life cycle of a more massive star

What role did supernovae explosions play in the formation of elements with atomic numbers greater than iron, the first galaxies and Population II stars

What is the origin of black holes

What is the relationship between black holes and galaxies

When was the period of most rapid galaxy merger

When was the period of highest star formation

How old is the Milky Way

How did the Milky Way form

What is the geometry and geography of the Milky Way

WEEK 1 How have people’s perceptions of the Earth’s place in the Universe changed over the centuries

Early observations suggested that Earth was at the centre of our Universe (geocentric) whereas another suggestion which we know to be true now is that the Sun is at the centre of our Universe (heliocentric)

What is the basic architecture of our universe and its components

Our universe consists of the Sun and its orbit containing Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

How old is the universe

13.8 billion years old

What event does the Big Bang Theory describe

The formation of the universe

What is the evidence that the Universe is expanding

Galaxies are seemingly moving further away but rather space is expanding and carrying the galaxies away

Why has the universe cooled as it has expanded

How has the rate of expansion changed since the Big Bang

What is astronomical redshift and how is it different to the doppler effect

Movement of the source alters the wavelength and received sound frequency

What is Hubble’s Law

What is Hubble’s Constant and how is it measured

What sequence of key events occurred in the first 380kys after the Big Bang in the history of the Universe

Which is the earliest epoch visible today

What are the 4 fundamental forces

What energy field is responsible for particles having mass and how does it confer mass

In which era did the first normal matter form

What elements were formed through primordial nucleosynthesis

What is recombination and how did it effect the ‘transparency’ of the universe

Why was the era known as the ‘dark ages’ dark

What is the composition of the currently observable universe

What is dark matter

What is dark energy

What is normal matter

What % of normal matter is made up of hydrogen and helium

What role did dark matter play in the formation of the structure of the Universe

WEEK 3 What is the age of our solar system

What is used to date the solar system

How did the solar system form, according to the nebular theory

What is the Principle of Uniformitarianism

How does surface elevation of the Earth vary- where are the highest and lowest points

How do we know the Earth has layers

How can we study Earth’s interior

Why study meteorites

What is the internal structure of Earth

What are the key differences between the internal layers

What are the differences between continental and oceanic crust

What is the Moho and how does it vary

Why is the inner core solid

3 principle subdivisions of the Precambrian

What defines the start and end of the Hadean

What proportion of Earth history does the Hadean represent

What is the age of Earth

How did early Earth grow in size (stages)

What is a planetisimal

What processes caused dust and condensing material to accrete into planetisimals

How did planetisimals grow into the inner planets of the solar system

When and why did Earth’s interior core and mantle separate

What was the source of the heat that lead to melting of the Earth

What is the age of formation of the Moon

How did the Moon form

What is the age of the oldest zircon and where are they found

What was the composition of the Hadean crust

What was the tectonic style of the early Earth in the Hadean and early Archaean

What is a ‘stagnant lid’

End of Hadean - Earth had a primitive atmosphere and early oceans. Contrast these with the present

What were the major gases in the Early atmosphere

What gas wasn’t present that is common in the current atmosphere

When did liquid water form at the Earth’s surface

What was the fate of the Early atmosphere of the Earth

What was the character of the Hadean landscape

What was the role of impacts in the early Earth

What is a mineral

What are the key physical properties of minerals, that can be used in their identification

What controls the key physical properties of minerals

What 4 mechanisms result in the formation of minerals

How are minerals grouped according to their chemical composition

What is quantitatively the most common group of minerals in the Earth’s crust

What is the building block of all silicate minerals

How do the arrangement of the tetrahedra affect the structure of silicate minerals

What are common examples of each type of silicate mineral

What is fractional crystallisation

How does fractional crystallisation control the silicate mineral formed

What is a rock

How are rocks classified

What are the 3 common types of rocks

What’s the main difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks in terms of their origins

How can texture be used to distinguish igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks

What are the most common minerals found in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks

How do intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks form

How are igneous rocks classified

What controls the texture of an igneous rock