Planetary Science

Major

At the undergraduate level, the option offers the opportunity to pursue a Caltech BSc with a concentration of courses in the planetary sciences option and in related areas. For some students, a physics, astronomy, geology or chemistry emphasis is as good or better than a planetary science major, and it is possible to prepare well for graduate school without doing a planetary science major as an undergraduate. The Caltech PS concentration is flexible but provides a wide-ranging introduction to the field, and many students have the option of research during summers and occasionally during the academic year.

Minor

The Planetary Science minor, or a general GPS minor, are intended for non-GPS undergraduates to supplement a major degree with knowledge of earth and planetary science.

Ge/Ay 133. The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems.

Review current theoretical ideas and observations pertaining to the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Topics to be covered include low-mass star formation, the protoplanetary disk, accretion and condensation in the solar nebula, the formation of gas giants, meteorites, the outer solar system, giant impacts, extrasolar planetary systems.