3351 - The Planets of our Solar System (Peter Campos)
Course Description
Instructor: Peter Campos
Officially, there are eight main planets in our solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune); Pluto was demoted to “dwarf planet” status in 2006; I will cover Pluto alone in a separate, one-day, “lunch and learn” class. For this course, we will devote a class period to each of remaining planets (except Earth), examining information gleaned from spacecraft fly-bys, telescope imaging, and surface explorations. Marvel at some stunning images; learn about planetary facts, characteristics, and satellites; and consider what life might be like if it existed there. In addition, after our coverage of Mars we will learn about the asteroids, and after we finish with Neptune, we’ll explore the Trans-Neptunian Objects in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.
Bio: I was trained as a Clinical Psychologist, and I owned a consulting company to help community organizations get Federal grants and address agency evaluation needs. I was formerly on faculty at Emory Medical School’s Psychiatry Department and SUNY-Binghamton’s Psychology Department and taught undergraduate and graduate level courses for over 35 years. I now enjoy retirement spending my time reading history, enjoying Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, writing, learning languages, and traveling.