Astronomy 61:
Current Problems in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Week 14: "Astrobiology: The Study of the Living Universe," by Chyba & Hand, Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 43, p. 31 (2005).

Week 13: "Panspermia today," by Burchell, Astrobiology, Vol. 3, p. 73 (2004).

Week 12: "Astrobiology and Habitability of Titan," by Raulin, Astrobiology, Vol. 7, in press (2007).

Week 11: "Identification of Absorption Features in an Extrasolar Planet Atmosphere," by Barman, Astrophysical Journal Letters, in press (2007).

Week 10: "Atmospheres of Extrasolar Giant Planets," by Marley et al., Protostars and Planets, V, (2005).

Week 9: "The Spectrum of an Extrasolar Planet," by Richardson et al., Nature, 445:892 (2007); and "A Spitzer Spectrum of the Exoplanet HD 189733b," by Grillmair et al., Astrophysical Journal Letters, 658:L115 (2007).

Week 8: "The Prospect of Alien Life in Exotic Forms on Other Worlds," by Schulze-Makuch & Irwin, Naturewissenschaften, 93:155 (2006).

Week 7: No class this week.

Week 6: "Does the rapid appearance of life on Earth suggest that life is common in the Universe?" by Lineweaver & Davis, Astrobiology, 2:293 (2002).

Week 5: "Vegetation's Red Edge: A Possible Spectroscopic Biosignature of Extraterrestrial Plants," by Seager et al., Astrobiology, 5:372 (2005).

Week 4: "Astrobiologically Interesting Stars within 10 parsecs of the Sun," by de Mello et al., Astrobiology, 6:308 (2006).

Week 3: "Galileo Magnetometer Measurements: A Stronger Case for a Subsurface Ocean at Europa," by Kivelson et al., Science, 289:1340 (2000). Please also read the companion "Perspectives" piece by David Stevenson, "Europa's Ocean--the Case Strengthens."

Week 2: "Definitely Life but not Definitively," by Oliver & Perry, in Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, Springer, 2006. It is available via ADS.