This revised Scholastic Science Reader features a brand-new cover, photographs, and interior design!In SOLAR SYSTEM, young readers will get a simple explanation of the Sun, the eight planets, and thei
Stars form surrounded by a circumstellar disk which is thought to be the cradle of planets. IAU Symposium 243 highlights the latest developments in understanding the structure and evolution of the star-disk interaction region in young stars, a critical component of our knowledge of star and planetary system formation processes. Discussions review the physical processes thought to be at work at the star-disk interface, confront the predictions of the latest numerical and analytical magnetohydrodynamic models of star-disk-jet systems with observations, and explore the consequences of these processes for stellar angular momentum evolution and inner disk structure. The most recent observational results, computer simulations and theoretical developments in this active field of research are included to provide a unique vision into this central aspect of the star and planet formation problem.
Like the Earth and planets, stars rotate. Understanding how stars rotate is central to modelling their structure, formation and evolution, and how they interact with their environment and companion stars. This authoritative volume, first published in 2000, provides a lucid introduction to stellar rotation and the definitive reference to the subject. It combines theory and observation in a comprehensive survey of how the rotation of stars affects the structure and evolution of the Sun, single stars and close binaries. This book will be of primary interest to graduate students and researchers studying solar and stellar rotation and close binary systems. It will also appeal to those with a more general interest in solar and stellar physics, star formation, binary stars and the hydrodynamics of rotating fluids - including geophysicists, planetary scientists and plasma physicists.
Planetary Mapping describes the history and process of mapping planets and satellites beyond the Earth. Mapping planetary bodies is a unique process much different from ordinary terrestrial cartography. Although many kinds of imaging systems have been launched into interplanetary space, nearly all of them were designed for purposes other than map-making. Thus, special mapping techniques described in this book had to be invented to make use of images from space. Furthermore, planets and satellites are difficult to depict in maps. For instance, unlike on Earth, on planetary bodies there are no shorelines, rivers, roads or political boundaries to guide the map-maker. The book begins with an introduction to the differences between terrestrial and planetary mapping and continues with a general discussion of the history of planetary mapping. The fundamentals of cartographic techniques are described in detail in the next chapter. This is followed by sections on planetary nomenclature, geodeti
Noble Gas Geochemistry discusses the fundamental concepts of using noble gases to solve problems in the earth and planetary sciences. The discipline offers a powerful and unique tool in resolving problems such as the origin of the solar system, evolution of the planets, earth formation, mantle evolution and dynamics, atmospheric degassing and evolution, ocean circulation, dynamics of aquifer systems, and numerous applications to other geological problems. This book gives a comprehensive description of the physical chemistry and cosmochemistry of noble gases, before leading on to applications for problem-solving in the earth and planetary sciences. There have been many developments in the use of the noble gases since publication of the first edition of this book in 1983. This second edition has been fully revised and updated. The book will be invaluable to graduate students and researchers in the earth and planetary sciences who use noble gas geochemistry techniques.
Liquid metals remain of both fundamental and technological interest and the concepts needed to understand their properties are set out in this book, starting from a survey of the basic experimental facts to be explained. The quantitative theory of liquid pair correlation functions, effective ion-ion interactions, thermodynamic properties and electronic and atomic transport is then developed. The book goes on to discuss inelastic neutron scattering, critical behaviour, magnetism, the liquid/metal surface, binary liquid metal alloys, the two component theory of pure liquid metals, shock wave studies, liquid hydrogen plasmas and the constitution of giant planets.
This textbook describes the composition and evolution of material objects in the universe. The survey begins with a discussion of terrestrial materials and ends with the composition of quasars and distant galaxies. There are two main themes: chemical processes responsible for the abundances we observe, and nuclear processes in which the chemical elements originate. The author presents a total pedagogic synthesis of the subject, building on the basic information in the first chapters leading into a fuller explanation of the composition of the planets and stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis. The later chapters treat the analytical methods of stellar and nebular spectra, and move on to the composition of stars and galaxies. The book is fully referenced and includes problem sets.
The second edition of this classic book provides an updated look at crystal field theory - one of the simplest models of chemical bonding - and its applications. Crystal field theory provides a link between the visible region spectra and thermodynamic properties of numerous rock-forming minerals and gems that contain the elements iron, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel or copper. These elements are major constituents of terrestrial planets and significantly influence their geochemical and geophysical properties. A unique perspective of the second edition is that it highlights the properties of minerals that make them compounds of interest to solid-state chemists and physicists as well as to all earth and planetary scientists. This book will be useful as a textbook for advanced students as well as a valuable reference work for all research workers interested in this subject.
Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are intraplate magmatic events, involving volumes of mainly mafic magma upwards of 100,000 km3, and often above 1 million km3. They are linked to continental break-up, global environmental catastrophes, regional uplift and a variety of ore deposit types. In this up-to-date, fascinating book, leading expert Richard E. Ernst explores all aspects of LIPs, beginning by introducing their definition and essential characteristics. Topics covered include continental and oceanic LIPs; their origins, structures, and geochemistry; geological and environmental effects; association with silicic, carbonatite and kimberlite magmatism; and analogues of LIPs in the Archean, and on other planets. The book concludes with an assessment of LIPs' influence on natural resources such as mineral deposits, petroleum and aquifers. This is a one-stop resource for researchers and graduate students in a wide range of disciplines, including tectonics, igneous petrology, geochemistry, g
An authoritative introduction for graduate students in the physical sciences, this award-winning textbook explains the wide variety of physical, chemical, and geological processes that govern the motions and properties of planets. This updated second edition has been revised and improved while maintaining its existing structure and organization. Many data tables and plots have been updated to account for the latest measurements. A new Appendix focuses on recent discoveries since the second edition was first published. These include results from Cassini, Kepler, MESSENGER, MRO, LRO, Dawn at Vesta, Curiosity, and others, as well as many ground-based observatories. With over 300 exercises to help students apply the concepts covered, this textbook is ideal for graduate courses in astronomy, planetary science and earth science, and well suited as a reference for researchers. Color versions of many figures, movie clips supplementing the text, and other resources are available at www.cambridg
BLAST OFF into the WONDERS OF OUTER SPACE with ONE THOUSAND INCREDIBLE FACTS!Did you know … that one of Saturn’s moons is so hollow it would float in water? That the largest known star is 3.69 billion times bigger than our sun? Or that Jupiter likely has diamonds floating in its clouds?Explore dazzling facts about the vast expanse of space, from glowing stars billions of light-years away to supermassive exploding supernovas to rockets thundering into the unknown. This comprehensive book takes you on a mind-blowing tour of our unbelievable universe and is full of fascinating facts on topics such as space exploration, our solar system and galaxy, and beyond.Expert astronomer Dean Regas―former host of PBS’s Star Gazers and astronomer of the Cincinnati Observatory―takes you on an incredible tour of facts about each planet in our solar system, dwarf planets, our sun and other stars, exoplanets, comets, asteroids, galaxies, space travel, and so much more. Hundreds of stunning photographs bri
On the fringe of the Milky Way, a great sun anchors fifteen planets on varying orbits. All but the fifth planet are lifeless and have few distinguishable characteristics. The fifth planet, however, s
"Dazzlingly original." -- Daily Mail"Gripping, touching and funny." -- TLSThe war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, fac
The art of predicting earthly events from the movements of stars and planets has always been a source of fascination. Medieval astrologers, though sometimes feared to be magicians in league with demon
It is the year of the Great Conjunction, the year the powerful planets of Saturn and Jupiter align to herald the end of one age and the dawn of another, and the streets of London are abuzz with predic
DK's My Best-Ever Pop-Up Space Book is the perfect introduction to space for your child. Find out about the sun, moon, stars, space travel, astronauts, planet earth and the other planets too!With dram
THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING, BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF THE OVERSTORY'It changed how I thought about the Earth and our place in it. . .. It changed how I see things and that's always, for me, a mark of a book worth reading.' Barack Obama on The Overstory'Really, just one of the best novels, period.' Ann Patchett on The Overstory'Breathtaking.' Barbara Kingsolver on The Overstory_________________________Picked as one of the 'Best Books of 2021' in the Sunday TimesTheo Byrne is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away. He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old.His son Robin is funny, loving, and filled with plans. He thinks and feels deeply, adores animals, and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures. He is also on the verge of being expelled from third grade, for smashing his friend's face with a metal thermos.What can a father do, when the only solution off
This book is for two groups of people: those who want to study the remote planets with amateur astronomical equipment, and those who are just interested in learning about our knowledge of the remote
Is the Sun and its planetary system special? How did the Solar system form? Are there similar systems in the Galaxy? How common are habitable planets? What processes take place in the early life of st
Discover what the solar system looks like up close in this definitive collection of space exploration images. Since the 1960s, NASA has been sending unmanned satellites to explore the planets, moons,