This book views Mercury as a whole in the context of its environment. It illustrates what we know and what we need to know, and why understanding Mercury is so crucial to our understanding of solar system origin and current processes on Earth. The book describes our current state of knowledge for Mercury and interactions between interior, exterior, and space environment which are highly dynamic and thus critical to understanding Mercury as a system.

This book covers solar energy and the use of solar radiation in connection with lighting. It provides a detailed introduction to solar energy, photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion, and solar lighting technologies, while also discussing all of these elements in the context of the Balkan Peninsula. In the context of solar energy, the book covers a range of elements, from the structure of the sun, to PV solar plants. It subsequently addresses the status quo of solar technologies in Bulgaria, Serbia and the Republika Srpska and analyses the development of these technologies over the years, including their economic status, and how these aspects have shaped their current status. Undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and professionals, particularly those based in the Balkans, will find this book both informative and interesting.

This open access book serves as textbook on the physics of the radiation belts surrounding the Earth. Discovered in 1958 the famous Van Allen Radiation belts were among the first scientific discoveries of the Space Age. Throughout the following decades the belts have been under intensive investigation motivated by the risks of radiation hazards they expose to electronics and humans on spacecraft in the Earth's inner magnetosphere. This textbook teaches the field from basic theory of particles and plasmas to observations which culminated in the highly successful Van Allen Probes Mission of NASA in 2012-2019. Using numerous data examples the authors explain the relevant concepts and theoretical background of the extremely complex radiation belt region, with the emphasis on giving a comprehensive and coherent understanding of physical processes affecting the dynamics of the belts. The target audience are doctoral students and young researchers who wish to learn about the physical processes underlying the acceleration, transport and loss of the radiation belt particles in the perspective of the state-of-the-art observations.

Astrobiology not only investigates how early life took hold of our planet but also life on other planets - both in our Solar System and beyond - and their potential for habitability. The book take readers from the scars on planetary surfaces made by space rocks to the history of the Solar System narrated by those space rocks as well as exoplanets in other planetary systems. But the true question is how life arose here or elsewhere. Modern comparative genomics has revealed that Darwin was correct; a set of highly conserved genes and cellular functions indicate that all life is related by common ancestry. The Last Universal Common Ancestor or LUCA sits at the base of the Tree of Life. However, once that life took hold, it started to diversify and form complex microbial communities that are known as microbial mats and stromatolites. Due to their long evolutionary history and abundance on modern Earth, research on the biological, chemical and geological processes of stromatolite formation has provided important insights into the field of astrobiology. Many of these microbialite-containing ecosystems have been used as models for astrobiology, and NASA mission analogs including Shark Bay, Pavilion and Kelly Lakes. Modern microbialites represent natural laboratories to study primordial ecosystems and provide proxies for how life could evolve on other planets. However, few viral metagenomic studies (i.e., viromes) have been conducted in microbialites, which are not only an important part of the community but also mirror its biodiversity. This book focuses on particularly interesting sites such as Andean lake microbialites, a proxy of early life since they are characterized by very high UV light, while Alchichica and Bacalar lakes are characterized by high-salt and oligotrophic waters that nurture stromatolites. However, it is only the oasis of Cuatro Cienegas Basin in Mexico that stored past life in its marine sediments of the Sierra de San Marcos. This particular Sierra has a magmatic pouch that moves the deep aquifer to the surface in a cycle of sun drenched life and back to the depths of the magmatic life in an ancient cycle that now is broken by the overexploitation of the surface water as well as the deep aquifer in order to irrigate alfalfa in the desert. The anthropocene, the era of human folly, is killing this unique time machine and with it the memory of the planet.

Analysis of the orbital motion of the Earth, the Moon and other planets and their satellites led to the discovery that all bodies in the Solar System are moving with the first cosmic velocity of their proto parents. The mean orbital velocity of each planet is equal to the first cosmic velocity of the Protosun, the radius of which is equal to the semi-major axis of the planet s orbit. The same applies for the planets satellites. All the small planets, comets, other bodies and the Sun itself follow this law, a finding that has also been proven by astronomical observations. The theoretical solutions based on the Jacobi dynamics explain the process of the system creation and decay, as well as the nature of Kepler s laws.

This well-documented and fascinating book tells how, over the centuries, a series of visionaries, scientists, technologists, and politicians fostered the involvement of Italy in space exploration. The lives of these pioneers was often far from easy, yet they persevered. The fruits of their efforts can today be witnessed in Italy's success within the cutting-edge space sector. Italy's history in space started at the end of the fourteenth century and continued with the development of fireworks. Later, the nineteenth century marked the beginning of research into rockets in a more scientific way. After World War II, rocket technology was advanced with the aid of German scientists, and in the 1960s Luigi Broglio, the father of Italian space exploration, designed the San Marco satellite. In 1979 the first Italian Space Plan was launched, but it was the foundation of the Italian Space Agency in 1988 that kick-started a program of exploration in various fields of cosmic research. The outcome was construction of the Vega launcher and collaboration in the International Space Station. Now the Italian space industry stands ready to play an important role in the Gateway orbital station. All of this history, and more, is explored in this riveting book.

The COSPAR Colloquium on Solar-Terrestrial Magnetic Activity and Space Environment (STMASE) was held in the National Astronomy Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) in Beijing, China in September 10-12, 2001. The meeting was focused on five areas of the solar-terrestrial magnetic activity and space environment studies, including study on solar surface magnetism; solar magnetic activity, dynamical response of the heliosphere; space weather prediction; and space environment exploration and monitoring. A hot topic of space research, CMEs, which are widely believed to be the most important phenomenon of the space environment, is discussed in many papers. Other papers show results of observational and theoretical studies toward better understanding of the complicated image of the magnetic coupling between the Sun and the Earth, although little is still known little its physical background. Space weather prediction, which is very important for a modern society expanding into out-space, is another hot topic of space research. However, a long way is still to go to predict exactly when and where a disaster will happen in the space. In that sense, there is much to do for space environment exploration and monitoring. The manuscripts submitted to this Monograph are divided into the following parts: (1) solar surface magnetism, (2) solar magnetic activity, (3) dynamical response of the heliosphere, (4) space environment exploration and monitoring; and (5) space weather prediction. Papers presented in this meeting but not submitted to this Monograph are listed by title as unpublished papers at the end of this book.

High time-resolution astrophysics (HTRA) involves measuring and studying astronomical phenomena on timescales of seconds to milliseconds. Although many areas of astronomy, such as X-ray astronomy and pulsar observations, have traditionally required high time-resolution studies, HTRA techniques are now being applied to optical, infrared and gamma-ray wavelength regimes, due to the development of high efficiency detectors and larger telescopes that can gather photons at a higher rate. With lectures from eminent scientists aimed at young researchers and postdoctorate students in observational astronomy and astrophysics, this volume gives a practical overview and introduction to the tools and techniques of HTRA. Just as multi-spectral observations of astrophysical phenomena are already yielding new scientific results, many astronomers are optimistic that exploring the time domain will open up an important new frontier in observational astronomy over the next decade.

In this, the first history of artifical satellites and their uses, Helen Gavaghan shows how the idea of putting an object in orbit around the earth changed from science fiction to indespensible technology in the twinkling of an eye. Thanks to satellites, we can now send data and images anywhere in the world in an instant. The satellite-based navigational system can pinpoint your exact location anywhere in the world; it is so precise that, from outer space, it can detect the sag on an airplane's wing. Focusing on three major areas of development - navigational satellites, communications, and weather observation and forecasting - Gavaghan tells the remarkable inside story of how obscure men and women, often laboring under strict secrecy, made the extraordinary scientific and technological discoveries needed to make these miracles happen. Written by a science journalist with support from the Sloane Foundation, the book describes the birth of the modern scientific era in the twentieth century, with creation of satellite technology. The narrative is part history - beginning with the Russian-U.S. contest with the launch of Sputnik; part politics, as scientists and visionary engineers compete for scarce funding that will bring their dreams to reality; partly the story of the singular and fascinating individuals who were present at the creation of our modern technological era.

'There is evidence to suggest that our world and everything in it - from snowflakes to maple trees to falling stars and spinning electrons - are only ghostly images, projections from a level of reality literally beyond both space and time.' This is the astonishing idea behind the holographic theory of the universe, pioneered by two eminent thinkers: physicist David Bohm, a former protege of Albert Einstein, and quantum physicist Karl Pribram. The holographic theory of the universe encompasses consciousness and reality as we know them, but can also explain such hitherto unexplained phenomena as telepathy, out-of-body experiences and even miraculous healing. In this remarkable book, Michael Talbot reveals the extraordinary depth and power of the holographic theory of the universe, illustrating how it makes sense of the entire range of experiences within our universe - and in other universes beyond our own.

We have arrived at the third volume of this useful series on Organiza tions and Strategies in Astronomy (OSA). It contains seventeen articles on a wide range of topics, from virtual observatories, astronomy organizations in various communities (Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, South Africa), and the role of ground stations in space observatories, to quality assurance in UK higher education. In this foreword, I shall give some views on ideas expressed in this volume, in particular from my personal experience when I was project officer for the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Let me first remind readers that present and future astronomy is in creasingly dependent on high-level management. Not everybody knows that the scheduling of the Hubble Space Telescope is performed by a neural network software called SPIKE, described in the stimulating workshop New Observing Modes for the Next Centuryl, partly reported in OSA Volume II by 1. Robson. New observing facilities, in space or on the ground, are so complex that they need highly qualified engineers and rigorous management procedures. Each observing hour on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) fa cility is worth about EUR 7,000, including the amortization of the capital expenses over 30 years. This does not leave much room for amateurism, neither in the time allocation procedures, nor in the daily telescope control.

For over 35 years, radio astronomical techniques have made an impressive series of advances in our understanding of solar phenomena. However, although the subject has been partially discussed in "Paris Symposium on Radio Astronomy" in 1958, NASA-GSFC Symposium on "Physics of Solar Flares" in 1963, and the lAU Symposium No. 57 on "Coronal Disturbances" in 1973, there has not been a major international meeting dedicated to "Radio Physics of the Sun." This is the first major symposium on the subject held under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union. It was jointly spon sored by lAU Commission 40, Radio Astronomy, and by lAU Commission 10, Solar Activity. It was also sponsored by the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society. Thig volume contains the proceedings of this meeting, lAU Symposium No. 86 on "Radio Physics of the Sun" that was held in College Park, Maryland, August 7-10, 1979. The Scientific Organizing Committee of the Symposium consisted of M. R. Kundu (chairman), G. A. Dulk, O. Hachenberg, M. Kuperus, D. J. McLean, D. Melrose, M. Pick, J. L. Steinberg, T. Takakura, A. Tlamicha and V. V. Zheleznyakov. The topics and speakers were chosen in order to emphasize the current observational material with particular reference to centi meter wavelength observations of a few arc-second resolution, fast two-dimensional pictures of the sun at meter-decameter wavelengths and the recent advances in plasma and radiation theory."

Based on a Simons Symposium held in 2018, the proceedings in this volume focus on the theoretical, numerical, and observational quest for dark matter in the universe. Present ground-based and satellite searches have so far severely constrained the long-proposed theoretical models for dark matter. Nevertheless, there is continuously growing astrophysical and cosmological evidence for its existence. To address present and future developments in the field, novel ideas, theories, and approaches are called for. The symposium gathered together a new generation of experts pursuing innovative, more complex theories of dark matter than previously considered.This is being done hand in hand with experts in numerical astrophysical simulations and observational techniques-all paramount for deciphering the nature of dark matter. The proceedings volume provides coverage of the most advanced stage of understanding dark matter in various new frameworks. The collection will be useful for graduate students, postdocs, and investigators interested in cutting-edge research on one of the biggest mysteries of our universe.

Traditionally, solar and stellar physics have been two separate branches of astronomy, which independently of each other have developed their own scientific goals and methods. During the last decade, however, we have witnessed a gradual convergence of these two areas: The solar physicists realize more and more that the sun has to be seen as a special case in a large family of stars of various properties. A more complete understanding of the sun can only be achieved by considering it in this broader context. The stellar physicists on the other hand have become aware that the detailed knowledge of the physical processes that the solar physicists have reached has a more general significance and can be applied to a variety of other astrophysical objects. Observational techniques developed in solar work can frequently be adapted for other stars as well. This unified approach to solar and stellar physics is often called the "solar-stellar connection". One main goal of this approach has been to understand the general nature and causes of stellar activity. The pioneering and visionary program to search for activity cycles on other stars started by Olin Wilson at the Mount Wilson Observatory 16 years ago has born fruit: in his sample of 91 stars, cyclic behaviour similar to that of the sun is found to be quite common, but many stars also show irregular activity fluctua.tions of large amplitude.

Earth as an Evolving Planetary System, Fourth Edition discusses key topics dealing with the evolution and interaction through time of Earth's crust, mantle, core, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. It addresses the questions of why Earth is unique among planets of the solar system, and how the various subsystems in the planet have interacted over 4.6 billion years in the habitable planet that we live on. This new edition includes over 100 new pages of material, data, and images and is a key reference for students and researchers in Earth and planetary sciences. Earth as an Evolving Planetary System, Fourth Edition includes new material that has become available since the third edition, including new sections on the Mid-lithosphere discontinuity, geoneutrinos, mantle oxidation, continental emergence, Earth cycles (new chapter) and recycling processes, the evolution of Earth from a stagnant lid to a plate tectonic regime, the controversy over how the continents have grown, when plate tectonics began, and exoplanets.

Astrometry has historically been fundamental to all the fields of astronomy, driving many revolutionary scientific results. ESA's Gaia mission is astrometrically, photometrically and spectroscopically surveying the full sky, measuring around a billion stars to magnitude 20, to allow stellar distance and age estimations with unprecedented accuracy. With the complement of radial velocities, it will provide the full kinematic information of these targets, while the photometric and spectroscopic data will be used to classify objects and astrophysically characterize stars. IAU Symposium 330 reviews the first 2.5 years of Gaia activities and discusses the scientific results derived from the first Gaia data release (GDR1). This significant increase in the precision of the astrometric measurements has sharpened our view of the Milky Way and the physical processes involved in stellar and galactic evolution. To many, the Gaia revolution heralds a transformation comparable to the impact of the telescope's invention four centuries ago.

One of the most spectacular discoveries of molecular astronomy has been the detection of maser emission. The same radiation that is generated in the laboratory only with elaborate, special equipment occurs naturally in interstellar space. This intense radiation probes the smallest structures that can be studied with radio telescopes. By a fortunate coincidence maser radiation is generated in both star forming regions and the envelopes of late-type stars. The early and late stages in the life of a star are considered to be the most interesting phases of stellar evolution. Maser emission has also been detected in external galaxies. This book provides an extensive coverage of the interstellar maser phenomenon. A precondition for maser action is departure from thermal equilibrium. The book therefore starts with a detailed coverage of the basic background concepts required for an understanding of line formation and radiative transfer. It goes on to describe the theoretical and phenomenological aspects of interstellar masers, their formation sites and the inversion mechanisms. The book will interest active researchers in astronomy and astrophysics as well as in other areas of physics. It is suitable as a textbook in a graduate course and will enable a graduate student to embark on research projects in this exciting area in particular, and molecular radio astronomy in general.

An invaluable resource for working programmers, as well as a fount of useful algorithmic tools for computer scientists, astronomers, and other calendar enthusiasts, The Ultimate Edition updates and expands the previous edition to achieve more accurate results and present new calendar variants. The book now includes coverage of Unix dates, Italian time, the Akan, Icelandic, Saudi Arabian Umm al-Qura, and Babylonian calendars. There are also expanded treatments of the observational Islamic and Hebrew calendars and brief discussions of the Samaritan and Nepalese calendars. Several of the astronomical functions have been rewritten to produce more accurate results and to include calculations of moonrise and moonset. The authors frame the calendars of the world in a completely algorithmic form, allowing easy conversion among these calendars and the determination of secular and religious holidays. LISP code for all the algorithms is available in machine-readable form.

Leading specialists in various disciplines were first invited to a multidisciplinary workshop funded by ICSU on the topic to gain a better appreciation and perspective on the subject of comet/asteroid impacts as viewed by different disciplines. This volume provides a necessary link between various disciplines and comet/asteroid impacts.

This book provides a systematic introduction to the observation and application of kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) in various plasma environments, with a special focus on the solar-terrestrial coupling system. Alfven waves are low-frequency and long-wavelength fluctuations that pervade laboratory, space and cosmic plasmas. KAWs are dispersive Alfven waves with a short wavelength comparable to particle kinematic scales and hence can play important roles in the energization and transport of plasma particles, the formation of fine magneto-plasma structures, and the dissipation of turbulent Alfven waves. Since the 1990s, experimental studies on KAWs in laboratory and space plasmas have significantly advanced our understanding of KAWs, making them an increasingly interesting subject. Without a doubt, the solar-terrestrial coupling system provides us with a unique natural laboratory for the comprehensive study of KAWs. This book presents extensive observations of KAWs in solar and heliospheric plasmas, as well as numerous applications of KAWs in the solar-terrestrial coupling system, including solar atmosphere heating, solarwind turbulence, solar wind-magnetosphere interactions, and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. In addition, for the sake of consistency, the book includes the basic theories and physical properties of KAWs, as well as their experimental demonstrations in laboratory plasmas. In closing, it discusses possible applications of KAWs to other astrophysical plasmas. Accordingly, the book covers all the major aspects of KAWs in a coherent manner that will appeal to advanced graduate students and researchers whose work involves laboratory, space and astrophysical plasmas.

This edited volume discusses how even small nation states can make a significant difference in the future of space governance. The book is divided into three main sections covering political theory, case studies, and space technology and applications. Key topics of discussion include planetary defense, space mining, and high-power systems in space. Through these timely subjects, the book presents strategies for developing a truly global governance framework in space, based on the concept of a responsible cosmopolitan state. Authored by a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the Czech Republic, the volume will appeal to other scientific teams and policymakers looking to become pioneers of cosmopolitan space policies at a national and global level.

Multiply charged ions have always been in the focus of atomic physics, astrophysics, plasma physics, and theoretical physics. Within the last few years, strong progress has been achieved in the development of ion sources, ion storage rings, ion traps, and methods to cool ions. As a consequence, nowadays, experiments with ensembles of multiply charged ions of brilliant quality are performed in many laboratories. The broad spectrum of the experiments demonstrates that these ions are an extremely versatile tool for investigations in pure and applied physics. It was the aim of this ASI to bring together scientists working in different fields of research with multiply charged ions in order to get an overview of the state of the art, to sound out possibilities for fruitful cooperations, and to discuss perspectives for the future. Accordingly, the programme of the ASI reached from established areas like QED calculations, weak interactions, x-ray astronomy, x-ray lasers, multi photon excitation, heavy-ion induced fusion, and ion-surface interactions up to the very recently opened areas like bound-beta decay, laser and x-ray spectroscopy, and spectrometry of ions in rings and traps, and the interaction of highly charged ions with biological cells. Impressive progress in nearly all of the fields could be reported during the meeting which is documented by the contributions to this volume. The theoretical understand ing of QED and correlation effects in few-electron heavy ions is rapidly developing."