Translated from the original French and annotated with figures, historical maps and commentary from the translators, this work is Jean-Charles Houzeau's account of his escape from Texas during the American Civil War. Houzeau was a Belgian astronomer who worked a couple of years as assistant astronomer at the Brussels Observatory, but eventually moved to the United States. He was living as a frontierman in Texas when the Civil War broke out, and because he took an abolitionist stance and helped slaves escape, he was forced to flee to Mexico, from where he sailed to New Orleans on board of a US military vessel. Originally titled La terreur blanche au Texas et mon 'evasion, Houzeau captured the details of his escape in 1862.The editors, an astronomer and a French language teacher, have added supplementary material to give the readers more depth and historical context to the story.

The term chemical evolution of galaxies refers to the evolution of abundances of chemical species in galaxies, which is due to nuclear processes occurring in stars and to gas flows into and out of galaxies.

This book deals with the chemical evolution of galaxies of all morphological types (ellipticals, spirals and irregulars) and stresses the importance of the star formation histories in determining the properties of stellar populations in different galaxies. The topic is approached in adidactical and logical manner via galaxy evolution models which are compared with observational results obtained in the last two decades: The reader is given an introduction to the concept of chemical abundances and learns about the main stellar populations in our Galaxy as well as about the classification of galaxy types and their main observables. In the core of the book, the construction and solution of chemical evolution modelsare discussed in detail, followed by descriptions and interpretations of observations of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way, spheroidal galaxies, irregular galaxies and of cosmic chemical evolution.

The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to students as well as toamend our present ideas in research; the book also summarizes the efforts made by authors in the past several years in order tofurther future research in the field.

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This book is a collection of essays written by the very scientists and engineers who have led, and continue to lead, the scientific quest known as SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Divided into three parts, the first section, 'The Spirit of SETI Past', written by the surviving pioneers of this then emerging discipline, reviews the major projects undertaken during the first 50 years of SETI science and the results of that research.

In the second section, 'The Spirit of SETI Present', the present-day science and technology is discussed in detail, providing the technical background to contemporary SETI instruments, experiments, and analytical techniques, including the processing of the received signals to extract potential alien communications.

In the third and final section, 'The Spirit of SETI Future', the book looks ahead to the possible directions that SETI will take in the next 50 years, addressing such important topics as interstellar message construction, the risks and assumptions of interstellar communications, when we might make contact, what aliens might look like and what is likely to happen in the aftermath of such a contact.

This book is the result of a working group sponsored by ISSI in Bern, which was initially created to study possible ways to calibrate a Far Ultraviolet (FUV) instrument after launch. In most cases, ultraviolet instruments are well calibrated on the ground, but unfortunately, optics and detectors in the FUV are very sensitive to contaminants and it is very challenging to prevent contamination before and during the test and launch sequences of a space mission. Therefore, ground calibrations need to be confirmed after launch and it is necessary to keep track of the temporal evolution of the sensitivity of the instrument during the mission.
The studies presented here cover various fields of FUV spectroscopy, including a catalog of stellar spectra, datasets of Moon Irradiance, observations of comets and measurements of the interplanetary background. Detailed modelling of the interplanetary background is presented as well. This work also includes comparisons of older datasets with current ones. This raises the question of the consistency of the existing datasets. Previous experiments have been calibrated independently and comparison of the datasets may lead to inconsistencies. The authors have tried to check that possibility in the datasets and when relevant suggest a correction factor for the corresponding data."

This thesis develops and establishes several methods to determine the detailed geometric architecture of transiting exoplanetary systems (planets orbiting around, and periodically passing in front of, stars other than the sun) using high-precision photometric data collected by the Kepler space telescope. It highlights the measurement of stellar obliquity - the tilt of the stellar equator with respect to the planetary orbital plane(s) - and presents methods for more precise obliquity measurements in individual systems of particular interest, as well as for measurements in systems that have been out of reach of previous methods. Such information is useful for investigating the dynamical evolution of the planetary orbit, which is the key to understanding the diverse architecture of exoplanetary systems. The thesis also demonstrates a wide range of unique applications of high-precision photometric data, which expand the capability of future space-based photometry.

Thomas Gold (1920-2004) had a curious mind that liked to solve problems. He was one of the most remarkable astrophysicists in the second half of the twentieth century, and he attracted controversy throughout his career. Based on a full-length autobiography left behind by Thomas Gold, this book was edited by the astrophysicist and historian of science, Simon Mitton (University of Cambridge).

The book is a retrospective on Gold's remarkable life. He fled from Vienna in 1933, eventually settling in England and completing an engineering degree at Trinity College in Cambridge. During the war, he worked on naval radar research alongside Fred Hoyle and Hermann Bondi - which, in an unlikely chain of events, eventually led to his working with them on steady-state cosmology. In 1968, shortly after their discovery, he provided the explanation of pulsars as rotating neutron stars.

In his final position at Cornell, he and his colleagues persuaded the US Defense Department to fund the conversion of the giant radio telescope at Arecibo in Puerto Rico into a superb instrument for radio astronomy. Gold's interests covered physiology, astronomy, cosmology, geophysics, and engineering.

Written in an intriguing style and with an equally intriguing foreword by Freeman Dyson, this book constitutes an important historical document, made accessible to all those interested in the history of science.

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The inner magnetosphere plasma is a very unique composition of different plasma particles and waves. It covers a huge energy plasma range with spatial and time variations of many orders of magnitude. In such a situation, the kinetic approach is the key element, and the starting point of the theoretical description of this plasma phenomena which requires a dedicated book to this particular area of research.

The nonlinear theory of oscillating systems has introduced new aspects to the study of variable stars. Beyond the comparison of linear periods and the estimate of stability, the appearance and disappearance of possible models can be studied in detail. While nonlinearity in stellar pulsations is not a very complicated concept, it generally requires extensive and sometimes sophisticated numerical studies. The development of appropriate computational tools has allowed us to apply the nonlinear theory to real phenomena in variable stars. The International Astronomical Union Colloquium No. 134 presents a review of the new frontiers of variable star studies, one which should encourage further development of this field.

The non-Gaussianity in the primordial density fluctuations is a key feature to clarify the early Universe and it has been probed with the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) bispectrum. In recent years, we have treated the novel-type CMB bispectra, which originate from the vector- and tensor-mode perturbations and include the violation of the rotational or parity invariance. On the basis of our current works, this thesis provides the general formalism for the CMB bispectrum sourced by the non-Gaussianity in the scalar, vector and tensor-mode perturbations. Applying this formalism, we calculate the CMB bispectra from the two scalars and a graviton correlation and primordial magnetic fields, and then outline new constraints on these magnitudes. Furthermore, this formalism can be easily extended to the cases where the rotational or parity invariance is broken. We also compute the CMB bispectra from the scalar-mode non-Gaussianities with a preferred direction and the tensor-mode non-Gaussianities induced by the parity-violating Weyl cubic terms. Here, we show that these bispectra include unique signals, which any symmetry-invariant models can never produce.

Since the year 2000 the ESA Cluster mission has been investigating the small-scale structures and processes of the Earth's plasma environment, such as those involved in the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetospheric plasma, in global magnetotail dynamics, in cross-tail currents, and in the formation and dynamics of the neutral line and of plasmoids.

This book contains presentations made at the 15th Cluster workshop held in March 2008. It also presents several articles about the Cluster Active Archive and its datasets, a few overview papers on the Cluster mission, and articles reporting on scientific findings on the solar wind, the magnetosheath, the magnetopause and the magnetotail.

This book investigates Venus and Mercury prospective energy and material resources. It is a collection of topics related to exploration and utilization of these bodies. It presents past and future technologies and solutions to old problems that could become reality in our life time. The book therefore is a great source of condensed information for specialists interested in current and impending Venus and Mercury related activities and a good starting point for space researchers, inventors, technologists and potential investors. Written for researchers, engineers, and businessmen interested in Venus and Mercury exploration and exploitation.

The search for Dark Matter in the Universe has established itself as one of the most exciting and central fields of astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology. The lectures and talks in this book emphasize the experimental and theoretical status and future perspectives, stressing in particular the interplay between astro- and particle physics.

The nature of time has long puzzled physicists and philosophers. Time potentially has very fundamental yet unknown properties. In 1993 a new model of multi-dimensional time was found to relate closely to properties of the cosmological redshift. An international conference was subsequently convened in April 1996 to examine past, current and new concepts of time as they relate to physics and cosmology. These proceedings incorporate 34 reviews and contributed papers from the conference. The major reviews include observational properties of the redshift, alternative cosmologies, critical problems in cosmology, alternative viewpoints and problems in gravitation theory and particle physics, and new approaches to mathematical models of time. Professionals and students with an interest in cosmology and the structure of the universe should find that this book raises critical problems and explores challenging alternatives to classical viewpoints.

This book describes the origins and evolution of the chemical elements we and the cosmos are made of. The story starts with the discovery of the common elements on Earth and their subsequent discovery in space. How do we learn the composition of the distant stars? How did progress in quantum theory, nuclear physics, spectroscopy, stellar structure and evolution, together with observations of stars, converge to provide an incredibly detailed picture of the universe? How does research in the micro-world explain the macro-world? How does progress in one affect the other, or lack of knowledge in one inhibit progress in the other? In short, Shaviv describes how we discovered the various pieces of the jigsaw that form our present picture of the universe; and how we sometimes put these in the wrong place before finding in the right one. En route we meet some fascinating personalities and learn about heated controversies. Shaviv shows how science lurched from one dogma to the next, time and again shattering much of what had been considered solid knowledge, until eventually a stable understanding arose. Beginning with generally accepted science, the book ends in today's terra incognita of nuclear physics, astrophysics and cosmology. A monumental work that will fascinate scientists, philosophers, historians and lay readers alike.

Four hundred years after Kepler discovered his third law of planetary motion, disproving the Pythagorean notion of 'the music of the spheres', music was discovered in the Sun. With this discovery the science of helioseismology was born. Just as we can see the face of a foetus in the womb via ultrasound, and as bats can 'see' their way around using sonar, helioseismologists can now see inside the depths of the sun simply by listening to it. In The Music of the Sun, renowned helioseismologist William Chaplin tells the story of this discipline's origins and gives us invaluable insight into its implications - not only for better understanding the distant sun and stars - but for cosmology, particle physics, and the very relationship between the Sun and the Earth.

Most stars appear to show some degree of magnetic activity. Varying magnetic fields show up in the familiar sun-spot cycle and in similar activity in other cool stars. Many hot stars carry steady magnetic fields stronger than the average solar field and are well described as oblique rotators. A similar model is applicable to the rapidly rotating, enormously dense neutron stars with their far stronger fields, observed as radio and X-ray pulsars. Galactic magnetic fields may play a crucial role in star formation, and in the spectacular behaviour in galactic nuclei. Cosmical magnetism in general is a rapidly developing field, and this book has grown out of the lifelong work of an outstanding researcher in the area. An authoritative account with broad astronomical scope, its thorough, careful and well-argued approach makes it a fine addition to the professional literature. Most of the important topics are treated in mathematical depth with references to other relevant literature. Some of the studies, especially those on accretion discs, dynamos, and winds, are applicable to galaxies and galactic nuclei. This book is sure to become an invaluable professional reference and guide to current thinking in the field. It will be of particular interest to graduate students, for whom it shows how the area has developed and indicates the many challenging research problems, some of which may soon yield their secrets to the emerging supercomputers.

This book discusses key theoretical aspects concerning the formation of the solar wind: the most essential building block in the heliosphere, in which planets orbit. To understand the influence of solar activity on planetary magnetospheres and atmospheres, we need to first understand the origin of the solar wind, which is still under debate. This book presents the outcomes of state-of-the-art numerical simulations of solar wind acceleration, including the first three-dimensional simulation of the turbulence-driven solar wind model. One of the book's goals is to include compressional effects in the dynamics of solar wind turbulence; accordingly, it discusses parametric decay instability in detail. Several key aspects that are relevant to the Parker Solar Probe observations are also discussed. Given its scope, the book plays a key role in bridging the gap between the theory of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and current/future in-situ observations of the solar wind. This book is based on the Ph.D. thesis by the author, which won the 2019 International Astronomical Union Division E Ph.D. prize.

1. Paradigmatische Konstruktionen.- Unser heutiges Wirklichkeits-Verstandnis.- Wirklichkeits-Pluralismus.- Entstehen von Wirklichkeiten.- Lebendiger Vollzug von Wirklichkeiten.- Fruchtbare Vielfalt.- Simultane und sequenzielle Wirklichkeiten in der Lebenswelt.- Okkulte Wirklichkeiten und andere Geheimlehren.- Gefahrliche Verabsolutierungen.- 2. Farbe als Wirklichkeit.- Goethes Farbenlehre.- Physiologische Farben.- Farblose Bilder.- Farbige Bilder.- Farbige Schatten.- Schwach wirkende Lichter, subjektive Hoefe, pathologische Farben.- Physische Farben.- Dioptrische Farben der 1. Klasse.- Dioptrische Farben der 2. Klasse.- Das Phanomen der Refraktion.- Refraktion ohne Farberscheinung.- Farberscheinungen bei Linsen.- Grundzuge refraktionsbedingter Farberscheinungen.- Farberscheinungen bei Prismen.- Farberscheinungen an gro?en und kleinen wei?en Bildern.- Farberscheinungen an gro en und kleinen schwarzen Bildern.- Farberscheinungen sind nie statisch.- Zum Wesen von Licht und Farbe aus Goetheseher Sieht.- Wichtige, ganz allgemeine Begriffe.- Die Polaritat.- Die Steigerung.- Phanomen und Urphanomen.- Farbenkreis und Spektrogramm.- Newtons Farben des Liehts.- Newtons Experimente.- 1. Experiment.- 2. Experiment.- 3. Experiment.- 4. Experiment.- 5. Experiment.- Das We sen der Farbe.- Einfache Farbmetrik.- Das Auge.- Der Spektralfarbenzug.- Zwei Wirklichkeiten.- 3. Heilkundliche Wirkliehkeiten.- Chinesische Lebenswirkliehkeit.- Das Schafgarbenorakel.- Das Yin-Yang-Prinzip.- Shen und Kuei. Qi und Jing.- Die funf Elemente.- Chinesische Medizin.- Yin-Yang-Theorie.- Lebenssubstanzen.- Qi.- Blut und Safte.- Jing.- Shen.- Die Funktion der inneren Organe.- Die Leitbahnen oder die Meridiane.- Wie kommt es zur Disharmonie?.- Die Sechs UEbel.- Die sieben Emotionen.- Die Lebensweise.- Das Dishannoniemuster.- Ein Beispiel.- Ein simultanes Massenphanomen.- 4. Mikro-Wirklichkeiten.- Spiele als Mikro-Wirklichkeiten.- Definition des Spielbegriffes.- Die Vielfalt der Spiele.- Mikro-Wirklichkeiten im weiteren Sinn.- 5. Wirklichkeit eines Verbrechens.- Ein Beispiel aus der japanischen Literatur.- Eine neue Erzlihlung des Rashomon-Textes.- Die Aussage eines Holzfallers.- Die Aussage eines Wandergeistlichen.- Die Aussage eines Gerichtsdieners.- Die Aussage einer alten Frau.- Das Gestandnis des Raubers.- Die Aussage eines Gefahrten des Raubers.- Bericht eines Waldbewohners.- Die Beichte der Ehefrau in einem Kloster.- Der Geist des Toten spricht durch den Mund einer Wahrsagerin.- Vergewaltigung und Tod.- 6. Verwandlung von Wirklichkeiten.- Siddhartha. Eine indische Dichtung.- Die Brahmana-Welt.- Die Samana-Welt.- Die Buddha-Welt.- Die Menschenkinder-Welt.- Am Flu?.- 7. Magie und Damonie.- Weissagung.- Wirksarnkeit von Weissagungen.- Kassandra.- Die delphische Seherin.- Andere Fonnen der Weissagung.- Zauber und Damonen.- Magische Praktikep in der Volkskunst.- Magische Praktiken' der Antike.- Kirke verzaubert Manner.- Hexen morden Knaben.- Fluche verandern das Leben.- Fluchtafeln.- Ovids Ibis.- Schamanen.- Spuren des Schamanismus in der Neuzeit.- Antike Schamanen.- Orpheus.- Pythagoras.- Empedokles.- Vespasian.- Nekromantie.- Die Macht des Okkulten.- Magie und Damonie als Wirklichkeit?.- 8. Totalitare Wirklichkeiten.- Wahnsinn als totalitare Wirklichkeit.- Das Entstehen eines Wahnes.- Der logische Zusammenhang von Wahnideen.- Die weitgehende Unkorrigierbarkeit.- Gro?en und Verfolgungswahn.- Groe?enwahn.- Verfolgungswahn.- Paranoia erotica.- Eifersuchtsparanoia.- Religioeser Wahn mit erotischer Komponente.- Kraftentfaltung in totalitaren Wirklichkeiten.- Der Kriegstanz der Maori.- Atomare Bedrohung.- Extremsituationen in totalitaren Wirklichkeiten.- Der Tag des Blutes.- Der spontane Volkszorn.- Entgleisung einer Hochtechnologie.- Die Eigendynamik und die Hilflosigkeit.- 9. Chance und Bedrangnis.- Wirklichkeit ist eine Konstruktion. Der Urgrund ist ohne Eigenschaften.- Wirklichkeiten als Gewordenes.- Die Lebenswirklichkeit als Ausgangsbasi

This book focuses on the robustness analysis of high accuracy surface modeling method (HASM) to yield good performance of it. Understanding the sensitivity and uncertainty is important in model applications. The book aims to advance an integral framework for assessing model error that can demonstrate robustness across sets of possible controls, variable definitions, standard error, algorithm structure, and functional forms. It is an essential reference to the most promising numerical models. In areas where there is less certainty about models, but also high expectations of transparency, robustness analysis should aspire to be as broad as possible. This book also contains a chapter at the end featuring applications in climate simulation illustrating different implementations of HASM in surface modeling. The book is helpful for people involved in geographical information science, ecological informatics, geography, earth observation, and planetary surface modeling.

The book introduces the solar coronal mass ejection phenomena. This includes both those observed in the corona and those further from the Sun, known as interplanetary coronal mass ejections. We discuss the history and physics behind these phenomena, theories describing their launch and evolution, association with other solar eruptive phenomena, and methods employed for their detection and scientific data extraction. Instruments used for their study (past, present and future) are also discussed, along with their resulting space weather effects on Earth and other planets. The latter requires a description of the Earth 's magnetosphere, which is also included. Coronal Mass Ejections brings together solar physics, heliospheric physics, and magnetospheric physics, three traditionally separate fields of study. The content is accessible to beginning graduate students who are trying to master difficult fundamental concepts.

This unique book presents a historical and philatelic survey of Earth exploration from space. It covers all areas of research in which artificial satellites have contributed in designing a new image of our planet and its environment: the atmosphere and ionosphere, the magnetic field, radiation belts and the magnetosphere, weather, remote sensing, mapping of the surface, observation of the oceans and marine environments, geodesy, and the study of life and ecological systems. Stamping the Earth from Space presents the results obtained with the thousands of satellites launched by the two former superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, and also those of the many missions carried out by the ESA, individual European countries, Japan, China, India, and the many emerging space nations. Beautifully illustrated, it contains almost 1100 color reproductions of philatelic items. In addition to topical stamps and thematic postal documents, the book provides an extensive review of astrophilatelic items. The most important space missions are documented through event covers and cards canceled at launch sites, tracking stations, research laboratories, and mission control facilities.

This extensive thesis work covers several topics, including intensity and polarization, focusing on a new polarization bias reduction method. Vidal studied data from the WMAP satellite, which is low signal-to-noise and as such has to be corrected for polarization bias. He presents a new method for correcting the data, based on knowledge of the underlying angle of polarization. Using this novel method, he sets upper limits for the polarization fraction of regions known to emit significant amounts of spinning dust emissions. He also studies the large-scale loops and filaments that dominate the synchrotron sky. The dominant features are investigated, including identification of several new features. For the North Polar Spur, a model of an expanding shell in the vicinity of the Sun is tested, which appears to fit the data. Implications for CMB polarization surveys are also discussed. In addition, Vidal presents interferometric observations of the dark cloud LDN 1780 at 31 GHz and shows that the spinning dust hypothesis can explain the radio properties observed.

The journey into space is a dangerous one, and although some aspects of space travel seem to be routine it still takes humanity to the limits of what is technically possible. It is an environment that forgives no mistake, and where carelessness usually has fatal consequences. This book records more than a dozen American and Soviet space disasters from 1967 to the present day. Presented are tragic and near tragic missions such as NASA's Gemini 6A and 8, Apollo 1 and 13, the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, as well as the Soviets' Soyuz 1, 11, and 18-1, and more. The concise and detailed history is presented along with rare photographs, transcripts of mission conversations, as well as detailed timelines.

This book discusses the state of the art of the basic theoretical and observational topics related to black hole astrophysics. It covers all the main topics in this wide field, from the theory of accretion disks and formation mechanisms of jet and outflows, to their observed electromagnetic spectrum, and attempts to measure the spin of these objects. Black holes are one of the most fascinating predictions of general relativity and are currently a very hot topic in both physics and astrophysics. In the last five years there have been significant advances in our understanding of these systems, and in the next five years it should become possible to use them to test fundamental physics, in particular to predict the general relativity in the strong field regime. The book is both a reference work for researchers and a textbook for graduate students.