Our knowledge of Mars has changed dramatically in the past 40 years due to the wealth of information provided by Earth-based and orbiting telescopes, and spacecraft investigations. Recent observations suggest that water has played a major role in the climatic and geologic history of the planet. This textbook covers our understanding of the planet's formation, geology, atmosphere, interior, surface properties, and potential for life. This interdisciplinary textbook encompasses the fields of geology, chemistry, atmospheric sciences, geophysics, and astronomy. Each chapter introduces the necessary background information to help the non-specialist understand the topics explored. It includes results from missions through 2006, including the latest insights from Mars Express and the Mars Exploration Rovers. Containing the most up-to-date information on Mars, this textbook is essential reading for graduate courses, and an important reference for researchers.

Originally published in 1947, this book presents a concise account of the role of John Couch Adams (1819 92) in the discovery of Neptune. Excerpts from Adams' letters are incorporated throughout the text. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in astronomy and the history of science."

The most powerful volcanoes in the Solar System are not on Earth, but on Io, a tiny moon of Jupiter. Whilst Earth and Io are the only bodies in the Solar System to have active, high-temperature volcanoes, those found on Io are larger, hotter, and more violent. This, the first book dedicated to volcanism on Io, contains the latest results from Galileo mission data analysis. As well as investigating the different styles and scales of volcanic activity on Io, it compares these volcanoes to their contemporaries on Earth. The book also provides a background to how volcanoes form and how they erupt, and explains quantitatively how remote-sensing data from spacecraft and telescopes are analysed to reveal the underlying volcanic processes. This richly illustrated book will be a fascinating reference for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and researchers in planetary sciences, volcanology, remote sensing and geology.

Planet formation studies uniquely benefit from three disciplines: astronomical observations of extrasolar planet-forming disks, analysis of material from the early Solar System, and laboratory astrophysics experiments. Pre-planetary solids, fine dust, and chondritic components are central elements linking these studies. This book is the first comprehensive overview of planet formation, in which astronomers, cosmochemists, and laboratory astrophysicists jointly discuss the latest insights from the Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, new interferometers, space missions including Stardust and Deep Impact, and laboratory techniques. Following the evolution of solids from their genesis through protoplanetary disks to rocky planets, the book discusses in detail how the latest results from these disciplines fit into a coherent picture. This volume provides a clear introduction and valuable reference for students and researchers in astronomy, cosmochemistry, laboratory astrophysics, and planetary sciences.

Based on an American Chemical Society Symposium organized by Professors Glenn Seaborg and Oliver Manuel, this volume provides a comprehensive record of different views on this important subject at the end of the 20th century. They have assembled a blend of highly respected experimentalists and theorists from astronomy, geology, meteoritics, planetology and nuclear chemistry and physics to discuss the origin of elements in the solar system. The intent was to include all points of view and let history judge their validity.

Starting from Newton's times this follow-up to the author's Springer book "Our Place in the Universe - Understanding Fundamental Astronomy from Ancient Discoveries" addresses the question of "our place in the Universe" from astronomical, physical, chemical, biological, philosophical and social perspectives. Using the history of astronomy to illustrate the process of discovery, the emphasis is on the description of the process of how we learned and on the exploration of the impacts of discoveries rather than on the presentation of facts. Thus readers are informed of the influence of science on a broad scale. Unlike the traditional way of teaching science, in this book, the author begins by describing the observations and then discusses various attempts to find answers (including unsuccessful ones). The goal is to help students develop a better appreciation of the scientific process and learn from this process to tackle real-life problems.

The movement of the moon in space had been well documented by the second half of the nineteenth century. In this monograph, which first appeared in 1874, James Nasmyth (1808-90) and James Carpenter (1840-99) pay closer attention to the lunar surface, notably illustrating their work with photographs of accurate plaster models. At this time, many questions about the moon's properties were still open. Could the moon support life? Did it have an atmosphere? How had its craters been formed? Marshalling the latest available evidence, Nasmyth and Carpenter provide their answers in a text accompanied by explanatory diagrams. Also included are theories on planetary formation, a discussion of lunar volcanism, and a vivid imagining of a day on the moon's surface, describing everything from low lunar gravity to the sudden, monthly sunrise. The work remains an instructive resource, reflecting the state of contemporary astronomical knowledge.

When this book first appeared in 1793, there had been no significant work on comets published in English since Edmond Halley's death some fifty years before. In Europe the field was dominated by French astronomers such as Pingre and Laplace, but their ornate styles were often difficult to translate. In this concise monograph, Sir Henry Englefield (c.1752 1822) draws both on this continental work and on his own correspondence with William Herschel to produce one of the few accessible manuals in English for the computation of cometary orbits. He includes mathematical examples as new formulae are introduced, along with detailed tables and appendices. Englefield's particular interest was in the development of scientific instruments suitable for travellers - he devised a portable telescope and lent his name to the Englefield mountain barometer - and his passion for efficiency shines through in this work, still valuable to researchers in the history of astronomy and comet science.

Originally published in 1953, this book first sets out some observational facts about comets, then the greater part of the book accounts for their origin and explains how comet tails are formed. The text contains 34 photographs of celebrated comets, including eight of Halley's comet. A comet index is also provided. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the development of astronomy and the history of science.

Climate change is acknowledged as being one of the most important areas of research today. Increasing global temperatures will impact all of us to a greater or lesser extent. From the point of view of research it is an enormously important and complex subject. However, little attention is paid to its relationship to astronomy, the sun in particular but not exclusively. Though directed at an astronomically inclined readership, and providing some less well-known astronomically related information, studies and concepts, this book will also appeal to a broader public, who need to understand the subject of climate change and learn of all the various theories and possible solutions.

Solar Physics publishes up to two TopicalIssues per year that focus on areas of especially vigorousand activeresearch. The present TopicalIssue containspapers of recent results on the solar corona, as well as on the transition region and low solar wind. The majority of these papers, which were all refereed in accordance withthe standards of Solar Physics, werepresentedin August 1999at a workshop heldin Monterey, California. TheSun's magneticfieldis responsibleforthe spectacularly dynamicand intri- cate phenomenonthat we call the corona. The past decade has seen an enormous increase in our understanding of this part of the solar outer atmosphere, both as a result of observations and because of rapid advances in numerical studies.The Yohkoh satellitehasobservedthe Sun nowfor overeightyears, producingspectac- ular sequences of images that conveythe complexity of the corona. The imaging andspectroscopic instrumentsonSOHOhaveaddedinformationonthecoolerpart of the corona. Andsince April of 1998TRACEhas givenus very high resolution imagesof the 1-2 MKcorona, atcadencesthat allowdetailedobservations of field oscillations, loopevolution, mass ejecta, etc. The papers of thisTopicalIssue revolvearoundone keytheme:the entire outer atmosphereof the Sun is intrinsicallydynamic, evolvingso rapidly that even the concept of a single local temperaturefor a single fluid often breaks down. More- over, the corona is an intrinsicallynonlinearand non-localmedium.These aspects are discussedin thisTopicalIssue, includingboth papers that reviewrecentdevel- opments(both basedon observations and on theoretical/numerical modeling), and original research papers based on observations from many different observatories. Weareverygratefulto the manyrefereeswhoweregivenlittletimeto respond, andto the staffofKluwerfor theproductionofthetopicalissuesandtheirreprints. Thepapers acceptedforthisTopicalIssueadduptosuchavolumethattheyhaveto be distributedovertwo TopicalIssues of SolarPhysics (December 1999and April 2000),which are reprintedin two bound volumes, of whichthis is the second.

Since the publication of the popular first edition, stellar and planetary scientists have produced numerous new observations, theories, and interpretations, including the "demotion" of our former ninth planet Pluto as a dwarf planet. Covering all of these new discoveries, Planetary Science: The Science of Planets around Stars, Second Edition explains the science associated with the planets, the stars they orbit, and the interactions between them. It examines the formation, evolution, and death of stars and the properties of the Sun that influence the planets of the Solar System. Along with more problems, this second edition adds new material and improves some analytical treatments. The book consists of two main components. For students unfamiliar with stellar properties or the overall structure of the Solar System, the first part gives a general picture of the system as a whole and the interrelationships of the bodies within it. It presents an overview of the nature of stars and the Solar System as well as important results obtained by scientific analysis. The second component is a set of 43 appendices describing the majority of the underlying science required to explain the main features of the Solar System. These appendices cover a variety of specialized topics, from mineralogy to the mechanical interactions of radiation and matter. End-of-chapter problems give students a quantitative understanding of stellar and solar system phenomena. The text shows how useful estimates of various quantities can be made even when characteristics of the system are not known with any precision. While the problems can be completed with a hand calculator, students are encouraged to use the Fortran computer programs provided on the book's CRC Press web page. Avoiding excessive details, this textbook offers a comprehensive account of stellar and planetary topics. It is suitable for students from a range of disciplines, including astronomy, geology, and earth sciences. The book provides students with an understanding of the nature of the Solar System and the influences that govern its behavior, helping them develop an appreciation of the forces that can influence our planet in the future.

Information collected by satellites recently sent by the USA, the European Space Agency, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Russia to monitor the Sun has changed our knowledge and understanding of the Sun, particularly its effect on Earth. This book presents these findings in a way that will be welcomed by amateur astronomers, students, educators and anyone interested in the Sun. Enhanced by many colour photographs, the book combines newly acquired scientific understanding with detailed descriptions of features visible on the Sun s surface and in its atmosphere.

In the past, observing the Sun has been left to academics with specialised instruments, since solar observation has been unsafe because of the risk of eye damage. This book explains how amateur astronomers can safely observe the various solar phenomena using special hydrogen-alpha telescopes that are not too expensive. Amateurs can now make a positive contribution to science by monitoring the Sun as professionals do.

Amateurs can also access the solar images taken by satellites via the internet. This book helps readers interpret and understand what these images are showing about the Sun, including the latest 3D images. Solar observers will enjoy comparing their own solar telescope observations with those produced by space probes such as SDO, SOHO, Hinode and STEREO, and further enjoy learning about transits, eclipses, and space weather and how the Sun compares to other stars in the universe.

The main purpose of this book is to present some of the fascinating solar phenomena in their full splendor to readers through a variety of illustrations, photographs and easy to understand text.

Exoplanets: Finding, Exploring, and Understanding Alien Worlds probes the basis for possible answers to the fundamentals questions asked about these planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. This book examines what such planets might be like, where they are, and how we find them. Until around ten years ago, the only planets that we knew about were within the Solar System. The first genuine planet beyond the confines of the Solar System was discovered only 1988. Since then another 350 or so exoplanets have been detected by various methods, and most of these haven been found in the last ten years. Although many more exoplanets discoveries may be expected to occur even as this book is being read, a large enough data set is now available to form the basis for an informed general account of exoplanets. The topic hence is an extremely "hot" one - all the more so because the recently launched Kepler spacecraft should soon start uncovering many more exoplanets, some perhaps comparable with the Earth (and therefore possibly alternative homes for mankind, if we could ever reach them). Exoplanets: Finding, Exploring, and Understanding Alien Life gives a comprehensive, balances, and above all accurate account of exoplanets.

Heliophysics is a fast-developing scientific discipline that integrates studies of the Sun's variability, the surrounding heliosphere, and the environment and climate of planets. Over the past few centuries, our understanding of how the Sun drives space weather and climate on the Earth and other planets has advanced at an ever increasing rate. This 2010 volume, the last in this series of three heliophysics texts, focuses on long-term variability from the Sun's decade-long sunspot cycle and considers the evolution of the planetary system over ten billion years from a climatological perspective. Topics covered range from the dynamo action of stars and planets to processes in the Earth's troposphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere and their effects on planetary climate and habitability. Supplemented by online teaching materials, it can be used as a textbook for courses or as a foundational reference for researchers in fields from astrophysics and plasma physics to planetary and climate science.

This volume provides a detailed snapshot of the state-of-the-art of the field fifteen years after the first extrasolar planet discovery announcement. The major review articles and contributed papers allow for vibrant discussions and confrontations between theory and observations. Datasets of the highest quality, innovative numerical tools and increasingly sophisticated theoretical models show the impressive progress being made in our understanding of planet formation and evolution, heralding the era of 'comparative planetology' as a new, expanding interdisciplinary research field. IAU S276 also examines the strategic planning exercises of both the science community and space agencies and ongoing preparations and developments of future ground-based and space-borne observatories devoted to the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets. This stimulating volume constitutes an important reference for both young scientists and seasoned researchers, who will contribute to the frontier of research in the field during the next decade.

Exactly what is beyond Pluto? Why, in the last ten years, has the Solar System more than doubled in size? For the first time, in almost two centuries, an entirely new population of planetary objects has been found that may well explain these two questions. This newly discovered realm of minor planets, now known as the "Kuiper Belt," has reconceptualized our understanding of how the Solar System was formed and has finally given ontological explanations for the enigmatic outer planet Pluto. Beyond Pluto is the fascinating story of how a group of theoretical physicists decided that there must be a population of unknown bodies beyond Pluto and how a small band of astronomers set out to find them. Acclaimed scientist John K. Davies recounts how they predicted the existence of these planetary bodies, how they were eventually discovered, and how Pluto was named. In addition, Davies provides biographies of the astronomers who discovered these new worlds and information on the telescopes they used. John K. Davies is a support scientist for the UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) atop the dormant volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He holds PhDs in chemistry and astronomy, discovered six comets while teaching at Leicester University in the UK, and was a member of the ISO-CAM team at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has contributed to magazines such as Astronomy, New Scientist, Sky & Telescope, and Space. In 2000, a small main asteroid belt was named Johndavies in recognition of his numerous contributions to astronomy.

William Parsons (1800 67), third Earl of Rosse, was responsible for building in 1845 the largest telescope of his time, nicknamed the 'Leviathan'. It enabled the Earl to make unprecedented astronomical discoveries, including the discovery of the spiral nature of galaxies. Rosse (then Lord Oxmantown) began publishing scientific papers on telescopes in 1828, and for the rest of his life made regular contributions to scientific journals in Ireland, England and Scotland. He served as President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1843, and of the Royal Society from 1848 to 1854, and his addresses to those societies are also included in this collection. Edited by his younger son, the engineer Sir Charles Parsons (1854 1931) and published in 1926, these papers show the wide range of the Earl's interests, from astronomy and telescopes to ancient bronze artefacts and the use of iron in shipbuilding.

J. P. Nichol (1804-59), astronomer and political economist, was Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow. He brought astronomy to a non-scientific audience through his enthusiastic public lectures and astronomy books. His works include the popular Views of the Architecture of the Heavens (1837; also reissued in this series) in which he supported the nebular hypothesis, which in modified form is the model of star formation most widely accepted today. Neptune was (in 1846) the first planet to be discovered by mathematical prediction rather than empirical observation, and in this book, first published in 1855, Nichol describes that discovery to a lay readership. Part 1 is an exposition of the then current view of the solar system and the research and discoveries which led to that view; Part 2 is dedicated to Neptune; while the third part explains the controversies over the planet's discovery.

Research into the geological processes operating on Mars relies on interpretation of images and other data returned by unmanned orbiters, probes and landers. Such interpretations are based on our knowledge of processes occurring on Earth Terrestrial analog studies therefore play an important role in understanding the geological features observed on Mars. This 2007 book presents direct comparisons between locales on Earth and Mars, and contains contributions from leading planetary geologists to demonstrate the parallels and differences between these two neighboring planets. Mars is characterized by a wide range of geological phenomena that also occur on Earth, including tectonic, volcanic, impact cratering, eolian, fluvial, glacial and possibly lacustrine and marine processes. The book provides terrestrial analogs for data sets from Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rovers and Mars Express, and will therefore be a key reference for students and researchers of planetary science.

The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) satellite was launched on 5 February 2002. Its objective is to study the energy release and particle acceleration in solar flares through observations of X-rays and gamma rays. Two novel technologies are combined to obtain both spectra and images over a broad energy range. For the spectroscopy, cooled hyperpure germanium detectors are used to cover the energy range from 3 keV to 17 MeV with unprecedented keV-class resolution. Since focusing optics are not possible for making images with such high energy photons, tungsten and molybdenum absorbing grids are used to modulate the X-rays and gamma-rays coming from the Sun as the spacecraft rotates. This allows the spatial Fourier components of the source to be determined so that images can be made in spectral ranges where astronomical images have never been produced before. These new instrumental techniques require equally innovative software to reconstruct X-ray and gamma-ray spectra and images from the observations.
Ample solar activity, abundant observations, and an open data policy have attracted many researchers. Astronomers face in the RHESSI mission an exciting new scientific potential. It has unusually broad possibilities for improving our understanding of the enigmatic solar flare phenomenon that is becoming increasingly important as society depends more and more on space-based technologies.
In this volume, the functioning of RHESSI is explained, the data analysis techniques including spectroscopy and image reconstruction are introduced, and the experiences of the first few months of operation are summarized. First scientific results are presented that provide the essential base for more extended studies using RHESSI data and complementary observations by instruments on other spacecraft and at ground-based solar observatories.Scientists and students will find here the latest discoveries in solar flare research, as well as inspiration for future work. The papers will serve as references for the many new discoveries to come from the continuing RHESSI observations.

Humans have long thought that planetary systems similar to our own should exist around stars other than the Sun, yet the search for planets outside our Solar System has had a dismal history of discoveries that could not be confirmed. However, this all changed in 1995, after which astonishing progress can be seen in this field; we now know of more than 200 extrasolar planets. These findings mark crucial milestones in the search for extraterrestrial life - arguably one of the most intriguing endeavors of modern science. These proceedings from the 2005 Space Telescope Science Institute Symposium on Extrasolar Planets explore one of the hottest topics in astronomy. Discussions include the Kepler mission, observational constraints on dust disk lifetimes and the implications for planet formation, and gravitational instabilities in protoplanetary disks. With review papers written by world experts in their fields, this is an important resource on extrasolar planets.

It is known that large asteroids and comets can collide with the Earth with severe consequences. Although the chances of a collision in a person's lifetime are small, collisions are a random process and could occur at any time. This book, which was first published in 2004, collects the latest thoughts and ideas of scientists concerned with mitigating the threat of hazardous asteroids and comets. It reviews knowledge of the population of potential colliders, including their numbers, locations, orbits, and how warning times might be improved. The structural properties and composition of their interiors and surfaces are reviewed, and their orbital response to the application of pulses of energy is discussed. Difficulties of operating in space near, or on the surface of, very low mass objects are examined. The book concludes with a discussion of the problems faced in communicating the nature of the impact hazard to the public.

Chondrules in primitive meteorites have excited and challenged scientists since they were first described nearly 200 years ago. Chondrules were made by some pervasive process in the early solar system that formed melted silicate droplets. This 1996 text was the first comprehensive review of chondrules and their origins since a consensus developed that they were made in the disk of gas and solids that formed the Sun and planets 4.5 billion years ago. Fifty scientists from assorted disciplines have collaborated to review how chondrules could have formed in the protoplanetary disk. When and where in the disk did they form? What were they made from and how fast were they heated and cooled? What provided the energy to melt chondrules - nebular shock waves, lightning discharges, protostellar jets? Following an exciting international conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the latest answers to these questions are presented in thirty-four articles.

When this book was published in 2006, it had been just over ten years since the first planet outside our solar system was detected. Since then, much work has focused on understanding how extrasolar planets may form, and discovering the frequency of potentially habitable Earth-like planets. This volume addresses fundamental questions concerning the formation of planetary systems in general, and of our solar system in particular. Drawing from advances in observational, experimental and theoretical research, it summarises our understanding of the planet formation processes, and addresses major open questions and research issues. Chapters are written by leading experts in the field of planet formation and extrasolar planet studies. The book is based on a meeting held at Ringberg Castle in Bavaria, where experts gathered together to present and exchange their ideas and findings. It is a comprehensive resource for graduate students and researchers, and is written to be accessible to newcomers to the field.