Discovering Pluto is an authoritative account of the exploration of Pluto and its moons, from the first inklings of tentative knowledge through the exciting discoveries made during the flyby of the NASA New Horizons research spacecraft in July 2015. Co-author Dale P. Cruikshank was a co-investigator on the New Horizons mission, while co-author William Sheehan is a noted historian of the Solar System. Telling the tale of Pluto's discovery, the authors recount the grand story of our unfolding knowledge of the outer Solar System, from William Herschel's serendipitous discovery of Uranus in 1781, to the mathematical prediction of Neptune's existence, to Percival Lowell's studies of the wayward motions of those giant planets leading to his prediction of another world farther out. Lowell's efforts led to Clyde Tombaugh's heroic search and discovery of Pluto-then a mere speck in the telescope-at Lowell Observatory in 1930. Pluto was finally recognized as the premier body in the Kuiper Belt, the so-called third zone of our Solar System. The first zone contains the terrestrial planets (Mercury through Mars) and the asteroid belt; the second, the gas-giant planets Jupiter through Neptune. The third zone, holding Pluto and the rest of the Kuiper Belt, is the largest and most populous region of the solar system. Now well beyond Pluto, New Horizons will continue to wend its lonely way through the galaxy, but it is still transmitting data, even today. Its ultimate legacy may be to inspire future generations to uncover more secrets of Pluto, the Solar System, and the Universe.

The Sun is an active and variable star. Instabilities and non-stationary processes connected to the solar magnetic field and its evolutionary mechanisms modify its radiative and particle output on different time scales, from seconds to the evolutionary scale of the star. The Sun's activity affects interplanetary space and planetary environments, through space weather due to short-term activity and space climate on longer timescales. Space weather processes and forecasts are therefore important for both Earth and space within the heliosphere. The multi-disciplinary IAU Symposium 335 on 'Space Weather of the Heliosphere: Processes and Forecasts' gave a balanced overview of the general advances in space weather. It linked various aspects of research in solar, heliospheric and planetary physics, emphasizing cross-disciplinary developments. These companion proceedings, covering interdisciplinary topics and attracting a wide variety of contributors, serves as a timely reference to the international space weather community.

Join Bonnie J. Buratti, a leading planetary astronomer, on this personal tour of NASA's latest discoveries. Moving through the Solar System from Mercury, Venus, Mars, past comets and asteroids and the moons of the giant planets, to Pluto, and on to exoplanets, she gives vivid descriptions of landforms that are similar to those found on Earth but that are more fantastic. Sulfur-rich volcanoes and lakes on Io, active gullies on Mars, huge ice plumes and tar-like deposits on the moons of Saturn, hydrocarbon rivers and lakes on Titan, and nitrogen glaciers on Pluto are just some of the marvels that await readers. Discover what it is like to be involved in a major scientific enterprise, with all its pitfalls and excitement, from the perspective of a female scientist. This engaging account of modern space exploration is written for non-specialist readers, from students in high school to enthusiasts of all ages.

The aim of this book is to introduce scientific ballooning to the many people who are interested in the use of balloons for scientific applications. The book offers a basic understanding of the engineering details and the scientific research giving rise to balloon activities going on today. Above all, the book will serve as a guidebook for young scientists and researchers seeking to become involved in space science and technology by participating in balloon projects. The book deals with three types of balloons: large stratospheric balloons used for scientific purposes, rubber balloons used for aerological observations, and planetary balloons to be used in the atmospheres of other planets. The book provides many figures and photographs, and offers a systematic description of balloon technologies and related matters from historical background to current research topics. The contents include a theoretical discussion of ballon shape design, analysis and synthesis of flight dynamics, actual launching procedure, flight operations, and typical applications of ballooning in various scientific fields. Detailed meteorological descriptions, especially of the Earth's stratosphere and the atmosphere of other planets, are provided for investigating actual flight behavior.

In Placing Outer Space Lisa Messeri traces how the place-making practices of planetary scientists transform the void of space into a cosmos filled with worlds that can be known and explored. Making planets into places is central to the daily practices and professional identities of the astronomers, geologists, and computer scientists Messeri studies. She takes readers to the Mars Desert Research Station and a NASA research center to discuss ways scientists experience and map Mars. At a Chilean observatory and in MIT's labs she describes how they discover exoplanets and envision what it would be like to inhabit them. Today's planetary science reveals the universe as densely inhabited by evocative worlds, which in turn tells us more about Earth, ourselves, and our place in the universe.

The far side of the Moon, also called the "dark side of the Moon" was unknown to humanity until the Luna and Lunar Orbiter pictures were returned to Earth. This wonderful book contains beautiful photographs and newly-assembled mosaic images of the far side of the Moon, cleaned of transmission, imaging stripes and processing artifacts by today's computer technology. Byrne's superb analysis documents the appearance of the features of the far side with beautiful pictures from Lunar Orbiter. Until now, the far side Lunar Orbiter photos have only been available with strong reconstruction lines, but appear here for the first time as complete photographs, unmarred by imaging and processing artifacts.

This book is primarily concerned with fundamental components of solar physics, terrestrial geophysics and general climate issues. Phenomena such as planetary influence on solar variability, the Sun's irradiance and solar wind continue to fascinate members of the scientific community. What is more astounding is the way in which our planet reacts to these occurrences; climate changes, sea levels, tides, ocean circulation and geomagnetism, all caused by the processes mentioned above. The pages that follow analyze and calculate the relationships between solar causation and terrestrial reaction. This work begins with a foreword from Walter Cunningham, the famous Apollo 7 astronaut who in 1968 took part in the first manned space flight. Section A is devoted to the concept of planetary-solar-terrestrial interaction and driving forces that represent a break-through in science. The book begins with a high-lightening of records indicating a planetary influence on solar activity and continues with multiple discussions of terrestrial variables. It concludes with an account of the physics behind the changes in the Sun and in the Earth. Section B presents the remarkable decision to terminate the journal of pattern recognition in physics because the authors concluded that we are now on our way into a new grand solar minimum. This inspires doubt in an accelerating global warming. In the name of science and ethics, five papers respond to this "modern book-burning". Section C is devoted to general conclusions, co-authored by 19 eminent scientists in the field of solar physics, geophysics, geology, hydrology and climatology. It also includes a short note on concluding editorial views.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was successfully launched on June 18, 2009 and joined an international eet of satellites (Japan's SELENE/Kaguya, China's Chang'E, and India's Chandrayaan-1) that have recently orbited the Moon for scienti c exploration p- poses. LRO is the rst step to ful ll the US national space goal to return humans to the Moon's surface, which is a primary objective of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission - rectorate (ESMD). TheinitialLROmissionphasehasaone-yeardurationfullyfundedunder ESMD support. LRO is expected to have an extended phase of operations for at least two additional years to undertake further lunar science measurements that are directly linked to objectives outlined in the National Academy of Science's report on the Scienti c Context for Exploration of the Moon (SCEM). All data from LRO will be deposited in the Planetary Data System (PDS) archive so as to be usable for both exploration and science by the widest possible community. A NASA Announcement of Opportunity (AO) solicited proposals for LRO instruments with associated exploration measurement investigations. A rigorous evaluation process - volving scienti c peer review, in combination with technical, cost and management risk assessments, recommended six instruments for LRO development and deployment. The competitively selected instruments are: Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Rad- tion (CRaTER), Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE), Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP), Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND), Lunar Orbiter Laser - timeter (LOLA), and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).

The semi-classical description of black holes, as it was originally introduced by Hawking and Bekenstein in the early seventies, where classical solutions of the Einstein equations are coupled to quantum matter fields, opened a window with a glance on the quantum aspects of gravity. This book discusses this semi-classical approach to quantum black holes. It also discuses the philosophical issues about black holes; the Randall-Sundrum II model; the gravitational collapse in alternative theories of gravity; observational limits on modern extended gravity models; and generalized Brans-Dicke models from Kaluza-Klein reductions.

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) was the first dission to orbit and eventually land on an asteroid. A phenomenal success, the mission returned with hundreds of thousands of images, spectra, and other measurements about the large near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros. Some of the scientists and engineers who made NEAR such a success describe the mission here in their own words, from the initial concept studies, through the development phase, launch, cruise operations, the flyby of asteroid Mathilde, the near-catastrophic main engine failure in 1998, the heroic rescue and recovery of the spacecraft, the amazing year-long up-close look at one of Earth's most primitive celestial neighbors, and, finally, the daring attempt to land the spacecraft on Eros at the end of the mission. The book is illustrated throughout with images from the mission and explanatory diagrams. Jim Bell is an Assistant Professor in the Cornell University Astronomy Department whose research focuses on the geology, chemistry, and mineralogy of planets, asteroids, and comets using data obtained from telescopes and spacecraft missions. He is a member of a number of space science teams, including the NASA Mars Pathfinder and NEAR. Author of some 70 first and co-authored journal publications, he is a frequent contributor to popular astronomy magazines and radio shows. The International Astronomical Union recently awarded him the honor of having asteroid 8146 Jimbell named after him. Jacqueline Mitton is the Press Officer and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a member of the International Astronomical Union, and a Member of the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. She is the author or co-author of 16 astronomy books; her most recent being The Cambridge Dictionary of Astronomy (2001).

This book offers a new concept of the possible genesis of primary forms of living matter in the processes that accompany a hypervelocity meteorite impact onto the surface of a planet. The concept is based on results obtained in direct impact experiments and in laboratory simulations of hypervelocity impact processes involving the generation of a plasma torch, on bona fide data on the physical processes occurring in nature, and on the available material evidence of impact consequences on Solar system bodies. The concept can explain the possibility of the emergence of extraterrestrial life in the interiors of celestial bodies with extreme surface temperatures and moderate temperatures in the inner layers provided water is present.

Recent discoveries of planet-like objects circling other sun-like stars have stirred enormous interest in what other planets may exist in the universe, and whether they could support intelligent life. This book takes us into the midst of this search for extrasolar planets. Unlike other books, it focuses on the people behind the searches -- many known personally by the author -- and the extraordinary technology that is currently on the drawing boards. The author is an experienced, award-winning science journalist who was previously technology correspondent for the Financial Times of London. He has written on many topics in astronomy and astrobiology in over 35 different newspapers and magazines worldwide.

As a new wave of interplanetary exploration unfolds, a talented young planetary scientist charts our centuries-old obsession with Mars. 'Beautifully written, emotive - a love letter to a planet' DERMOT O'LEARY, BBC Radio 2 Mars - bewilderingly empty, coated in red dust - is an unlikely place to pin our hopes of finding life elsewhere. And yet, right now multiple spacecraft are circling, sweeping over Terra Sabaea, Syrtis Major, the dunes of Elysium and Mare Sirenum - on the brink, perhaps, of a discovery that would inspire humankind as much as any in our history. With poetic precision and grace, Sarah Stewart Johnson traces the evocative history of our explorations of Mars. She interlaces her personal journey as a scientist with tales of other seekers - from Galileo to William Herschel to Carl Sagan - who have scoured this enigmatic planet for signs of life and transformed it in our understanding from a distant point of light into a complex world. Ultimately, she shows how its story is also a story about Earth: it is a foil, a mirror, a tell-tale reflection of our own anxieties and yearnings to find - if we're lucky - that we're not alone. 'Elegantly written and boundlessly entertaining' Sunday Telegraph 'Beguiling' The Times 'Johnson's prose swirls with lyrical wonder, as varied and multi-hued as the apricot deserts, butterscotch skies and blue sunsets of Mars' Anthony Doerr, New York Times Book Review 'Elegantly crafted' Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal

Covering the first five decades of the exploration of Mars, this atlas is the most detailed visual reference available. It brings together, for the first time, a wealth of information from diverse sources, featuring annotated maps, photographs, tables, and detailed descriptions of every Mars mission in chronological order, from the dawn of the space age to Mars Express. Special attention is given to landing site selection, including reference to some missions that were planned but never flew. Phobos and Deimos, the tiny moons of Mars, are covered in a separate section. Contemporary maps reveal our improving knowledge of the planet's surface through the latter half of the twentieth century. Written in non-technical language, this atlas is a unique resource for anyone interested in planetary sciences, the history of space exploration, and cartography, while the detailed bibliography and chart data are especially useful for academic researchers and students.

Concentrating on Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power and its scientific, technological, industrial, political, environmental and social implications, this authoritative account provides a historical summary of the present applications, and future strategies for development and implementation. Describing how modern PV was invented in 1954 in association with the transistor, how the PV markets have experienced exponential growth since 2005, and how its development has involved hundreds of companies worldwide--in effect creating 100,000 jobs and tens of thousands of experts--this in-depth guide is published in full-color with more than 100 pictures and illustrations from 41 leading pioneers in the solar industry, and is an invaluable reference for students of the history and future of renewable energy resources.

The Moon is at once a face with a thousand expressions and the archetypal planet. Throughout history it has been gazed upon by people of every culture in every walk of life. From early perceptions of the Moon as an abode of divine forces, humanity has in turn accepted the mathematized Moon of the Greeks, the naturalistic lunar portrait of Jan van Eyck, and the telescopic view of Galileo. Scott Montgomery has produced a richly detailed analysis of how the Moon has been visualized in Western culture through the ages, revealing the faces it has presented to philosophers, writers, artists, and scientists for nearly three millennia. To do this, he has drawn on a wide array of sources that illustrate mankind's changing concept of the nature and significance of heavenly bodies from classical antiquity to the dawn of modern science. Montgomery especially focuses on the seventeenth century, when the Moon was first mapped and its features named. From literary explorations such as Francis Godwin's "Man in the Moone" and Cyrano de Bergerac's "L'autre monde" to Michael Van Langren's textual lunar map and Giambattista Riccioli's "Almagestum novum," he shows how Renaissance man was moved by the lunar orb, how he battled to claim its surface, and how he in turn elevated the Moon to a new level in human awareness. The effect on human imagination has been cumulative: our idea of the Moon, and therefore the planets, is multilayered and complex, having been enriched by associations played out in increasingly complicated harmonies over time. We have shifted the way we think about the lunar face from a "perfect" body to an earthlike one, with corresponding changes in verbal and visual expression. Ultimately, Montgomery suggests, our concept of the Moon has never wandered too far from the world we know best--the Earth itself. And when we finally establish lunar bases and take up some form of residence on the Moon's surface, we will not be conquering a New World, fresh and mostly unknown, but a much older one, ripe with history.

This book develops the statistical mechanics of the formation of gravitating cosmogonical bodies in the investigation of our solar system and other exoplanetary systems. The first part of the text acquaints the reader with the developing statistical theory of gravitating cosmogonical body formation. Within the framework of this theory, the models and evolution equations of the statistical mechanics are proposed, while well-known problems of gravitational condensation of infinite distributed cosmic substances are solved on the basis of the proposed statistical model of spheroidal bodies. The second section of the book details theoretical and practical approaches to investigating the solar system and other exoplanetary systems. In particular, it considers a new universal stellar law (USL) for extrasolar planetary systems connecting the temperature, the size and the mass of each star. Within the framework of the developed statistical theory, a new law (generalizing the famous law of O. Schmidt) for the distribution of planetary in the solar system is also provided.

The volume begins with contributions on solar modelling, starting with the Standard Model. The experimental results on solar neutrinos precedes recent theoretical ideas on neutrino masses. Helioseismology is presented from both a theoretical and an experimental point of view, describing recent resul

Fascinating, engaging and extremely visual,THE SOLAR SYSTEM, 10th Edition, is renowned for its current coverage, reader-friendly presentation and detailed--yet clear--explanations. The authors' goals are to help you use Astronomy to understand science, and use science to answer two fundamental questions: What are we? And how do we know? Available with WebAssign, the powerful digital solution that enriches the teaching and learning experience. It includes Virtual Astronomy Labs 3.0--a set of 20 interactive activities that combine analysis of real astronomical data with robust simulations--providing a true online laboratory experience for your Introductory Astronomy course.