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Modern research has demonstrated that many stars are surrounded by
planets-some of which might contain the right conditions to harbor
life. This has only reinforced a question that has been tormenting
scientists, philosophers and priests since Antiquity: Are there
other inhabited worlds beyond our own? This book analyzes the many
ways that humans have argued for and depicted extraterrestrial life
over the centuries. The first known texts about the subject date
from as early as the 6th century BC. Since that time, countless
well-known historical characters like Lucretius, Aristotle, Thomas
Aquinas, Cusanus, Bruno, Kepler, Descartes, and Huygens contributed
to the debate; here, their lesser known opinions on the subject are
studied in detail. It is often difficult for the modern mind to
follow the thinking of our ancestors, which can only be understood
when placed in the relevant context. The book thus extends its
scope to the evolution of ideas about cosmology in general, as well
as the culture in which these great thinkers wrote. The research is
presented with the author's insights and humor, making this an easy
and enjoyable read.
Modern research has demonstrated that many stars are surrounded by
planets-some of which might contain the right conditions to harbor
life. This has only reinforced a question that has been tormenting
scientists, philosophers and priests since Antiquity: Are there
other inhabited worlds beyond our own? This book analyzes the many
ways that humans have argued for and depicted extraterrestrial life
over the centuries. The first known texts about the subject date
from as early as the 6th century BC. Since that time, countless
well-known historical characters like Lucretius, Aristotle, Thomas
Aquinas, Cusanus, Bruno, Kepler, Descartes, and Huygens contributed
to the debate; here, their lesser known opinions on the subject are
studied in detail. It is often difficult for the modern mind to
follow the thinking of our ancestors, which can only be understood
when placed in the relevant context. The book thus extends its
scope to the evolution of ideas about cosmology in general, as well
as the culture in which these great thinkers wrote. The research is
presented with the author's insights and humor, making this an easy
and enjoyable read.
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Planets and life (Paperback)
Therese Encrenaz, James Lequeux, Fabienne Casoli
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R5,418
R3,979
Discovery Miles 39 790
Save R1,439 (27%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Francois Arago, the first to show in 1810 that the surface of the
Sun and stars is made of incandescent gas and not solid or liquid,
was a prominent physicist of the 19th century. He used his
considerable influence to help Fresnel, Ampere and others develop
their ideas and make themselves known. This book covers his
personal contributions to physics, astronomy, geodesy and
oceanography, which are far from negligible, but insufficiently
known. Arago was also an important and influential political man
who, for example, abolished slavery in the French colonies. One of
the last humanists, he had a very broad culture and range of
interests. In parallel to his biography, this title also covers the
spectacular progresses of science at the time of Arago, especially
in France: the birth of physical optics, electromagnetism and
thermodynamics. Francois Arago's life is a fascinating epic tale
that reads as a novel.
The proceedings of the Second European Meeting on "New Aspects of
MagellanicCloud Research" review the most recent progress in the
study of the LMC and SMC. The activities within the ground-based
ESO key programme "Coordinated Investigations of Selected Regions
in the Magellanic Clouds", as well as new exciting observations
from space missions (ROSAT, IUE, ISO, IRAS) result in a more
profound insightinto the structure, kinematics, populations (stars,
clusters, interstellar medium), and the chemical composition and
evolution of the Magellanic Cloud system. The book addresses
researchers and graduate students in astrophysics.
Translated from the original French by Bernard Sheehan; Edited
and with an introduction byDr. William Sheehan, a neuroscientist
and amateur astronomer who is also a research fellow of the Lowell
Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona
Le Verrier was a superb scientist. His discovery of Neptune in
1846 made him the most famous astronomer of his time. He produced a
complete theory of the motions of the planets which served as a
basis for planetary ephemeris for a full century. Doing this, he
discovered an anomaly in the motion of Mercury which later became
the first proof of General Relativity. He also founded European
meteorology. However his arrogance and bad temper created many
enemies, and he was even fired from his position of Director of the
Paris Observatory."
Describing interstellar matter in our galaxy in all of its
various forms, this book also considers the physical and chemical
processes that are occurring within this matter. The first seven
chapters present the various components making up the interstellar
matter and detail the ways that we are able to study them. The
following seven chapters are devoted to the physical, chemical and
dynamical processes that control the behaviour of interstellar
matter. These include the instabilities and cloud collapse
processes that lead to the formation of stars. The last chapter
summarizes the transformations that can occur between the different
phases of the interstellar medium. Emphasizing methods over
results, The Interstellar Medium is written for graduate students,
for young astronomers, and also for any researchers who have
developed an interest in the interstellar medium.
It has been known for a long time that stars are similar to our
Sun. But it was only in 1810 that they were shown to be made of an
incandescent gas. The chemical composition of this gas began to be
determined in 1860. In 1940, it was demonstrated that the energy
radiated by the stars is of thermonuclear origin. How stars form
from interstellar matter and how they evolve and die was understood
only recently, with our knowledge still incomplete. It was also
realized recently that close double stars present a wide variety of
extraordinary phenomena, which are far from being completely
explored.This book explains all these aspects, and also discusses
how the evolution of stars determine that of galaxies. The most
interesting observations are illustrated by spectacular images,
while the theory is explained as simply as possible, without
however avoiding some mathematical or physical developments when
they are necessary for a good understanding of what happens in
stars. Without being a textbook for specialists, this book can be
profitably read by students or amateurs possessing some basic
scientific knowledge, who would like to be initiated in-depth to
the fascinating world of stars.The author, an emeritus astronomer
of the Paris Observatory, worked in various domains of astronomy
connected with the subject of this book: interstellar matter and
evolution of stars and galaxies. He directed the Marseilles
observatory from 1983 to 1988 and served for fifteen years as Chief
Editor of the professional European journal Astronomy &
Astrophysics. He has written many articles and books about physics
and astronomy at different levels.
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