Wandering Stars - About Planets and Exo-Planets : An Introductory Notebook.
Title:
Wandering Stars - About Planets and Exo-Planets : An Introductory Notebook.
Author:
Cole, George H. A.
ISBN:
9781860949210
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (504 pages)
Contents:
Contents -- Preface -- Part I. Observations Reveal Gravity -- 1. Early Observations -- 1.1 Stars and Planets -- 1.2 Interpretations of the Observations -- 1.3 Sun Moon and Earth -- 1.4 The Shapes of the Orbits -- 1.5 Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion -- 1.6 Galileo's Law of Inertia: Newton's Laws of Motion -- 1.7 Newton's Law of Gravitation -- 1.8 A Passing Encounter without Capture -- 2. A Planet and a Sun: The Role of Gravity -- 2.1 Specification of an Elliptic Orbit -- 2.2 Equal Areas in Equal Times -- 2.3 Consequences of an Elliptical Path: The Inverse Square Force Law -- 2.4 The Semi-Major Axis and the Period of the Orbit: The 3rd Law -- 2.5 Two Immediate Consequences -- 2.6 The Energy in an Elliptic Orbit -- 2.7 Specifying the Orbit from Observations -- 2.8 The Different Possible Orbits -- 3. Several Planets: The Centre of Mass -- 3.1 More Than One Planet -- 3.2 Jupiter Mars and the Asteroids -- 3.3 The Centre of Mass: Two Masses -- 3.4 Transfer Orbits -- 3.5 Tidai Forces -- 3.6 The Roche Limit -- 4. The General Structure of a Planet -- 4.1 Several Energies -- 4.2 Packing Atoms Together -- 4.3 The Mass-Radius Relation -- 4.4 Maximum Size and Mass -- 4.5 Defining a Planetary Body -- 4.6 Cosmic Bodies -- 4.7 Planets and Satellites: Planetary Bodies -- 5. Fluid Flows and Magnetism -- 5.1 The Fluid State -- 5.2 The Importance of Time Scales -- 5.3 Specifying Fluid Behaviour -- 5.4 Isothermal Insulating Fluids -- 5.5 Thermal Insulating Fluid Flows -- 5.6 Natural Convection: Volcanic Activities -- 5.7 Boundary Conditions -- 5.8 Electrically Conducting Fluids -- 5.9 Application to Planetary Magnetic Fields -- Part II. General Features of the Solar System -- 6. The Larger Members of the Solar System -- 6.1 The Sun -- 6.2 The Planets -- 6.3 Satellites -- 6.4 Planetary Rings -- 6.5 Angular Momentum.
6.6 Magnetism and Rotation -- 7. Smaller Members: Asteroids Comets and Meteorites -- 7.1 Asteroids -- 7.2 Comets and Meteor Showers -- 7.3 Meteorites -- 7.4 The Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt -- 7.5 The Oort Cloud -- 8. The Material of the Solar System -- 8.1 The Solar/Cosmic Abundance of the Elements -- 8.2 The Formation of Molecules -- 8.3 The Compositions of Terrestrial Materials -- 8.4 The Moon -- 8.5 Venus -- 8.6 The Material of the Solar System -- 8.7 Material in Orbit -- 9. Finding the Ages of Rocks: Geochronology -- 9.1 Atoms and Radioactive Decay -- 9.2 Nuclear Reactions -- 9.3 An Elementary Method for Dating Rocks -- 9.4 The Closure Temperature -- 9.5 Selecting a Particular Decay Mode -- 9.6 Dating Using Nuclear Reactors -- 10. Surfaces and Interiors -- 10.1 The Surface Figure -- 10.2 The Interior -- 10.3 The Near-Surface Interior Region -- 10.4 Free Body Oscillations -- 10.5 Empirical Equations of State -- 10.6 Fluid Bodies -- 11. The Solid Earth -- 11.1 General Parameters -- 11.2 The Interior Seismic Structure -- 11.3 An Active Structure -- 11.4 Plates and Plate Tectonics -- 11.5 The Inner and Outer Cores -- 11.6 A Dynamic Earth -- 11.7 Comments on the Atmosphere -- 12. The Planets: Mercury and Mars -- 12.1 Rotation and Temperature -- 12.2 Surface Details -- 12.3 Internal Structure of Mercury -- 12.4 The Mercury Atmosphere -- 12.5 The General Topology of Mars -- 12.6 Martian Geology -- 12.7 Thermal Mars -- 12.8 The Internal Structure of Mars -- 12.9 The Atmosphere of Mars -- 12.10 A Tentative History of Mars -- 13. Planet Venus -- 13.1 First Views of the Surface -- 13.2 Surface Details -- 13.3 The Venus Interior -- 13.4 Venus Atmosphere -- 14. The Planets: Jupiter and Saturn -- 14.1 Surface Features -- 14.2 The Heat Budgets -- 14.3 Visible Surface Compositions.
14.4 General Comments on Internal Conditions -- 14.5 Detailed Model Interiors -- 14.6 Comment on Interior Heat Flow -- 14.7 Intrinsic Magnetic Fields -- 15. The Planets: Uranus and Neptune -- 15.1 Surface Features -- 15.2 Heat Budgets -- 15.3 Visible Surface Compositions -- 15.4 Internal Structure and Conditions -- 15.5 Comment on Interior Heat Flow -- 15.6 Intrinsic Magnetism -- 16. Satellites of the Solar System -- 16.1 The Moon -- 16.2 The Satellites of Mars -- 16.3 The Larger Satellites -- 16.4 The Smaller Satellites -- 16.5 Internal Conditions: Internal Differentiation -- Part III. Magnetism within the Solar System -- 17. Intrinsic Magnetism of the Earth -- 17.1 The Magnetic Poles -- 17.2 The Magnetic Elements -- 17.3 Separation into a Dipole and Non-dipole Fields -- 17.4 Short Time Variations: The Secular Variation -- 17.5 Long Time Variations: Magnetic Field Reversals -- 17.6 The Geomagnetic Poles have Moved: Continental Drift -- 17.7 Creation of Ocean Floor -- 18. The Earth's External Magnetism -- 18.1 The Effects of the Solar Emissions -- 18.2 The Interplanetary Magnetic Field -- 18.3 The Polar Aurorae -- 18.4 Magnetic Storms and Transient Disturbances -- 18.5 The Special Effect of the Moon -- 18.6 van Allen Radiation Belts -- 19. The Magnetism of the Other Planets -- 19.1 The Intrinsic Magnetic Fields -- 19.2 The Magnetospheres -- 19.3 Other Examples for Planetary Bodies -- 19.4 Motion through the Interstellar Medium -- 19.5 Companions to Other Stars -- Part IV. Stars as a Continuing Source of Energy -- 20. Evolution of Stars -- 20.1 Observations and Measurements -- 20.2 Galaxies and Stars -- 20.3 The Life Expectancy of a Star -- 20.4 The Hertztsprung-Russell Diagram -- 21. The Constitution of Stars -- 21.1 A Family of Similar Stars: The Assumptions -- 21.2 Specifying the Famiiy of Stars.
21.3 Some Immediate Conclusions -- 21.4 The Luminosity: The Mass-Radius Relation -- 21.5 The Mass and Luminosity Relation -- 21.6 The Central Temperature -- 21.7 The Life Expectancy: Dependence on the Mass -- 21.8 The State of Dense Matter -- 22. Stellar Energy Source -- 22.1 Isotopes -- 22.2 The Binding Energy: Fusion and Fission -- 22.3 Energy from Fusion -- 22.4 The Hydrogen-Helium Process -- 22.5 Reactions at Higher Temperatures -- 22.6 The Escape of Radiation from a Star -- 22.7 Synthesizing the Heavier Elements: r- and s- processes -- 23. The Sun and Its Interior -- 23.1 Internal Conditions -- 23.2 The Surface: The Photosphere -- 23.3 Solar Rotation -- 24. Solar Emissions of Particles: The Solar Wind -- 24.1 Above the Surface: The Chromosphere and Corona -- 24.2 Magnetism -- 24.3 The Solar Wind -- 24.4 Present and Future Variability -- Part V. Exoplanets -- 25. A Planetary System from Afar: The Solar System -- 25.1 Observing the Motion of the Central Star -- 25.2 The Case of a Transit -- 25.3 Polarimetry -- 25.4 Nulling Interferometry -- 25.5 Astrometry -- 25.6 Direct Imaging - White Dwarf Stars -- 25.7 Conclusion -- 26. Observed Exo-Planet Systems -- 26.1 Pulser Systems -- 26.2 A Companion to a Solar-Type Star -- 26.3 Stellar Transits -- 26.4 A Survey of the Measurements -- 26.5 Multiple Companion Systems -- 26.6 Small Eccentricities -- 26.7 Systems with a Large Semi-Major Axis -- 26.8 Small Eccentricity and Larger Semi-major Axis -- 27. Assessing the Observational Data -- 27.1 Firm Characteristics -- 27.2 More Massive Companions -- 27.3 A Special Case: Transit Systems -- 27.4 Small Semi-Major Axes: Role of Eccentricity -- 27.5 The Future? -- Part VI. Exo-Biology -- 28. Life on Earth -- 28.1 Early Life -- 28.2 The Characteristics of Early Life -- 28.3 Oxygen in the Atmosphere.
28.4 The Evolutionary Sequence -- 28.5 The Movement of Continents -- 28.6 Life on the Atlantic mid-Ocean Ridge -- 28.7 Changes of Climate -- 28.8 Some Final Comments -- 29. What Makes a Planet Habitable? -- 29.1 An Overall Requirement -- 29.2 Atomic Constraints: Binding Energies -- 29.3 Stellar Radiation -- 29.4 Heat from the Central Star -- 29.5 The Role of an Atmosphere: Planetary Mass -- 29.6 The Role of Water -- 29.7 Surface Features: Body Size and Scaling -- 30. An Anthropic Universe? -- 30.1 Describing the Physical World -- 30.2 Consequences of the Strength of the Forces of Nature -- 30.3 The Beginnings -- 30.4 The Size of Our Universe -- 30.5 Model Universes: Anthropic Principles -- 30.6 Information and the Universe -- 30.7 Extra-terrestrial Visitations -- Epilogue -- Some Historic Events in the Space Probe Exploration of the Solar System (1NASA -- 2Russia -- 3ESA) -- Some Useful References -- Glossary -- Problems and Solutions -- Index.
Abstract:
The space vehicle spectaculars of recent years have been revealing the full scope and beauty of our own solar system but have also shown that a growing number of other stars too have planetary bodies orbiting around them. The study of these systems is just beginning. It seems that our galaxy contains untold numbers of planets, and presumably other galaxies will be similar to our own. Our solar system contains life, on Earth: do others as well? Such questions excite modern planetary scientists and astro-biologists. This situation is a far cry from ancient times when the five planets that can be seen from Earth without a telescope were called the "wandering stars". This notebook-cum-workbook provides an introduction to those profound and still-developing modern studies. Written by an expert in the field, it is pitched at a level suitable for beginning students. It is designed particularly for self-study but can also provide background support for students attending lecture courses or teachers developing such courses. The reader is encouraged to add to the arguments of the book as the subject develops. A special feature here is a substantial glossary of terms and people which serves as a starting point for further entries. Wandering Stars is a key to unlock the door to an exciting and fascinating universe which is still the object of active discovery. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Early Observations (389 KB). Contents: Observations Reveal Gravity; General Features of the Solar System; Magnetism within the Solar System; Stars as a Continuing Source of Energy; Exoplanets; Exo-Biology. Readership: Undergraduates and lecturers in astrophysics, astronomy and geophysics, as well as lay people.
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
Genre:
Electronic Access:
Click to View