Author: Victoria Meadows
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816540063
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 593
Book Description
Are we alone in the universe? How did life arise on our planet? How do we search for life beyond Earth? These profound questions excite and intrigue broad cross sections of science and society. Answering these questions is the province of the emerging, strongly interdisciplinary field of astrobiology. Life is inextricably tied to the formation, chemistry, and evolution of its host world, and multidisciplinary studies of solar system worlds can provide key insights into processes that govern planetary habitability, informing the search for life in our solar system and beyond. Planetary Astrobiology brings together current knowledge across astronomy, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and related fields, and considers the synergies between studies of solar systems and exoplanets to identify the path needed to advance the exploration of these profound questions. Planetary Astrobiology represents the combined efforts of more than seventy-five international experts consolidated into twenty chapters and provides an accessible, interdisciplinary gateway for new students and seasoned researchers who wish to learn more about this expanding field. Readers are brought to the frontiers of knowledge in astrobiology via results from the exploration of our own solar system and exoplanetary systems. The overarching goal of Planetary Astrobiology is to enhance and broaden the development of an interdisciplinary approach across the astrobiology, planetary science, and exoplanet communities, enabling a new era of comparative planetology that encompasses conditions and processes for the emergence, evolution, and detection of life.
Planetary Astrobiology
Author: Victoria Meadows
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816540063
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 593
Book Description
Are we alone in the universe? How did life arise on our planet? How do we search for life beyond Earth? These profound questions excite and intrigue broad cross sections of science and society. Answering these questions is the province of the emerging, strongly interdisciplinary field of astrobiology. Life is inextricably tied to the formation, chemistry, and evolution of its host world, and multidisciplinary studies of solar system worlds can provide key insights into processes that govern planetary habitability, informing the search for life in our solar system and beyond. Planetary Astrobiology brings together current knowledge across astronomy, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and related fields, and considers the synergies between studies of solar systems and exoplanets to identify the path needed to advance the exploration of these profound questions. Planetary Astrobiology represents the combined efforts of more than seventy-five international experts consolidated into twenty chapters and provides an accessible, interdisciplinary gateway for new students and seasoned researchers who wish to learn more about this expanding field. Readers are brought to the frontiers of knowledge in astrobiology via results from the exploration of our own solar system and exoplanetary systems. The overarching goal of Planetary Astrobiology is to enhance and broaden the development of an interdisciplinary approach across the astrobiology, planetary science, and exoplanet communities, enabling a new era of comparative planetology that encompasses conditions and processes for the emergence, evolution, and detection of life.
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816540063
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 593
Book Description
Are we alone in the universe? How did life arise on our planet? How do we search for life beyond Earth? These profound questions excite and intrigue broad cross sections of science and society. Answering these questions is the province of the emerging, strongly interdisciplinary field of astrobiology. Life is inextricably tied to the formation, chemistry, and evolution of its host world, and multidisciplinary studies of solar system worlds can provide key insights into processes that govern planetary habitability, informing the search for life in our solar system and beyond. Planetary Astrobiology brings together current knowledge across astronomy, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and related fields, and considers the synergies between studies of solar systems and exoplanets to identify the path needed to advance the exploration of these profound questions. Planetary Astrobiology represents the combined efforts of more than seventy-five international experts consolidated into twenty chapters and provides an accessible, interdisciplinary gateway for new students and seasoned researchers who wish to learn more about this expanding field. Readers are brought to the frontiers of knowledge in astrobiology via results from the exploration of our own solar system and exoplanetary systems. The overarching goal of Planetary Astrobiology is to enhance and broaden the development of an interdisciplinary approach across the astrobiology, planetary science, and exoplanet communities, enabling a new era of comparative planetology that encompasses conditions and processes for the emergence, evolution, and detection of life.
Babylon to Voyager and Beyond
Author: David Leverington
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521808408
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 588
Book Description
The story of planetary research from ancient astronomers to more recent spacecraft missions.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521808408
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 588
Book Description
The story of planetary research from ancient astronomers to more recent spacecraft missions.
Gerard P. Kuiper and the Rise of Modern Planetary Science
Author: Derek W. G. Sears
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816539006
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
Astronomer Gerard P. Kuiper ignored the traditional boundaries of his subject. Using telescopes and the laboratory, he made the solar system a familiar, intriguing place. “It is not astronomy,” complained his colleagues, and they were right. Kuiper had created a new discipline we now call planetary science. Kuiper was an acclaimed astronomer of binary stars and white dwarfs when he accidentally discovered that Titan, the massive moon of Saturn, had an atmosphere. This turned our understanding of planetary atmospheres on its head, and it set Kuiper on a path of staggering discoveries: Pluto was not a planet, planets around other stars were common, some asteroids were primary while some were just fragments of bigger asteroids, some moons were primary and some were captured asteroids or comets, the atmosphere of Mars was carbon dioxide, and there were two new moons in the sky, one orbiting Uranus and one orbiting Neptune. He produced a monumental photographic atlas of the Moon at a time when men were landing on our nearest neighbor, and he played an important part in that effort. He also created some of the world’s major observatories in Hawai‘i and Chile. However, most remarkable was that the keys to his success sprang from his wartime activities, which led him to new techniques. This would change everything. Sears shows a brilliant but at times unpopular man who attracted as much dislike as acclaim. This in-depth history includes some of the twentieth century’s most intriguing scientists, from Harold Urey to Carl Sagan, who worked with—and sometimes against—the father of modern planetary science. Now, as NASA and other space agencies explore the solar system, they take with them many of the ideas and concepts first described by Gerard P. Kuiper.
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816539006
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
Astronomer Gerard P. Kuiper ignored the traditional boundaries of his subject. Using telescopes and the laboratory, he made the solar system a familiar, intriguing place. “It is not astronomy,” complained his colleagues, and they were right. Kuiper had created a new discipline we now call planetary science. Kuiper was an acclaimed astronomer of binary stars and white dwarfs when he accidentally discovered that Titan, the massive moon of Saturn, had an atmosphere. This turned our understanding of planetary atmospheres on its head, and it set Kuiper on a path of staggering discoveries: Pluto was not a planet, planets around other stars were common, some asteroids were primary while some were just fragments of bigger asteroids, some moons were primary and some were captured asteroids or comets, the atmosphere of Mars was carbon dioxide, and there were two new moons in the sky, one orbiting Uranus and one orbiting Neptune. He produced a monumental photographic atlas of the Moon at a time when men were landing on our nearest neighbor, and he played an important part in that effort. He also created some of the world’s major observatories in Hawai‘i and Chile. However, most remarkable was that the keys to his success sprang from his wartime activities, which led him to new techniques. This would change everything. Sears shows a brilliant but at times unpopular man who attracted as much dislike as acclaim. This in-depth history includes some of the twentieth century’s most intriguing scientists, from Harold Urey to Carl Sagan, who worked with—and sometimes against—the father of modern planetary science. Now, as NASA and other space agencies explore the solar system, they take with them many of the ideas and concepts first described by Gerard P. Kuiper.
Working Papers
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309043832
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 347
Book Description
This volume contains working papers on astronomy and astrophysics prepared by 15 non-National Research Council panels in areas ranging from radio astronomy to the status of the profession.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309043832
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 347
Book Description
This volume contains working papers on astronomy and astrophysics prepared by 15 non-National Research Council panels in areas ranging from radio astronomy to the status of the profession.
Planetary Systems
Author: Marc Ollivier
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540757481
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 351
Book Description
Over the past ten years, the discovery of extrasolar planets has opened a new field of astronomy, and this area of research is rapidly growing, from both the observational and theoretical point of view. The presence of many giant exoplanets in the close vicinity of their star shows that these newly discovered planetary systems are very different from the solar system. New theoretical models are being developed in order to understand their formation scenarios, and new observational methods are being implemented to increase the sensitivity of exoplanet detections. In the present book, the authors address the question of planetary systems from all aspects. Starting from the facts (the detection of more than 300 extraterrestrial planets), they first describe the various methods used for these discoveries and propose a synthetic analysis of their global properties. They then consider the observations of young stars and circumstellar disks and address the case of the solar system as a specific example, different from the newly discovered systems. Then the study of planetary systems and of exoplanets is presented from a more theoretical point of view. The book ends with an outlook to future astronomical projects, and a description of the search for life on exoplanets. This book addresses students and researchers who wish to better understand this newly expanding field of research.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540757481
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 351
Book Description
Over the past ten years, the discovery of extrasolar planets has opened a new field of astronomy, and this area of research is rapidly growing, from both the observational and theoretical point of view. The presence of many giant exoplanets in the close vicinity of their star shows that these newly discovered planetary systems are very different from the solar system. New theoretical models are being developed in order to understand their formation scenarios, and new observational methods are being implemented to increase the sensitivity of exoplanet detections. In the present book, the authors address the question of planetary systems from all aspects. Starting from the facts (the detection of more than 300 extraterrestrial planets), they first describe the various methods used for these discoveries and propose a synthetic analysis of their global properties. They then consider the observations of young stars and circumstellar disks and address the case of the solar system as a specific example, different from the newly discovered systems. Then the study of planetary systems and of exoplanets is presented from a more theoretical point of view. The book ends with an outlook to future astronomical projects, and a description of the search for life on exoplanets. This book addresses students and researchers who wish to better understand this newly expanding field of research.
Planetary Astronomy from the Renaissance to the Rise of Astrophysics, Part A, Tycho Brahe to Newton
Author: R. Taton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521542050
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310
Book Description
The International Astronomical Union and the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science have sponsored a major work on the history of astronomy, which the Press publishs are in four volumes, three of which will be divided into two parts. Publication commenced with volume 4, part A. The history of astronomy has never been tackled on this scale and depth and this major synthesis breaks wholly new ground. The individual chapters of each volume have been prepared by leading experts in every field of the history of astronomy.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521542050
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310
Book Description
The International Astronomical Union and the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science have sponsored a major work on the history of astronomy, which the Press publishs are in four volumes, three of which will be divided into two parts. Publication commenced with volume 4, part A. The history of astronomy has never been tackled on this scale and depth and this major synthesis breaks wholly new ground. The individual chapters of each volume have been prepared by leading experts in every field of the history of astronomy.
To See the Unseen
Author: Andrew J. Butrica
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Planetary science
Languages : en
Pages : 332
Book Description
A comprehensive & illuminating history of this little-understood, but surprisingly significant scientific activity. Quite rigorous & systematic in its methodology, the book explores the development of the radar astronomy specialty in the larger community of scientists. More than just discussing the development of this field, however, the author uses planetary radar astronomy as a vehicle for understanding larger issues relative to the planning & execution of "big science" by the Fed. government. Sources, interviews, technical essay, abbreviations, & index.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Planetary science
Languages : en
Pages : 332
Book Description
A comprehensive & illuminating history of this little-understood, but surprisingly significant scientific activity. Quite rigorous & systematic in its methodology, the book explores the development of the radar astronomy specialty in the larger community of scientists. More than just discussing the development of this field, however, the author uses planetary radar astronomy as a vehicle for understanding larger issues relative to the planning & execution of "big science" by the Fed. government. Sources, interviews, technical essay, abbreviations, & index.
Space Technology & Planetary Astronomy
Author: Joseph N. Tatarewicz
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253356550
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 218
Book Description
"... the book reminds us of an important lesson in the postwar era of big science: that government policy may lead initially to tremendous support for various fields of science and technology." --Science "... a triumph of historical analysis." --Choice "This is an excellent record of the beginnings of the NASA plantetary astronomy program in the years 1958-70." --American Historical Review "The historical circumstances that led to this country's great leap into space were unique, but it is clear that there are many lessons to be learnt from this enthralling tale and Tatarewicz tells the tale well." --Annals of Science When NASA went looking for expertise on the moon and planets following Sputnik, they found that astronomers had long since turned their telescopes away from our planets and toward the stars. Where were the scientists who could help the United States explore the solar system? The answer, as this important new study shows, was that NASA had to create them This story of the precipitous rise and decline of planetary astronomy is an important case study of science in an age of state-managed research and development. It demonstrates that the lines between science, technology, politics, and society are anything but fixed and impermeable.
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253356550
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 218
Book Description
"... the book reminds us of an important lesson in the postwar era of big science: that government policy may lead initially to tremendous support for various fields of science and technology." --Science "... a triumph of historical analysis." --Choice "This is an excellent record of the beginnings of the NASA plantetary astronomy program in the years 1958-70." --American Historical Review "The historical circumstances that led to this country's great leap into space were unique, but it is clear that there are many lessons to be learnt from this enthralling tale and Tatarewicz tells the tale well." --Annals of Science When NASA went looking for expertise on the moon and planets following Sputnik, they found that astronomers had long since turned their telescopes away from our planets and toward the stars. Where were the scientists who could help the United States explore the solar system? The answer, as this important new study shows, was that NASA had to create them This story of the precipitous rise and decline of planetary astronomy is an important case study of science in an age of state-managed research and development. It demonstrates that the lines between science, technology, politics, and society are anything but fixed and impermeable.
Astronomy for Kids
Author: Bruce Betts
Publisher: Rockridge Press
ISBN: 9781638788218
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Ignite their passion for exploring the night sky―the astronomer's guidebook for kids ages 7 to 13 “No matter how many times you’ve orbited the Sun, Astronomy for Kids is really for kids of all ages. Dr. Betts shows you how to become an astronomer―an observer of the stars. With this book, you can know the cosmos and your place within it. Read on, walk out, and look up!”―Bill Nye, science educator, author, and CEO of The Planetary Society One of the coolest things about outer space is that anyone can explore it. All you have to do is go outside and look up! Using plain sight, binoculars, or a small telescope, Astronomy for Kids shows stargazers how easy it is to explore space, just by stepping outside. With this book as their guide to the northern hemisphere, kids will learn to find and name amazing objects in the night sky. Fully illustrated with fun facts throughout, kids can point out sights to friends and family, saying things like, “that’s Jupiter,” and, “those stars are the constellation Cygnus the Swan,” and maybe even, “that group of stars doesn’t have a name but I think it looks like my dog getting belly rubs.” From the Milky Way Galaxy to Mars to the Moon’s craters and mountains―Astronomy for Kids helps young astronomers discover important parts of our solar system, with: 30 sights for the naked eye (yes, 30!) objects to see without any equipment, including Orion’s Belt, the Big Dipper, Mars, and even the International Space Station. 25 sights magnified with binoculars or a basic telescope to make objects in the sky easier to find and explore. Plus, buying tips and usage tricks to get the most out of astronomy equipment. Clear illustrations that show kids where to look and what they can expect to see. Like all big things, outer space is something you have to see to believe. Astronomy for Kids teaches kids that planets, shooting stars, constellations, and meteor showers are not only in books―but right above them.
Publisher: Rockridge Press
ISBN: 9781638788218
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Ignite their passion for exploring the night sky―the astronomer's guidebook for kids ages 7 to 13 “No matter how many times you’ve orbited the Sun, Astronomy for Kids is really for kids of all ages. Dr. Betts shows you how to become an astronomer―an observer of the stars. With this book, you can know the cosmos and your place within it. Read on, walk out, and look up!”―Bill Nye, science educator, author, and CEO of The Planetary Society One of the coolest things about outer space is that anyone can explore it. All you have to do is go outside and look up! Using plain sight, binoculars, or a small telescope, Astronomy for Kids shows stargazers how easy it is to explore space, just by stepping outside. With this book as their guide to the northern hemisphere, kids will learn to find and name amazing objects in the night sky. Fully illustrated with fun facts throughout, kids can point out sights to friends and family, saying things like, “that’s Jupiter,” and, “those stars are the constellation Cygnus the Swan,” and maybe even, “that group of stars doesn’t have a name but I think it looks like my dog getting belly rubs.” From the Milky Way Galaxy to Mars to the Moon’s craters and mountains―Astronomy for Kids helps young astronomers discover important parts of our solar system, with: 30 sights for the naked eye (yes, 30!) objects to see without any equipment, including Orion’s Belt, the Big Dipper, Mars, and even the International Space Station. 25 sights magnified with binoculars or a basic telescope to make objects in the sky easier to find and explore. Plus, buying tips and usage tricks to get the most out of astronomy equipment. Clear illustrations that show kids where to look and what they can expect to see. Like all big things, outer space is something you have to see to believe. Astronomy for Kids teaches kids that planets, shooting stars, constellations, and meteor showers are not only in books―but right above them.
Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-astrology
Author: David Brown
Publisher: Brill
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 346
Book Description
Pliny wrote of Babylon that "here the creator of the science of astronomy was". Excavations have shown this statement to be true. This book argues that the earliest attempts at the accurate prediction of celestial phenomena are indeed to be found in clay tablets dating to the 8th and 7th centuries BC from both Babylon and from Nineveh. The author carefully situates this astronomy within its cultural context, treating all available material from the relevant period, and also analysing the earlier astrological material and the later well-known ephemerides and related texts. A wholly new approach to cuneiform astral concerns emerges - one in which both celestial divination and the later astronomy are shown to be embedded in a prevailing philosophy dealing with the ideal nature of the early universe, and in which the dynamics of the celestial divination industry that surrounded the last Assyrian monarchs account for no less than the first recorded "scientific revolution". This work closely adheres to the original textual sources, and argues for the evolution on the basis of the needs of the ancient scholars and the internal logic of the divinatory and predictive systems employed. To this end, it offers, for the first time, a Mesopotamian contribution to the philosophy, and not only the history, of science.
Publisher: Brill
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 346
Book Description
Pliny wrote of Babylon that "here the creator of the science of astronomy was". Excavations have shown this statement to be true. This book argues that the earliest attempts at the accurate prediction of celestial phenomena are indeed to be found in clay tablets dating to the 8th and 7th centuries BC from both Babylon and from Nineveh. The author carefully situates this astronomy within its cultural context, treating all available material from the relevant period, and also analysing the earlier astrological material and the later well-known ephemerides and related texts. A wholly new approach to cuneiform astral concerns emerges - one in which both celestial divination and the later astronomy are shown to be embedded in a prevailing philosophy dealing with the ideal nature of the early universe, and in which the dynamics of the celestial divination industry that surrounded the last Assyrian monarchs account for no less than the first recorded "scientific revolution". This work closely adheres to the original textual sources, and argues for the evolution on the basis of the needs of the ancient scholars and the internal logic of the divinatory and predictive systems employed. To this end, it offers, for the first time, a Mesopotamian contribution to the philosophy, and not only the history, of science.