Discovering the Solar System

Discovering the Solar System, Second
Edition covers the Sun, the planets, their satellites
and the host of smaller bodies that orbit the Sun. This book offers
a comprehensive introduction to the subject for science students,
and examines the discovery, investigation and modelling of these
bodies. Following a thematic approach, chapters cover
interiors, surfaces and the atmospheres of major bodies, including
the Earth. The book starts with an overview of the Solar System and
its origin, and then takes a look at small bodies, such as
asteroids, comets and meteorites.

Carefully balancing breadth of coverage with depth,
Discovering the Solar System, Second Edition:

• Offers a comprehensive introduction, assuming little prior
  knowledge

• Includes full coverage of each planet, as well as the moon,
  Europa and Titan. The Second Edition includes new material on
  exoplanetary systems, and a general update throughout.

• Presents latest results from the Mars Rover and Cassini-Huygens
  missions

• Includes a colour plate section

• Contains 'stop and think' questions embedded in the
  text to aid understanding, along with questions at the end of major
  sections. Answers are provided at the end of the book.

• Provides summaries at the end of each chapter, and a glossary
  at the end of the book

Praise for the First Edition:

"(...) essential reading for all undergraduate students (...)
and for those at a more advanced level approaching the subject for
the first time." THE SCIENCE BOOK BOARD BOOK REVIEW

"One of the best books on the solar system I have seen.
The general accuracy and quality of the content is
excellent." JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL
ASSOCIATION

Auteur

Professor Barrie W. Jones, Professor of Astronomy, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Has been awarded the David Wynn-Williams Prize for services to Astrobiology, by the Astrobiology Society of Britain in 2006.

Texte du rabat
Discovering the Solar System, Second Edition is a comprehensive, up-to-date, account of the Solar System and the ways in which the various bodies have been investigated and modelled. The approach, well received in the first edition, is thematic the book includes sequences of chapters on the interiors of planetary bodies, their surfaces, and their atmospheres. Within each sequence there is a chapter on general principles and processes, followed by either one or two chapters on specific bodies. Liberally illustrated with diagrams, black and white photographs and colour plates, the book also features:

• Tables of essential data
• End of section questions with full answers
• Summaries at the end of each chapter
  Discovering the Solar System, Second Edition is essential reading for all undergraduate students for whom astronomy or planetary science are components of their degrees as well as for those at a more advanced level approaching the subject for the first time. It is also suitable for anyone with a keen interest in astronomy. A small amount of scientific knowledge is assumed in addition to a familiarity with basic algebra and graphs.

The author is Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at the Open University, an institution dedicated to supported distance learning, where Professor Jones has acquired much a lot of experience in writing clear texts that promote active reading.

Résumé
Discovering the Solar System, Second Edition covers the Sun, the planets, their satellites and the host of smaller bodies that orbit the Sun. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the subject for science students, and examines the discovery, investigation and modelling of these bodies. Following a thematic approach, chapters cover interiors, surfaces and the atmospheres of major bodies, including the Earth. The book starts with an overview of the Solar System and its origin, and then takes a look at small bodies, such as asteroids, comets and meteorites. Carefully balancing breadth of coverage with depth, Discovering the Solar System, Second Edition:

• Offers a comprehensive introduction, assuming little prior knowledge
• Includes full coverage of each planet, as well as the moon, Europa and Titan. The Second Edition includes new material on exoplanetary systems, and a general update throughout.
• Presents latest results from the Mars Rover and Cassini-Huygens missions
• Includes a colour plate section
• Contains 'stop and think' questions embedded in the text to aid understanding, along with questions at the end of major sections. Answers are provided at the end of the book.
• Provides summaries at the end of each chapter, and a glossary at the end of the book
  Praise for the First Edition:

"(...) essential reading for all undergraduate students (...) and for those at a more advanced level approaching the subject for the first time." THE SCIENCE BOOK BOARD BOOK REVIEW

One of the best books on the solar system I have seen. The general accuracy and quality of the content is excellent. JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION

Contenu
List of Tables. Preface and Study Guide to the First Edition.

Preface to the Second Edition.

1 The Sun and its Family.

1.1 The Sun.

1.1.1 The Solar Photosphere.

1.1.2 The Solar Atmosphere.

1.1.3 The Solar Interior.

1.1.4 The Solar Neutrino Problem.

1.2 The Sun's Family A Brief Introduction.

1.2.1 The Terrestrial Planets and the Asteroids.

1.2.2 The Giant Planets.

1.2.3 Pluto and Beyond.

1.3 Chemical Elements in the Solar System.

1.4 Orbits of Solar System Bodies.

1.4.1 Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.

1.4.2 Orbital Elements.

1.4.3 Asteroids and the TitiusBode Rule.

1.4.4 A Theory of Orbits.

1.4.5 Orbital Complications.

1.4.6 Orbital Resonances.

1.4.7 The Orbit of Mercury.

1.5 Planetary Rotation.

1.5.1 Precession of the Rotation Axis.

1.6 The View from the Earth.

1.6.1 The Other Planets.

1.6.2 Solar and Lunar Eclipses.

1.7 Summary of Chapter 1.

2 The Origin of the Solar System.

2.1 The Observational Basis.

2.1.1 The Solar System.

2.1.2 Exoplanetary Systems.

2.1.3 Star Formation.

2.1.4 Circumstellar Discs.

2.2 Solar Nebular Theories.

2.2.1 Angular Momentum in the Solar System.

2.2.2 The Evaporation and Condensation of Dust in the Solar Nebula.

2.2.3 From Dust to Planetesimals.

2.2.4 From Planetesimals to Planets in the Inner Solar System.

2.2.5 From Planetesimals to Planets in the Outer Solar System.

2.2.6 The Origin of the Oort Cloud, the EK Belt, and Pluto.

2.3 Formation of the Satellites and Rings of the Giant Planets.

2.3.1 Formation of the Satellites of the Giant Planets.

2.3.2 Formation and Evolution of the Rings of the Giant Planets.

2.4 Successes and Shortcomings of Solar Nebular Theories.

2.5 Summary of Chapter 2.

3 Small Bodies in the Solar System.

3.1 Asteroids.

3.1.1 Asteroid Orbits in the Asteroid Belt.

3.1.2 Asteroid Orbits Outside the Asteroid Belt.

3.1.3 Asteroid Sizes.

3.1.4 Asteroid Shapes and Surface Features.

3.1.5 Asteroid Masses, Densities, and Overall Composition.

3.1.6 Asteroid Classes and Surface Composition.

3.2 Comets and Their Sources.

3.2.1 The Orbits of Comets.

3.2.2 The Coma, Hydrogen Cloud, and Tails of a Comet.

3.2.3 The Cometary Nucleus.

3.2.4 The Death of Comets.

3.2.5 The Sources of Comets.

3.2.6 The Oort Cloud.

3.2.7 The EK Belt.

3.3 Meteorites.

3.3.1 Meteors, Meteorites, and Micrometeorites.

3.3.2 The Structure and Composition of Meteorites.

3.3.3 Dating Meteorites.

3.3.4 The Sources of Meteorites.

3.3.5 The Sources of Micrometeorites.

3.4 Summary of Chapter 3.

4 Interiors of Planets and Satellites: The Observational and Theoretical Basis.

4.1 Gravitational Field Da…