Planetary sciences
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Bibliographic Information
Planetary sciences
Cambridge University Press, 2001
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 495-507) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The Space Age, with lunar missions and interplanetary probes, has revolutionized our understanding of the Solar System. Planets and large moons have become familiar worlds, with a diverse range of properties. Large numbers of asteroids, comets and small moons have now been discovered, and many of these objects studied in detail. As a result, our understanding of the process of star and planet formation is increasing all the time. Planetary Sciences presents a comprehensive coverage of this fascinating and expanding field at a level appropriate for graduate students and researchers in the physical sciences. The book explains the wide variety of physical, chemical and geological processes that govern the motions and properties of planets. Observations of the planets, moons, asteroids, comets and planetary rings in our Solar System, as well as extrasolar planets, are described, and the process of planetary formation is discussed.
Table of Contents
- Part I. Introduction: 1. Inventory of the solar system
- 2. Planetary properties
- 3. Formation of the solar system
- Part II. Dynamics: 4. The 2-body problem
- 5. The 3-body problem
- 6. 'Planetary' perturbations and resonances
- 7. Long-term stability of planetary orbits
- 8. Orbits about an oblate planet
- 9. Tides
- 10. Dissipative forces and the orbits of small bodies
- Part III. Solar Heating and Energy Transport: 11. Energy balance and temperatures
- 12. Energy transport
- Part IV. Planetary Atmospheres: 13. Density and scale height
- 14. Thermal structure
- 15. Atmospheric composition
- 16. Clouds
- 17. Meteorology
- 18. Photochemistry
- 19. Molecular and eddy diffusion
- 20. Atmospheric escape
- 21. Evolution of terrestrial planet atmospheres and climate
- Part V. Planetary Surfaces: 22. Mineralogy and petrology
- 23. Crystallisation of a magma
- 24. Surface morphology
- 25. Impact cratering
- 26. Surface geology of individual bodies
- Part VI. Planetary Interiors: 27. Modelling and the interior structure of a planet
- 28. Seismic tomography and the Earth's interior
- 29. Interior structure of other terrestrial bodies
- 30. Interior structure of the giant planets
- Part VII. Planetary Magnetospheres and the Interplanetary Medium: 31. The interplanetary medium
- 32. Magnetic field configuration: mathematical description
- 33. Magnetospheric plasma and the particle motions
- 34. Magnetospheres of the individual bodies
- 35. Radio emissions
- 36. Waves in magnetospheres
- 37. Generation of magnetic fields: Part VIII. Meteorites: 38. Basic classification and fall statistics
- 39. Source regions
- 40. Fall phenomena: atmospheric entry to impact
- 41. Chemical and isotopic fractionation
- 42. Radiometric dating
- 43. Physical characteristics of chondrites
- 44. Meteorite clues to the formation of the solar system
- Part IX. Asteroids: 45. Orbits
- 46. Size distribution and collisional evolution
- 47. Observing techniques
- 48. Surface composition
- 49. Surface structure
- 50. Origin and evolution of the asteroid belt
- Part X. Comets: 51. Nomenclature
- 52. Cometary orbits and comet reservoirs
- 53. Gaseous coma
- 54. Dust
- 55. Magnetosphere
- 56. Nucleus
- 57. Comet formation and the constraints on the theories of the solar system formetion
- 58. Future
- Part XI. Planetary Rings: 59. Tidal forces and Roche's limit
- 60. Flattening and spreading of rings
- 61. Observations of planetary rings
- 62. Ring-moon interactions
- 63. Physics of dust rings
- 64. Meteoroid bombardment of planetary rings
- 65. Origins of planetary rings
- 66. Summary
- Part XII. Planet Formation: 67. Observational constraints
- 68. Nucleosynthesis: a concise summary
- 69. Star formation: a brief overview
- 70. Evolution of the solar nebula: the protoplanetary disk
- 71. Condensation and growth of solid bodies
- 72. Formation of the terrestrial planets
- 73. Formation of the giant planets
- 74. Planetary migration
- 75. Small bodies in orbit about the Sun
- 76. Planetary rotation
- 77. Origin of planetary satellites
- 78. Confronting theory with observations
- Part XIII. Extrasolar Planets: 79. Detecting extrasolar planets
- 80. Observations of extrasolar planets
- 81. Models for the formation of planets observed to orbit main sequence stars other than the Sun
- 82. Planets and life
- 83. SETI
- 84. Conclusions
- Appendices
- Tables.
by "Nielsen BookData"