Encyclopedia of the solar system
By: editors, Lucy-Ann McFadden, Paul R. Weissman and Torrence V. Johnson.
Contributors: McFadden, Lucy-Ann Adams.; Weissman, Paul Robert, 1947-; Johnson, T. V.
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publisher: Academic; Academic Press
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Amsterdam; Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 966
ISBN-13: 9780120885893
Subjects: Solar system -- Encyclopedias
Genres: Encyclopedias.
Description: Long before Galileo published his discoveries about Jupiter, lunar craters, and the Milky Way in the Starry Messenger in 1610, people were fascinated with the planets and stars around them. That interest continues today, and scientists are making new discoveries at an astounding rate. Ancient lake beds on Mars, robotic spacecraft missions, and new definitions of planets now dominate the news. How can you take it all in? Start with the new Encyclopedia of the Solar System, Second Edition. This self-contained reference follows the trail blazed by the bestselling first edition. It provides a framework for understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system, historical discoveries, and details about planetary bodies and how they interact . It stands alone as the definitive work in this field, and will serve as a modern messenger of scientific discovery and provide a look into the future of our solar system.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The solar system and its place in the galaxy; title: The origin of the solar system; title: A history of solar system studies; title: The Sun; title: The solar wind; title: Mercury; title: Venus: atmosphere; title: Venus: surface and interior; title: Earth as a planet: atmosphere and oceans; title: Earth as a planet: surface and interior; title: The Sun-Earth connection; title: The Moon; title: Meteorites; title: Near-Earth objects; title: Mars atmosphere: history and surface interactions; title: Mars: surface and interior; title: Mars: landing site geology, mineralogy and geochemistry; title: Main-belt asteroids; title: Planetary satellites; title: Atmospheres of the giant planets; title: Io: the volcanic moon; title: Europa; title: Ganymede and Callisto; title: Titan; title: Triton; title: Planetary rings; title: Planetary magnetospheres; title: Pluto; title: Physics and chemistry of comets; title: Comet populations and cometary dynamics; title: Kuiper Belt: dynamics; title: Kuiper Belt objects: physical studies; title: Solar system dust; title: X-rays in the solar system; title: The solar system at ultraviolet wavelengths; title: Infrared views of the solar system from space; title: The solar system at radio wavelengths; title: New generation ground-based optical/infrared telescopes; title: Planetary radar; title: Remote chemical sensing using nuclear spectroscopy; title: Solar system dynamics: regular and chaotic motion; title: Planetary impacts.