2nd Edition

Planetary Science The Science of Planets around Stars, Second Edition

    616 Pages 15 Color & 353 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    616 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Since the publication of the popular first edition, stellar and planetary scientists have produced numerous new observations, theories, and interpretations, including the "demotion" of our former ninth planet Pluto as a dwarf planet. Covering all of these new discoveries, Planetary Science: The Science of Planets around Stars, Second Edition explains the science associated with the planets, the stars they orbit, and the interactions between them. It examines the formation, evolution, and death of stars and the properties of the Sun that influence the planets of the Solar System. Along with more problems, this second edition adds new material and improves some analytical treatments.

    The book consists of two main components. For students unfamiliar with stellar properties or the overall structure of the Solar System, the first part gives a general picture of the system as a whole and the interrelationships of the bodies within it. It presents an overview of the nature of stars and the Solar System as well as important results obtained by scientific analysis.

    The second component is a set of 43 appendices describing the majority of the underlying science required to explain the main features of the Solar System. These appendices cover a variety of specialized topics, from mineralogy to the mechanical interactions of radiation and matter.

    End-of-chapter problems give students a quantitative understanding of stellar and solar system phenomena. The text shows how useful estimates of various quantities can be made even when characteristics of the system are not known with any precision. While the problems can be completed with a hand calculator, students are encouraged to use the Fortran computer programs provided on the book’s CRC Press web page.

    Avoiding excessive details, this textbook offers a comprehensive account of stellar and planetary topics. It is suitable for students from a range of disciplines, including astronomy, geology, and earth sciences. The book provides students with an understanding of the nature of the Solar System and the influences that govern its behavior, helping them develop an appreciation of the forces that can influence our planet in the future.

    Unity of the Universe
    Cosmic Abundance of the Chemical Elements
    Some Examples

    The Sun and Other Stars
    The Galaxy, Field Stars, Binaries, and Clusters
    Composition of Stars
    Interstellar Medium
    Dense Cool Clouds
    Heating and Cooling of Galactic Gases
    Scenario for Producing a Dark Cool Cloud
    Formation of a Galactic Cluster
    Main-Sequence Stars and Their Evolution
    Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and Planets
    Stellar Planetary Systems

    The Planets
    Overview of the Planets
    Orbital Motions
    Orbits of the Planets
    Planetary Structures: General Considerations

    The Terrestrial Planets
    Mercury
    Venus
    Earth
    Mars

    The Major Planets
    Jupiter
    Saturn
    Uranus
    Neptune

    The Moon
    Physical Characteristics of the Moon
    Earth–Moon Interactions
    Lunar and Solar Eclipses
    Lunar Surface
    Interior of the Moon
    Lunar Magnetism
    Some Indications of Lunar History
    Moon Summary

    Satellites and Rings
    Types of Satellites
    Satellites of Mars
    Satellites of Jupiter
    Satellites of Saturn
    Satellites of Uranus
    Satellites of Neptune
    Ring Systems
    General Observations

    Asteroids
    General Characteristics
    Types of Asteroid Orbit
    Distribution of Asteroid Orbits: Kirkwood Gaps
    Compositions and Possible Origins of Asteroids

    Comets and the Kuiper Belt
    Types of Comet Orbit
    Physical Structure of Comets
    Oort Cloud
    Kuiper Belt

    Meteorites
    Introduction
    Stony Meteorites
    Stony Irons
    Iron Meteorites
    Ages of Meteorites
    Isotopic Anomalies in Meteorites

    Dust in the Solar System
    Meteor Showers
    Zodiacal Light and Gegenschein
    Radiation Pressure and the Poynting–Robertson Effect

    Theories of the Origin and Evolution of the Solar System
    Coarse Structure of the Solar System
    Distribution of Angular Momentum
    Other Features of the Solar System
    Laplace Nebula Theory
    Jeans’ Tidal Theory
    Solar Nebula Theory
    Capture Theory
    Ideas on the Evolution of the Solar System
    Planetary Collision
    Earth and Venus
    Asteroids, Comets, Meteorites, and Dwarf Planets
    Origin of the Moon
    Mars and Mercury
    Neptune, Triton, Pluto and Charon
    Isotopic Anomalies in Meteorites
    General Comments on a Planetary Collision

    Appendix A: Electromagnetic Radiation: Detecting Atoms, Ions, Molecules, and Radicals
    Appendix B: Basic Mineralogy
    Appendix C: Geochronology: Radioactive Dating
    Appendix D: Virial Theorem
    Appendix E: Jeans’ Critical Mass
    Appendix F: Free-Fall Collapse
    Appendix G: Evolution of Protostars
    Appendix H: Equilibrium of Stars on the Main Sequence
    Appendix I: Energy Production in Stars
    Appendix J: Evolution of Stars away from the Main Sequence
    Appendix K: White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes

    Appendix L: Exoplanets: Planets around Other Stars
    Appendix M: Solar System Studies to the Beginning of the Seventeenth Century
    Appendix N: Newton, Kepler’s Laws, and Solar-System Dynamics
    Appendix O: Formation of Commensurate Planetary Orbits
    Appendix P: Atmosphere of the Earth
    Appendix Q: Physics of Planetary Interiors
    Appendix R: Transfer of Heat
    Appendix S: Seismology: The Interior of the Earth
    Appendix T: Moments of Inertia
    Appendix U: Gravitational Field of a Distorted Planet
    Appendix V: Precession of the Earth’s Spin Axis
    Appendix W: Intrinsic Planetary Magnetism
    Appendix X: Magnetic Interactions between Planet and Star
    Appendix Y: Planetary Albedos
    Appendix Z: Physics of Tides
    Appendix AA: Darwin’s Theory of Lunar Origin
    Appendix AB: Roche Limit and Satellite Disruption
    Appendix AC: Tidal Heating of Io
    Appendix AD: Ram Pressure of a Gas Stream
    Appendix AE: Trojan Asteroids
    Appendix AF: Heating by Accretion
    Appendix AG: Perturbations of the Oort Cloud
    Appendix AH: Radiation Pressure and the Poynting–Robertson Effect
    Appendix AI: Analyses Associated with the Jeans’ Tidal Theory

    Appendix AJ: Viscous-Disk Mechanism for the Transfer of Angular Momentum
    Appendix AK: Magnetic Braking of the Spinning Sun
    Appendix AL: Safronov Theory of Planet Formation
    Appendix AM: Eddington Accretion Mechanism
    Appendix AN: Life on Earth: And Elsewhere?
    Appendix AO: Global Warming
    Appendix AP: Migration of Planetary Orbits
    Appendix AQ: Interactions in an Embedded Cluster

    Program TIDE

    Program TROJANS

    Physical Constants and Useful Data

    References

    Index

    Problems appear at the end of each chapter.

    Biography

    George H. A. Cole, Michael M. Woolfson

    "… a very comprehensive introduction to planetary science addressed to first-level students or self-learning readers. The main chapters provide pieces of information about topics related to solar planets and exoplanets and are supplemented by appendices, which give a broader physical and astrophysical context to these topics. … the book should be considered by lecturers as a good textbook for planetary science courses at universities and schools all over the world."
    Pure and Applied Geophysics, March 2014

    "The book is an unusual combination of an account at a popular and very readable level of the origin of the solar system and some very detailed calculations regarding the basic physics that underpin all the processes. All students of the subject will find this later part invaluable. There are also many problems included that university students doing a formal course would find very useful."
    —Iwan Williams, School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary, University of London

    Praise for the First Edition:
    "This is a strong contender for a text suitable for an undergraduate course in planetary science … pitched at exactly the right level for an undergraduate physics or astronomy student … At the end of each chapter and topic there are one or two problems, well chosen to illustrate the material and to reinforce the reader’s understanding … if I were teaching a course on the solar system, I would certainly have this book on my desk and use it frequently."
    —Jeremy B. Tatum, The Observatory

    "… a useful contribution to the literature … The chapters and most of the topics end with one or two questions to which full answers are given—a welcome feature."
    —B.W. Jones, Contemporary Physics, 2003,

    "… good textbooks have been rare indeed, so this new edition by two eminent British professors of the subject is more than welcome, not just because it is overdue, but because it is excellent, one of the best in what is still a very limited field. Its quality derives from the broadly based knowledge of the authors and their consequent ability to expound on a wide range of topics … Best of all, they stick closely to the physics, and the treatment is richly quantitative, complete with problems at the end of each section … Care is taken throughout, even in the title of the book, to emphasize the universality of the principles involved … this is the book for anyone involved in teaching or learning the science of planets around stars."
    —F.W. Taylor, Surveys in Geophysics

    "Their book elegantly combines physics, mathematics, geophysics, and astronomy … The second part is refreshingly unusual, concentrating on 41 planetary science topics … The mathematical and physical approach is elegant, relevant, and at a typical second-year university level. This book encourages understanding and not mere assimilation of data."

    —David Hughes, New Scientist, March 2003

    "The authors take the information we know of our Solar System to form the basis of a generalized planetary science, which can then be applied to any external star system … The material would be appealing to students in physics, astronomy, geology, or other science majors looking for a comprehensive overview of planetary science. Even though this book is meant to be used as a textbook, the interested individual will find it engaging and instructive. Highly recommended for academic collections."
    E-STREAMS, Vol. 5, No. 11

    "Overall the book achieves its goal of providing a basic text in planetary science, while providing instructors a fair amount of flexibility in drawing basic course material from the text as well as providing a useful reference for students. It also has a relatively large number of problems and exercises to illustrate the basic concepts … could very nicely serve as a basic text on which to build an advanced undergraduate or graduate-level course in planetary science."
    —Robert H. Brown, Departments of Planetary Sciences and Astronomy, University of Arizona, USA