Planetary Science

This book is concerned with structure of planets, the stars they orbit and the interactions between them. There are many planetary systems other than our own, but it is only through a detailed understanding of the relatively accessible bodies in our Solar System that a thorough appreciation of planetary science can be gained. This is particularly pertinent with the recent discovery of extra-solar planets and the desire to understand their formation and the prospect of life on other worlds.

Planetary science courses require an understanding of aspects from a wide range of subjects, including astronomy, astrophysics, geophysics, geology and mineralogy. This text addresses the needs of these wide ranging interests and courses, as it assumes no prior knowledge of astrophysics or geophysics.

The book is written in two parts, making it suitable for students at different levels and approaching planetary science from differing backgrounds. Twelve independent descriptive chapters reveal our Solar System and the diverse bodies it contains; including satellites, planetary rings, asteroids, comets, meteorites and interstellar dust. These chapters are accompanied by 42 detailed topics that discuss specialised subjects in a quantitative manner and will be essential reading for those on higher level courses. These include mineralogy, stellar formation and evolution, Solar System dynamics, atmospheric physics, planetary interiors, thermodynamics, planetary astrophysics and exobiology. Problems and answers are also included.

Contents

1. The Unity of the universe
2. The sun and other stars
3. The planets
4. The terrestrial planets
5. The major planets and Pluto
6. The moon
7. Satellites and rings
8. Asteroids
9. Comets
10. Meteorites
11. Dust in the solar system
12. Theories of the origin and evolution of the solar system
13. Topics