Amongst the famous planetary inhabitants of our solar system there is an entire ecosystem of smaller, less recognised bodies in the form of comets and 'minor' planets. These native residents, derived from the building blocks of planets, contain valuable information. By studying them in detail, we may learn about the processes that occurred from the Sun's birth to the emergence of the solar system as we know it today.Small Bodies of the Solar System paints a detailed picture of the space mi...

Since several decades, comets have been considered as key witnesses of solar system formation. Their nature has been explored using the modern arsenal of Earth- and space-based observations, and they hold a central place as dynamical arbiters of the planetary system in the new paradigm of solar system evolution known as the Nice Model. Thus, they have the potential to test the various ideas, using the detailed data recently gathered by the ESA/Rosetta mission. This requires an understandin...

The most comprehensive guide to the known universe. Great reference for classes including earth science and physical science as well as astronomy. Includes guide includes information including: history, the sun, the planets, starlight and galaxies, and cosmological concepts.

"[A] glorious, pictorial tour of the universe . . . beginning with photos depicting Earth from space and progressing through . . . the individual planets." — School Library JournalPreface by Bill NyeTake a tour of the universe with this breathtaking collection of photographs from the archives of NASA. Astonishing images of Earth from above, the phenomena of our solar system, and the celestial bodies of deep space will captivate reade...

Fathoming the boundlessness of space and the universe, we are immediately filled with curiosity about our own origins and wonder about the objects, life forms, and matter that populate the cosmos. Through the observations and work of astronomers over time, we have slowly been able to reduce the number of unknowns and develop explanations or theories for some of the celestial objects and phenomena we see. This space-traveling survey recounts some of the major discovery milestones in the fie...

Every night, above our heads, a drama of epic proportions is playing out. Diamond planets, zombie stars, black holes heavier than a billion Suns. The cast of characters is extraordinary, and each one has its own incredible story to tell.We once thought of our Earth as unique, but we have now discovered thousands of alien planets, and that’s barely a fraction of the worlds that are out there. And there are more stars in the Universe than grains of sand on every plan...

Astronomy is a science as old as the stars! With The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Astronomy, Second Edition, learn:• Fascinating facts while taking a tour of our solar system, our galaxy, and beyond• Idiot-proof steps for buying and using today’s cutting-edge telescopes• Tips and tricks to guide you when exploring the skies

Twenty years ago, the search for planets outside the Solar System was a job restricted to science-fiction writers. Now it's one of the fastest-growing fields in astronomy with thousands of exoplanets discovered to date, and the number is rising fast.These new-found worlds are more alien than anything in fiction. Planets larger than Jupiter with years lasting a week; others with two suns lighting their skies, or with no sun at all. Planets with diamond mantles supporting oceans of t...

In 140 pages, two masterly popularisers present 140 explanations of the biggest questions in physics - in the form of 10 or so tweets per page. They set themselves the challenge of boiling down what is essential on each subject into sentences of 140 characters, and the results are both entertaining and brilliantly informative. Not a word is wasted. The reader is not patronized and learns something on every page. If only all science writing could be so precise and so economical.Only...

There's a whole universe out there...Imagine you had a spacecraft capable of travelling through interstellar space. You climb in, blast into orbit, fly out of the solar system and keep going. Where do you end up, and what do you see along the way?The answer is: mostly nothing. Space is astonishingly, mind-blowingly empty. As you travel through the void between galaxies your spaceship encounters nothing more exciting than the odd hydrogen molecule. But when i...

Part 1 of 4. Take a beautifully simplistic journey of fact and modern theory across the mysteries of our Universe in this first part of a quadrilogy of E-books. Discover the amazing you and the quantum certainty of another you, to the birth of a Universe in a Multi-verse, to the formation of a solar system, the Earth and our biblical legends. Discover our puzzling directionality of time to the realm of invisible dark matter, a brief visit to the world of particle physics and our mortality ...

See the night sky like you have never seen it before with this all-encompassing guide to astronomy. Learn all there is to know about the layout of the skies, the positions of the main constellations and the names of the brightest stars, so you can become a backyard astronomer in no time at all. With easy-to-use star charts, photographs and observational drawings of objects visible from both hemispheres, The Star Book will take your understanding and enjoyment of stargazing to the next leve...