Since the first edition of this book appeared in 1990, planetology has seen a number of fascinating discoveries that have increased our knowledge of the Solar System. These have come from both ground- and space-based observa tional programmes. Although some space probe missions have ended in fail ure, even they have added to our store of information about the planetary environment. The Galileo probe, despite being crippled by its incompletely deployed main antenna, has already achieved some spectacular results. For the first time we have obtained pictures of asteriods, with the images that Galileo returned of Gaspra, Ida, and the latter's satellite, Dactyl. The main objective, the drop ping of an instrumented capsule into Jupiter's atomosphere, and prolonged in-situ investigation of the planet, will take place at the end of 1995. Saturn's turn will come early in the next century with the Cassini mission (to be launched in 1997), which will study the planet for an extended period and attempt to land the Huygens probe on the surface of Titan. NASA's Magellan mission proved to be a great success, with its highly detailed radar mapping of the surface, and atmospheric studies. The exploration of Mars was less fortunate with the failure of both spaceprobes of the Soviet Phobos mission, as well as NASA's Mars Observer probe. Despite this set back, plans are in hand for future, collaborative exploration of the planet, using both surface stations (possibly active rovers), surface penetrators and balloon probes, as well as orbiters.
Reviews / Votes
From the reviews:
"This dense text book [...] is a serious review of the physical and chemical structure and evolution of the solar system addressed certainly to students and searchers in astronomy but is also very pleasant to read for a more external reader with some scientific knowledge." (
Physicalia 2005, 57, page 215-216)
"As a detailed reference to the astronomy and physics of the solar system, I have yet to meet its equal." (
R. Feasey, Journal of the Auckland Astronomical Society AAS, May 2005)
From the reviews of the third edition:
"This is the third edition of the originally published book in French in 1987. The solar system, planets and satellites, asteroids, comets and interplanetary dust is discussed in a very systematic and quantitative way. . This dense text book . is a serious review of the physical and chemical structure and evolution of the solar system addressed certainly to students and searchers in astronomy but is also very pleasant to read for a more external reader with some scientific knowledge." (Laurent Favart, Physicalia, Vol. 57 (3), 2005)
"Originally published in 1987, at just over 500 pages, the third edition of this hardcover text has been translated from its native French by Storm Dunlop. . it is not a picture book designed to catch the eye, but a serious review of the physical and chemical structure and evolution of the solar system. As a detailed reference to the astronomy and physics of the solar system, I have yet to meet its equal. . A highly recommended reference book." (Roger Feasey, Journal of the Auckland Astronomical Society, May, 2005)
"This book, originally appeared in French in 1987 . . It is a good book for those intending to increase their knowledge on modern planetology. . This volume offers a nice journey inside the solar system and closes with a brief account on the search for life in the Universe. . The volume ends with a series of references for each chapter together with an alphabetic index for a quick item search. The book is accessible to many researchers and postgraduate students." (M. Storini, Bollettino della Società Italiana di Fisica, Vol. 28 (1), 2005)
Series
Edition
Language
Place of publication
Publishing group
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
Illustrations
101
101 s/w Abbildungen
158 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 24.2 cm
Width: 17 cm
Weight
ISBN-13
978-3-540-58836-8 (9783540588368)
DOI
10.1007/978-3-662-03164-3
Schweitzer Classification
1. General Features of the Solar System.- 2. Methods of Studying the Solar System.- 3. The Formation of the Solar System.- 4. The Interaction of Solar-System Bodies with the Interplanetary Medium (by Michel Blanc).- 5. The Inner Planets and Their Satellites.- 6. The Asteroids (or "Minor Planets").- 7. The Giant Planets.- 8. Bodies Without Atmospheres in the Outer Solar System.- 9. Satellites with Atmospheres.- 10. The Comets.- 11. Interplanetary Dust, Micrometeorites and Meteorites.- 12. Conclusions.- Appendix 1. Mobility and Conductivity of Ionospheric Plasma.- A1.1 Transport Equations for Ionospheric Ions and Electrons.- A1.2 Mobility and Conductivity Perpendicular to the Magnetic Field.- A1.3 Mobility and Conductivity Parallel to the Magnetic Field.- A1.4 The Ionospheric Ohm's Law.- A1.5 Ambipolar Diffusion of the Plasma Across the Neutral Atmosphere.- Appendix 2. Local Equations for the Magnetic Equilibrium of a Magnetopause.- A2.1 The MHD Field and Mass-conservation Equations.- A2.2 The Equations Describing the Jump in Momentum at a Discontinuity Surface.- A2.3 Application to the Magnetopause: Confinement of Earth's Magnetic Field by the Dynamic Pressure of the Solar Wind.
