Small Bodies Of The Solar System: A Guided Tour For Non-scientists
Published on 13. September 2021
Book
Hardback
236 pages
978-1-80061-051-4 (ISBN)
Description
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 missions, laboratory experiments and computer experiments behind our current understanding of the comets, minor planets, meteors and meteorites. With a rich selection of pictures, this book combines personal reflection and poetic imagery with a mathematical and physical overview to introduce the reader to these small wonders of our universe.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
501 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80061-051-4 (9781800610514)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Hans Rickman is a Professor at the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Science and Professor Emeritus of Uppsala University, Sweden. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science and the International Academy of Astronautics. He has previously held positions as General Secretary of the International Astronomical Union (2000-2003), President of the Swedish Astronomical Society (1996-2000), and Associate Editor of Earth, Moon & Planets (1993-2014). In recognition of his contribution to planetary and solar system sciences, Rickman was awarded the David Bates Medal of the European Geosciences Union in 2012. Rickman has had an asteroid named after him (Asteroid 3692) and is the author of Origin and Evolution of Comets (World Scientific, 2017).
Content
Preface; What is a Comet?: Chasing the Nucleus; Minor Planets and Dwarf Planets: Splinters and Survivors; The Smallest Pieces: Meteors and Meteorites; The Evolution of Comets: Capture, Fake Death and Outbursts; Space Projectiles: A Hazard to Humanity; How it All Started: The Birth of Our Solar System; Water, Life and Death: Existential Aspects of Comets; Index;