Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System (Volume 87) (International Geophysics, Volume 87)

Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System, 2nd Edition, is a comprehensive survey of the planetary physics and physical chemistry of our own solar system. It covers current research in these areas and the planetary sciences that have benefited from both earth-based and spacecraft-based experimentation. These experiments form the basis of this encyclopedic reference, which skillfully fuses synthesis and explanation. Detailed chapters review each of the major planetary bodies as well as asteroids, comets, and other small orbitals. Astronomers, physicists, and planetary scientists can use this state-of-the-art book for both research and teaching. This Second Edition features extensive new material, including expanded treatment of new meteorite classes, spacecraft findings from Mars Pathfinder through Mars Odyssey 2001, recent reflections on brown dwarfs, and descriptions of planned NASA, ESA, and Japanese planetary missions. \* New edition features expanded treatment of new meteorite classes, the latest spacecraft findings from Mars, information about 100+ new discoveries of planets and stars, planned lunar and planetary missions, more end-of-chapter exercises, and more \* Includes extensive new material and is amply illustrated throughout \* Reviews each major planetary body, asteroids, comets, and other small orbitals. Read more... Introduction -- Astronomical Perspective -- General Description of the Solar System -- The Sun and the Solar Nebula -- The Major Planets -- Pluto and the Icy Satellites of the Outer Planets Comets and Meteors -- Meteorites and Asteroids -- The Airless Rocky Bodies -- The Terrestrial Planets: Mars, Venus, and Earth -- Planets and Life about Other Stars -- Future Prospects -- Appendix III Contents 8 Foreword 12 I Introduction 16 Nature and scope of the planetary sciences 16 Guide to the literature 18 Numbers in science 19 Dimensions and units 20 Exercises 21 II Astronomical Perspective 22 Introduction 22 Distance scales in the universe 22 The big bang 25 Limitations on big bang nucleosynthesis 29 Galaxy and star formation 30 Structure and classification of galaxies 31 Classification of stars 33 Steller evolution 40 Star clusters 42 Stellar origins 44 Outline of star formation 48 Stellar explosions and nucleosynthesis 49 Nuclear cosmochronology 58 Exercises 62 III General Description of the Solar System 65 Introduction 65 The sun 65 Orbits of the planets 67 Changes in orbital motion 72 Properties of the planets 73 Mass and angular momentum distribution 74 Satellites 78 Asteroids 84 Comets 86 Meteors 87 Meteorites 87 Cosmic dust 88 Cosmic rays 88 Planetary science in the space age 89 Summary 91 Exercises 91 IV The Sun and the Solar Nebula 92 Introduction 92 Energy production in the sun 92 Energy transport in the sun 94 Internal structure of the sun 98 Surface of the sun 99 The chromosphere 102 The corona 103 Discovery of the solar wind 105 Radio wave propagation in space plasmas 106 The solar wind 107 Chemistry of solar material 111 Ionizaton 112 Hydrogen and the rare gases 116 Oxygen, carbon and nitrogen 117 Magnesium and silicon 120 Iron 121 Sulfur 122 Aluminium and calcium 123 Sodium and potassium 124 Nickel and cobalt 125 Phosphorus and the halogens 126 Geochemical classification of the elements 126 The chemistry of rapid accretion 131 Kinetic inhibition 132 Mass and density of the solar nebula 133 Thermal opacity in the solar nebula 136 Dust opacity 144 Thermal structure of the nebula 146 Turbulence and dust sedimentation 149 Accretion of rocks, planetesimals and planets 151 Gas capture from the solar nebula 153 The T Tauri phase 156 Thermal history of the early solar system 158 Exercises 159 V The Major Planets 162 Introduction 162 Interiors of Jupiter and Saturn: data 163 Isothermal interior models of Jupiter and Saturn 166 Thermal models of Jupiter and Saturn 169 The atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn: observed composition 171 Tropospheric composition and structures theory 174 Cloud condensation in the NH3-H2O-H2S system 180 Cloud physics on the Jovian planets 189 Galileo perspectives on Jovian clouds 194 Ion production in the Jovian atmosphere 195 Visible and infrared radiative transfer 198 Horizontal structure and atmospheric circulation 202 Photochemistry and aeronomy 215 The Jovian thermosphere 232 Radiophysics and magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn 233 The interiors of Uranus and Neptune 244 Perspectives 262 Exercises 262 VI Pluto and the Icy Satellites of the Outer Planets 267 Introduction 267 Surfaces of icy satellites 268 Eclipse radiometry 271 Surface temperatures 272 Surface morphology of the Galilean satellites 273 Density and composition of icy satellites 280 Internal thermal structure of Galilean satellites 282 Dynamical interactions of the Galilean satellites 287 Thermal and tectonic evolution of icy satellites 290 Minor satellites of Jupiter 293 Planetary rings 295 Titan 304 The intermediate-sized Saturnian satellites 308 Minor satellites of Saturn 311 Satellites of Uranus 314 Satellites of Neptune 318 The Pluto-Charon system 323 Spacecraft exploration 326 Exercises 327 VII Comets and Meteors 332 Historical perspectives 332 Nature and nomenclature of comets 334 Cometary orbits 336 Heating by passing stars 340 Evaporation and nongravitational forces 341 The nucleus and coma of P/Halley 343 Chemistry and photochemistry of water 343 Further chemical processes in the coma and tail 347 Behavior of small particles 348 Dynamical behavior of dust in space 349 Meteors 351 Cometary fireballs 358 Cometary impacts on Jupiter 359 Exercises 362 VIII Meteorites and Asteroids 365 Introduction 365 Introduction to meteorites 365 Meteorite orbits 368 Phenomena of fall 370 Physical properties of meteorities 373 Meteorite minerals 377 Taxonomy and composition of chondrites 377 Metamorphic grades of chrondites 382 Taxonomy and composition of achondrites 384 Taxonomy and composition of stony-irons 386 Taxonomy and composition of irons 387 Isotopic composition of meteorites 390 Genetic relationshiops between meteorite classes 397 Introduction to asteroids 399 Asteroid orbits 401 Stability of Trojan and Plutino orbits 404 Sizes, shapes and albedos of asteroids 406 Masses and densities of asteroids 408 Photometry and spectroscopy of asteroids 409 Thermal evolution of asteroids 416 Dynamical evolution of the asteroid belts 421 Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects 424 Relationships among asteroids, meteorites and comets 427 Asteroid resources 431 Exercises 434 IX The Airless Rocky Bodies: Io, Phobos, Deimos, the Moon and Mercury 439 Introduction 439 Orbits and physical structure of Phobos and Deimos 441 Ice general properties 445 Ice surface processes 445 Ice internal energy sources 447 Ice geology 448 Ice atmospheric and volcanic gases 450 Ice escape and the plasma torus 452 Ice genetic relationships 453 Impact cratering 453 Motions of the moon 458 Physical properties of the moon 460 Elemental composition of the moon's surface 460 Lunar rock types 462 Lunar minerals 464 Lunar elemental abundance patterns 466 Geology of the moon 466 Geophysics of the moon 467 History of the Earth-Moon system 471 Origin and internal evolution of the Moon 473 Solar wind interaction with the Moon and Mercury 475 The planet Mercury 476 Motions of Mercury 476 Composition and structure of Mercury 477 Noncrater geology of Mercury 478 Geophysics of Mercury 478 Atmospheres of Mercury and the Moon 483 Polar deposits on Mercury and the Moon 484 Unfinished business 487 Exercises 489 X The Terrestrial Planets: Mars, Venus, and Earth 492 Introduction 492 Mars 493 Motions of Mars 494 Density of figure of Mars 494 Geophysical data on Mars 496 Geology of Mars 498 Surface composition 511 Viking lander investigations 518 The shergottie, nakhlite, and chassignite meteorites 520 Atmospheric structure 523 Atmospheric circulation 524 Atmospheric composition 525 Photochemical stability and atmospheric escape 528 Explosive Blowoff 534 Origin and evolution of the atmosphere 534 Organic matter and the origin of life 537 Venus 539 Motion and dynamics of Venus 541 Geophysical data on Venus 541 Geology of Venus 543 Venus: atmospheric structure and motions 549 Venus: atmospheric composition 552 Venus: atmosphere-lithosphere interactions 554 Venus: photochemical and aeronomy 558 Venus: atmospheric escape 562 Venus: planetary evolution 564 Earth 565 Earth: motions 566 Earth: internal structure 567 Earth: magnetic field and magnetosphere 569 Earth: surface geology 569 Earth: early geological history 572 Earth: biological history 574 Earth: geochemistry and petrology 578 Weathering in the rock cycle 581 Earth atmospheric composition and cycles 583 Radiocarbon dating 588 Stable isotope climate records 589 Photochemistry and aeronomy 590 Escape and infall 590 Climate history, polar ice and ice ages 594 Life: origins 597 Life: stability of the biosphere 602 Exercises 603 XI Planets and Life around Other Stars 607 Chemical and physical prerequisites of life 607 The planetary environment 610 The stellar environment 612 Brown dwarfs 615 The search for planets of other stars 618 The search for extraterrestrial intelligence 621 Exercises 623 XII Future Prospects 624 Mercury 626 Venus 627 Earth's Moon 627 Mars 628 Asteroids 629 Jupiter 630 Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune 630 Pluto 630 Comets 631 Beyond the Solar System 631 Appendix 1 Equilibrium Thermodynamics 636 Appendix II Absorption and Emission of Radiation by Quantum Oscillators 641 Appendix III Exploration of the Solar System 644 Appendix IV Basic Physical Constants 649 Appendix V Gravity Fields 650 Suggested Readings 652 Index 658 International Geophysics Series 668 Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System, 2nd Edition, is a comprehensive survey of the planetary physics and physical chemistry of our own solar system. It covers current research in these areas and the planetary sciences that have benefited from both earth-based and spacecraft-based experimentation.

These experiments form the basis of this encyclopedic reference, which skillfully fuses synthesis and explanation. Detailed chapters review each of the major planetary bodies as well as asteroids, comets, and other small orbitals. Astronomers, physicists, and planetary scientists can use this state-of-the-art book for both research and teaching.

This Second Edition features extensive new material, including expanded treatment of new meteorite classes, spacecraft findings from Mars Pathfinder through Mars Odyssey 2001, recent reflections on brown dwarfs, and descriptions of planned NASA, ESA, and Japanese planetary missions.

* New edition features expanded treatment of new meteorite classes, the latest spacecraft findings from Mars, information about 100+ new discoveries of planets and stars, planned lunar and planetary missions, more end-of-chapter exercises, and more
* Includes extensive new material and is amply illustrated throughout
* Reviews each major planetary body, asteroids, comets, and other small orbitals Content: Foreword Pages xi-xiii I. Introduction Pages 1-6 II. Astronomical perspective Pages 7-49 III. General description of the solar system Pages 50-76 IV. The sun and the solar nebula Pages 77-146 V. The major planets Pages 147-251 VI. Pluto and the icy satellites of the outer planets Pages 252-316 VII. Comets and meteors Pages 317-349 VIII. Meteorites and asteroids Pages 350-423 IX. The airless rocky bodies: Io, phobos, deimos, the moon, and mercury Pages 424-476,I-VIII X. The terrestrial planets: Mars, venus, and earth Pages 477-591 XI. Planets and life around other stars Pages 592-608 XII. Future prospects Pages 609-620 Appendix I Equilibrium thermodynamics Pages 621-625 Appendix II Absorption and emission of radiation by quantum oscillators Pages 626-628 Appendix III Exploration of the solar system Pages 629-633 Appendix IV Basic physical constants Page 634 Appendix V Gravity fields Pages 635-636 Suggested readings Pages 637-642 Index Pages 643-652