A History of Modern Planetary Physics
A History of Modern Planetary Physics
£42.99
GBPWhere did we come from? Before there was life there had to be something to live on - a planet, a solar system. During the past 200 years, astronomers and geologists have developed and tested several different theories about the origin of the solar system and the nature of the Earth. Together, the three volumes that make up A History of Modern Planetary Physics present a survey of these theories. The early twentieth century saw the replacement of the Nebular Hypothesis with the Chamberlain-Moulton theory that the solar system resulted from the encounter of the Sun with a passing star. Fruitful Encounters follows the eventual refutation of the encounter theory and the subsequent revival of a modernised Nebular Hypothesis. Professor Brush also discusses the role of findings from the Apollo space programme, especially the analysis of lunar samples, culminating in the establishment, in the 1980s, of the 'giant impact' theory of the Moon's origin.
- Includes the results of the space program and the recent changes in the ideas about the origin of the Moon
- Writing is accessible to non-specialist readers
- Covers theories about the origin of the solar system most comprehensively
Reviews & endorsements
Review of the hardback: '… can be highly recommended as a reference on the history of plantogonies.' Meteorite
Review of the hardback: 'These three volumes give a very interesting overview of the historic development of theories beginning with the 17th century and ending in the 1980s, which have led to our present day understanding of the possible processes that have been involved in the formation of our solar system including Earth.' Geological Society Journal
Product details
December 2008Paperback
9780521101448
368 pages
234 × 156 × 19 mm
0.52kg
41 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Illustrations
- Preface
- Part I. Planetesimals and Stelllar Encounters:
- 1. Introduction
- 2. A geologist among astronomers: the Chamberlin-Moulton theory
- 3. Jeans, Jeffreys and the decline of encounter theories
- Part II. Nebular Rebirth and Stellar Death:
- 4. Introduction
- 5. Methodology
- 6. Nuclear cosmochronology and Hoyle's research programme
- 7. Cameron's programme
- 8. Isotopic anomalies and the supernova trigger
- Part III. Planetogony and Plasma:
- 9. Safronov's programme
- 10. The giant planets
- 11. Chemical cosmogony: the terrestrial planets
- 12. Alfvén's electromagnetic programme
- Part IV. Whence the Moon?
- 13. Introduction
- 14. Early history of selenogony
- 15. Harold Urey and the origin of the moon
- 16. History of modern selenogony
- Abbreviations
- Reference list and citation index
- Index.
