Planetary Science is an exciting, fast-moving, interdisciplinary field with courses taught in a wide range of departments, including astronomy, physics, chemistry, earth sciences and biology. Planets and Planetary Systems is a well-written, concise introductory textbook on the science of planets within our own and other solar systems. Keeping mathematics to a minimum, assuming only a rudimentary knowledge of calculus, the book begins with a description of the basic properties of the planets in our solar systems, and then moves on to compare them with what is known about planets in other solar systems. It continues by looking at the surfaces, interiors and atmospheres of the planets and then covers the dynamics and origin of planetary systems. The book closes with a look at the role of life in planetary systems. · An accessible, concise introduction to planets and planetary systems · Uses insights from all the disciplines underlying planetary science · Incorporates results from recent planetary space missions, such as Cassini to Saturn and a number of missions to Mars · Well illustrated throughout, including a colour plate section Planets and Planetary Systems is invaluable to students taking courses in planetary science across a wide range of disciplines and of interest to researchers and many keen amateur astronomers, needing an up-to-date introduction to this exciting subject.

Not long ago, the Solar System was the only example of a planetary system - a star and the bodies orbiting it - that we knew. Now, we know thousands of planetary systems, and have even been able to observe planetary systems at the moment of their birth. This Very Short Introduction explores this new frontier, incorporating the latest research. The book takes the reader on a journey through the grand sweep of time, from the moment galaxies begin to form after the Big Bang to trillions of years in the future when the Universe will be a dilute soup of dim galaxies populated mostly by red dwarf stars. Throughout, Raymond T. Pierrehumbert introduces the latest insights gained from a new generation of telescopes that catch planetary systems at the moment of formation, and to the theoretical advances that attempt to make sense of these observations. He explains how the elements that make up life and the planets on which life can live are forged in the interiors of dying stars, and make their way into rocky planets. He also explores the vast array of newly discovered planets orbiting stars other than our own, and explains the factors that determine their climates. Finally, he reveals what determines how long planetary systems can live, and what happens in their end-times. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Planetary rings are among the most intriguing structures of our solar system and have fascinated generations of astronomers. Collating emerging knowledge in the field, this volume reviews our current understanding of ring systems with reference to the rings of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and more. Written by leading experts, the history of ring research and the basics of ring–particle orbits is followed by a review of the known planetary ring systems. All aspects of ring system science are described in detail, including specific dynamical processes, types of structures, thermal properties and their origins, and investigations using computer simulations and laboratory experiments. The concluding chapters discuss the prospects of future missions to planetary rings, the ways in which ring science informs and is informed by the study of other astrophysical disks, and a perspective on the field's future. Researchers of all levels will benefit from this thorough and engaging presentation.

Over the past ten years, the discovery of extrasolar planets has opened a new field of astronomy, and this area of research is rapidly growing, from both the observational and theoretical point of view. The presence of many giant exoplanets in the close vicinity of their star shows that these newly discovered planetary systems are very different from the solar system. New theoretical models are being developed in order to understand their formation scenarios, and new observational methods are being implemented to increase the sensitivity of exoplanet detections. In the present book, the authors address the question of planetary systems from all aspects. Starting from the facts (the detection of more than 300 extraterrestrial planets), they first describe the various methods used for these discoveries and propose a synthetic analysis of their global properties. They then consider the observations of young stars and circumstellar disks and address the case of the solar system as a specific example, different from the newly discovered systems. Then the study of planetary systems and of exoplanets is presented from a more theoretical point of view. The book ends with an outlook to future astronomical projects, and a description of the search for life on exoplanets. This book addresses students and researchers who wish to better understand this newly expanding field of research.

A comprehensive review of state-of-the-art techniques, models and research methods in modern astronomical polarimetry.

In Planetary Systems from the Ancient Greeks, Theodor S. Kepler seeks to present a bird’s-eye view of the astronomical nature of the work of Newton’s predecessors. Rather than dwelling only on the influence of each thinker’s great ideas, Jacobsen tracks the actual details of their development by investigating the various systems involved and how they were used. As such, this book is an attempt to describe the specific processes through which (pre-Newtonian) astronomers derived a knowledge of the cosmos by observing the heavens and trying out detailed models to account for their observations. Planetary Systems from the Ancient Greeks contributes to scholarship on historical astronomy by offering an approach between that of popular, exact astronomical information and formal, fully referenced scholarly investigation. Each chapter is organized around a key astronomer (Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler) and offers relevant biographical introduction, exposition of the astronomical system, and assessment of their contributions. As Jacobsen suggests, the present elementary study of these historical astronomical systems also yields valuable insights for visualizing the salient facts of general astronomy.

The small bodies in planetary systems are indicative of the material evo- tion, the dynamical evolution, and the presence of planets in a system. Recent astronomicalresearch,spaceresearch,laboratoryresearch,andnumericals- ulationsbroughtawealthofnewandexciting?ndingsonextra-solarplanetary systems and on asteroids, comets, meteoroids, dust, and trans-Neptunian - jects in the solar system. Progress in astronomical instrumentation led to the discovery and investigation of small bodies in the outer solar system and to observations of cosmic dust in debris disks of extra-solar planetary systems. Space research allowed for close studies of some of the small solar system bodies from spacecraft. This lecture series is intended as an introduction to the latest research results and to the key issues of future research. The ch- ters are mainly based on lectures given during a recent research school and on research activities within the 21st Century COE Program “Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems” at Kobe University, Japan. In Chap. 1, Taku Takeuchi discusses the evolution of gas and dust from protoplanetary disks to planetary disks. Using a simple model, he studies v- cous evolution and photoevaporation as possible mechanisms of gas dispersal. He further considers how the dust grows into planetesimals. Motion of dust particles induced by gas drag is described, and then using a simple analytic model, the dust growth timescale is discussed.