Download or read book A Discrete Forward modeling Method for Characterizing Occultation Lightcurves of Tenuous Planetary Atmospheres written by Ho Chit Siu and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We present a discrete numerical approach for forward-modeling lightcurves from stellar occultations by planetary atmospheres. Our discrete approach provides a way to arbitrarily set atmospheric properties at any radius from the occulting body, giving it flexibility for applying models of vertical variation in atmospheric conditions. The method is used to examine trends in lightcurve characteristics resulting from changes in the atmosphere of the occulting body. We find that for Pluto-like atmospheres, temperature and pressure variations affect the characteristics of the lightcurve much more than the gas composition. We also find that the half-light radius is more sensitive to atmospheric changes than either the minimum normalized flux or the slope at half-light. Temperature is found to be the most easily-constrained atmospheric parameter, as the gradients for changes in lightcurve characteristics are much more aligned with the temperature axis of the atmospheric parameter space than any other axis. Trends in lightcurve characteristics were examined in and around the parameter space occupied by the atmospheric conditions predicted for Pluto based on the 2011 and 2013 occultation events. Our error analysis method produced uncertainty values consistent with the reported uncertainties for half-light radius. This kind of lightcurve characterization is potentially useful for constraining the level of precision required in measuring given lightcurve characteristics in order to provide certain uncertainty bounds on the atmospheric conditions of the occulting body.
Download or read book Atmospheric Evolution on Inhabited and Lifeless Worlds written by David C. Catling and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-13 with total page 595 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive and authoritative text on the formation and evolution of planetary atmospheres, for graduate-level students and researchers.
Download or read book The Juno Mission written by Scott Bolton and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-09-14 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Juno mission to Jupiter is one of the most ambitious, daring and challenging solar system exploration missions ever conceived. Next to the Sun, Jupiter is the largest object in our solar system. As such, it is both a record and driver of the formation and evolution of the planets -- no other object in our solar system can tell us more about the origin of planetary systems. Understanding the details of giant planet formation, structure, composition and powerful magnetospheric environment required a new perspective close up and over the poles of Jupiter -- an orbit never before attempted. Juno was specifically designed for this challenge, entering into the harshest planetary environment known in the solar system. This volume describes the mission design, scientific strategies and instrument payload that enable Juno to peer deep into Jupiter’s atmosphere and reveal the fundamental process of the formation and early evolution of our solar system. In these papers, the Juno instrument teams describe their investigations, which include gravity radio science, microwave radiometers, magnetometers, an infrared imager auroral mapper, an ultraviolet imager and spectrograph, a visible light imager known as JunoCam, low and high energy particle detectors and plasma wave and radio electromagnetic sensors. The articles also describe a radiation monitoring experiment and the extensive laboratory measurements undertaken to assist with the analysis and interpretation of Juno’s pioneering investigation of Jupiter’s deep atmosphere. Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Volume 213, Issue 1-4, November 2017
Download or read book The Pluto System After New Horizons written by S. Alan Stern and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 684 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once perceived as distant, cold, dark, and seemingly unknowable, Pluto had long been marked as the farthest and most unreachable frontier for solar system exploration. The Pluto System After New Horizons is the benchmark research compendium for synthesizing our understanding of the Pluto system. This volume reviews the work of researchers who have spent the last five years assimilating the data returned from New Horizons and the first full scientific synthesis of this fascinating system.
Download or read book Saturn from Cassini Huygens written by Michele Dougherty and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-09-30 with total page 799 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is one of two volumes meant to capture, to the extent practical, the scienti?c legacy of the Cassini-Huygens prime mission, a landmark in the history of planetary exploration. As the most ambitious and interdisciplinary planetary exploration mission ?own to date, it has extended our knowledge of the Saturn system to levels of detail at least an order of magnitude beyond that gained from all previous missions to Saturn. Nestled in the brilliant light of the new and deep understanding of the Saturn planetary system is the shiny nugget that is the spectacularly successful collaboration of individuals, - ganizations and governments in the achievement of Cassini-Huygens. In some ways the pa- nershipsformedandlessonslearnedmaybethemost enduringlegacyofCassini-Huygens.The broad, international coalition that is Cassini-Huygens is now conducting the Cassini Equinox Mission and planning the Cassini Solstice Mission, and in a major expansion of those fruitful efforts, has extended the collaboration to the study of new ?agship missions to both Jupiter and Saturn. Such ventures have and will continue to enrich us all, and evoke a very optimistic vision of the future of international collaboration in planetary exploration. The two volumes in the series Saturn from Cassini-Huygens and Titan from Cassini- Huygens are the direct products of the efforts of over 200 authors and co-authors. Though each book has a different set of three editors, the group of six editors for the two volumes has worked together through every step of the process to ensure that these two volumes are a set.
Download or read book Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by . This book was released on 2022-08-04 with total page 615 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The steering committee was specifically asked to (1) provide an overview of the current state of astronomy and astrophysics science, and technology research in support of that science, with connections to other scientific areas where appropriate; (2) identify the most compelling science challenges and frontiers in astronomy and astrophysics, which shall motivate the committee’s strategy for the future; (3) develop a comprehensive research strategy to advance the frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics for the period 2022-2032 that will include identifying, recommending, and ranking the highest-priority research activities; (4) utilize and recommend decision rules, where appropriate, that can accommodate significant but reasonable deviations in the projected budget or changes in urgency precipitated by new discoveries or unanticipated competitive activities; (5) assess the state of the profession, including workforce and demographic issues in the field, identify areas of concern and importance to the community, and where possible, provide specific, actionable, and practical recommendations to the agencies and community to address these areas. This report proposes a broad, integrated plan for space- and ground-based astronomy and astrophysics for the decade 2023-2032. It also lays the foundations for further advances in the following decade.
Download or read book Planets Stars and Stellar Systems written by Linda M. French and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-02-27 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is volume 3 of Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems, a six-volume compendium of modern astronomical research covering subjects of key interest to the main fields of contemporary astronomy. This volume on “Solar and Stellar Planetary Systems” edited by Linda French and Paul Kalas presents accessible review chapters From Disks to Planets, Dynamical Evolution of Planetary Systems, The Terrestrial Planets, Gas and Ice Giant Interiors, Atmospheres of Jovian Planets, Planetary Magnetospheres, Planetary Rings, An Overview of the Asteroids and Meteorites, Dusty Planetary Systems and Exoplanet Detection Methods. All chapters of the handbook were written by practicing professionals. They include sufficient background material and references to the current literature to allow readers to learn enough about a specialty within astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology to get started on their own practical research projects. In the spirit of the series Stars and Stellar Systems published by Chicago University Press in the 1960s and 1970s, each chapter of Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems can stand on its own as a fundamental review of its respective sub-discipline, and each volume can be used as a textbook or recommended reference work for advanced undergraduate or postgraduate courses. Advanced students and professional astronomers in their roles as both lecturers and researchers will welcome Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems as a comprehensive and pedagogical reference work on astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology.
Download or read book Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn written by Paul M. Schenk and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2018-11-27 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With active geysers coating its surface with dazzlingly bright ice crystals, Saturn’s large moon Enceladus is one of the most enigmatic worlds in our solar system. Underlying this activity are numerous further discoveries by the Cassini spacecraft, tantalizing us with evidence that Enceladus harbors a subsurface ocean of liquid water. Enceladus is thus newly realized as a forefront candidate among potentially habitable ocean worlds in our own solar system, although it is only one of a family of icy moons orbiting the giant ringed planet, each with its own story. As a new volume in the Space Science Series, Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn brings together nearly eighty of the world’s top experts writing more than twenty chapters to set the foundation for what we currently understand, while building the framework for the highest-priority questions to be addressed through ongoing spacecraft exploration. Topics include the physics and processes driving the geologic and geophysical phenomena of icy worlds, including, but not limited to, ring-moon interactions, interior melting due to tidal heating, ejection and reaccretion of vapor and particulates, ice tectonics, and cryovolcanism. By contextualizing each topic within the profusion of puzzles beckoning from among Saturn’s many dozen moons, Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn synthesizes planetary processes on a broad scale to inform and propel both seasoned researchers and students toward achieving new advances in the coming decade and beyond.
Download or read book Challenges of Astronomy written by Wolfhard Schlosser and published by New York, N.Y. : Springer-Verlag. This book was released on 1991 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique collection of thirty experiments ranging from ancient astronomy to cosmology, each containing one or more challenges for the reader. The progression here is from the Earth outward through the solar system to the stellar and galactic realm. Topics include the shape of the sky; Stonehenge as a stone-age abacus; determining the size of the Earth; the distance of the moon, stars and planets; planetary mass, density, temperature and atmosphere; the speed of light; the nature of the quiet and active sun; photometry and spectroscopy; star clusters and variable stars; and fundamental properties of stars.
Download or read book Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology written by Ian Morison and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-03-18 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction to Astronomy & Cosmology is a modern undergraduate textbook, combining both the theory behind astronomy with the very latest developments. Written for science students, this book takes a carefully developed scientific approach to this dynamic subject. Every major concept is accompanied by a worked example with end of chapter problems to improve understanding Includes coverage of the very latest developments such as double pulsars and the dark galaxy. Beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout Supplementary web site with many additional full colour images, content, and latest developments.
Download or read book Fundamental Astronomy written by Hannu Karttunen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-08-09 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fundamental Astronomy is a well-balanced, comprehensive introduction to classical and modern astronomy. While emphasizing both the astronomical concepts and the underlying physical principles, the text provides a sound basis for more profound studies in the astronomical sciences. This is the fifth edition of the successful undergraduate textbook and reference work. It has been extensively modernized and extended in the parts dealing with extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. You will also find augmented sections on the solar system and extrasolar planets as well as a new chapter on astrobiology. Long considered a standard text for physical science majors, Fundamental Astronomy is also an excellent reference work for dedicated amateur astronomers.
Download or read book Clumping in Hot star Winds written by Wolf-Rainer Hamann and published by Universitätsverlag Potsdam. This book was released on 2008 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The High Energy Universe written by Péter Mészáros and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-09-16 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last two decades, cosmology, particle physics, high energy astrophysics and gravitational physics have become increasingly interwoven. The intense activity taking place at the intersection of these disciplines is constantly progressing, with the advent of major cosmic ray, neutrino, gamma ray and gravitational wave observatories for studying cosmic sources, along with the construction of particle physics experiments using beams and signals of cosmic origin. This book provides an up-to-date overview of the recent advances and potential future developments in this area, discussing both the main theoretical ideas and experimental results. It conveys the challenges but also the excitement associated with this field. Written in a concise yet accessible style, explaining technical details with examples drawn from everyday life, it will be suitable for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as other readers interested in the subject. Colour versions of a selection of the figures are available at www.cambridge.org/9780521517003.
Download or read book Astrophysical Concepts written by Martin Harwit and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My principal aim in writing this book was to present a wide range of astrophysical topics in sufficient depth to give the reader a general quantitative understanding of the subject. The book outlines cosmic events but does not portray them in detail-it provides aseries of astrophysical sketches. I think this approach befits the present uncertainties and changing views in astrophysics. The material is based on notes I prepared for a course aimed at seniors and beginning graduate students in physics and astronomy at Cornell. This course defined the level at which the book is written. For readers who are versed in physics but are unfamiliar with astronomical terminology, Appendix A is included. It gives a brief background of astronomical concepts and should be read before starting the main text. The first few chapters outline the scope of modern astrophysics and deal with elementary problems concerning the size and mass of cosmic objects. However, it soon becomes apparent that a broad foundation in physics is needed to proceed. This base is developed in Chapters 4 to 7 by using, as ex am pIes, specific astronomi cal situations. Chapters 8 to 10 enlarge on the topics first outlined in Chapter I and show how we can obtain quantitative insights into the structure and evolution of stars, the dynamics of co~mic gases, and the large-scale behavior of the universe.
Download or read book Planetary Systems and the Origins of Life written by Ralph Pudritz and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-17 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Several major breakthroughs have helped contribute to the emerging field of astrobiology. Focusing on these developments, this fascinating book explores some of the most important problems in this field. It examines how planetary systems formed, and how water and the biomolecules necessary for life were produced. It then focuses on how life may have originated and evolved on Earth. Building on these two themes, the final section takes the reader on a search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. It presents the latest results of missions to Mars and Titan, and explores the possibilities of life in the ice-covered ocean of Europa. This interdisciplinary book is an enjoyable overview of this exciting field for students and researchers in astrophysics, planetary science, geosciences, biochemistry, and evolutionary biology. Colour versions of some of the figures are available at www.cambridge.org/9780521875486.
Download or read book Essays on Particles and Fields written by Ranjan Roy Daniel and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This tribute to M.G.K. Menon, presently a member of the Indian Planning Commission, includes contributions from some of his many friends, admirers, and colleagues. For over three decades, Menon has been an major influence on Indian science as a physicist, administrator, and policy maker, and this collection reflects the outstanding tradition of Indian science with which he is so closely identified.
Download or read book An Introduction to Comets written by Nicolas Thomas and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-12-15 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by a leading expert on comets, this textbook is divided into seven main elements with a view to allowing advanced students to appreciate the interconnections between the different elements. The author opens with a brief introductory segment on the motivation for studying comets and the overall scope of the book. The first chapter describes fundamental aspects most usually addressed by ground-based observation. The author then looks at the basic physical phenomena in four separate chapters addressing the nucleus, the emitted gas, the emitted dust, and the solar wind interaction. Each chapter introduces the basic physics and chemistry but then new specific measurements by Rosetta instruments at comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko are brought in. A concerted effort has been made to distinguish between established fact and conjecture. Deviations and inconsistencies are brought out and their significance explained. Links to previous observations of comets Tempel 1, Wild 2, Hartley 2, Halley and others are made. The author then closes with three smaller chapters on related objects, the loss of comets, and prospects for future exploration. This textbook includes over 275 graphics and figures – most of which are original. Thorough explanations and derivations are included throughout the chapters. The text is therefore designed to support MSc. students and new PhD students in the field wanting to gain a solid overview of the state-of-the-art.
