Destiny or chance revisited : planets and their place in the cosmos / Stuart Ross Taylor, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taylor, Stuart Ross, 1925- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Extrasolar planets.

Solar system.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 291 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This exciting tour of our Universe explores our current knowledge of exoplanets and the search for another Earth-like planet. Beginning with the basic concepts of planet formation and the composition of the Universe, Stuart Ross Taylor summarises our knowledge of exoplanets, how they compare with our planets and why some stars have better habitable zones. Further sections provide a detailed study of our Solar System, as a basis for understanding exoplanetary systems, and a detailed study of the Earth as our only current example of a habitable planet. The book concludes with a philosophical and historical discussion of topics surrounding planets and the development of life, including why our chances of finding aliens on exoplanets is very low. This is an engaging and informative read for anyone interested in planetary formation and the exploration of our Universe.

Contents:

1. Prologue

2. The Universe

3. Forming planets

4. The exoplanets

5. Our Solar System

6. Earth and Moon

7. Perspectives

Appendicies: Sources; The geological time scale on the Earth; The geological time scale on Mars; The geological time scale on the Moon.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-139-88865-X

1-139-56440-4

1-139-54959-6

1-139-06139-9

1-139-55455-7

1-139-55580-4

1-139-55209-0

1-283-63830-4

1-139-55084-5

OCLC:

812174491