How to Find a Habitable Planet

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400845084
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis How to Find a Habitable Planet by : James F. Kasting

Download or read book How to Find a Habitable Planet written by James F. Kasting and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-12-07 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The amazing science behind the search for Earth-like planets Ever since Carl Sagan first predicted that extraterrestrial civilizations must number in the millions, the search for life on other planets has gripped our imagination. Is Earth so rare that advanced life forms like us—or even the simplest biological organisms—are unique to the universe? How to Find a Habitable Planet describes how scientists are testing Sagan's prediction, and demonstrates why Earth may not be so rare after all. James Kasting has worked closely with NASA in its mission to detect habitable worlds outside our solar system, and in this book he introduces readers to the advanced methodologies being used in this extraordinary quest. He addresses the compelling questions that planetary scientists grapple with today: What exactly makes a planet habitable? What are the signatures of life astronomers should look for when they scan the heavens for habitable worlds? In providing answers, Kasting explains why Earth has remained habitable despite a substantial rise in solar luminosity over time, and why our neighbors, Venus and Mars, haven't. If other Earth-sized planets endowed with enough water and carbon are out there, he argues, chances are good that some of those planets sustain life. Kasting describes the efforts under way to find them, and predicts that future discoveries will profoundly alter our view of the universe and our place in it. This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of finding other planets like ours—and perhaps even life like ours—in the cosmos. In a new afterword, Kasting presents some recent breakthroughs in the search for exoplanets and discusses the challenges facing space programs in the near future.

How to Build a Habitable Planet

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Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400841976
Total Pages : 736 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis How to Build a Habitable Planet by : Charles H. Langmuir

Download or read book How to Build a Habitable Planet written by Charles H. Langmuir and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-13 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its first publication more than twenty-five years ago, How to Build a Habitable Planet has established a legendary reputation as an accessible yet scientifically impeccable introduction to the origin and evolution of Earth, from the Big Bang through the rise of human civilization. This classic account of how our habitable planet was assembled from the stuff of stars introduced readers to planetary, Earth, and climate science by way of a fascinating narrative. Now this great book has been made even better. Harvard geochemist Charles Langmuir has worked closely with the original author, Wally Broecker, one of the world's leading Earth scientists, to revise and expand the book for a new generation of readers for whom active planetary stewardship is becoming imperative. Interweaving physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology, this sweeping account tells Earth’s complete story, from the synthesis of chemical elements in stars, to the formation of the Solar System, to the evolution of a habitable climate on Earth, to the origin of life and humankind. The book also addresses the search for other habitable worlds in the Milky Way and contemplates whether Earth will remain habitable as our influence on global climate grows. It concludes by considering the ways in which humankind can sustain Earth’s habitability and perhaps even participate in further planetary evolution. Like no other book, How to Build a Habitable Planet provides an understanding of Earth in its broadest context, as well as a greater appreciation of its possibly rare ability to sustain life over geologic time. Leading schools that have ordered, recommended for reading, or adopted this book for course use: Arizona State University Brooklyn College CUNY Columbia University Cornell University ETH Zurich Georgia Institute of Technology Harvard University Johns Hopkins University Luther College Northwestern University Ohio State University Oxford Brookes University Pan American University Rutgers University State University of New York at Binghamton Texas A&M University Trinity College Dublin University of Bristol University of California-Los Angeles University of Cambridge University Of Chicago University of Colorado at Boulder University of Glasgow University of Leicester University of Maine, Farmington University of Michigan University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Georgia University of Nottingham University of Oregon University of Oxford University of Portsmouth University of Southampton University of Ulster University of Victoria University of Wyoming Western Kentucky University Yale University

Life Beyond Earth

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107026172
Total Pages : 331 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis Life Beyond Earth by : Athena Coustenis

Download or read book Life Beyond Earth written by Athena Coustenis and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-12 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An engaging account of our quest for habitable environments, recounting fascinating recent discoveries and providing insight into future space missions.

Habitable Planets for Man

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Publisher : Rand Corporation
ISBN 13 : 9780833042279
Total Pages : 158 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (422 download)

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Book Synopsis Habitable Planets for Man by : Stephen H. Dole

Download or read book Habitable Planets for Man written by Stephen H. Dole and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2007-09 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Habitable Planets for Man examines and estimates the probabilities of finding planets habitable to man, where they might be found, and the number there may be in our own galaxy. The author presents in detail the characteristics of a planet that can provide an acceptable environment for humankind, itemizes the stars nearest the earth most likely to possess habitable planets, and discusses how to search for habitable planets. Interestingly for our time, he also gives an appraisal of the earth as a planet and describes how its habitability would be changed if some of its basic properties were altered. This is a reprint of an edition originally published in 1964.

Origin and Evolution of Earth

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309134307
Total Pages : 150 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Origin and Evolution of Earth by : National Research Council

Download or read book Origin and Evolution of Earth written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-08-04 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Questions about the origin and nature of Earth and the life on it have long preoccupied human thought and the scientific endeavor. Deciphering the planet's history and processes could improve the ability to predict catastrophes like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, to manage Earth's resources, and to anticipate changes in climate and geologic processes. At the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Geological Survey, the National Research Council assembled a committee to propose and explore grand questions in geological and planetary science. This book captures, in a series of questions, the essential scientific challenges that constitute the frontier of Earth science at the start of the 21st century.

Exoplanet Science Strategy

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 030947941X
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Exoplanet Science Strategy by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Exoplanet Science Strategy written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-01-17 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past decade has delivered remarkable discoveries in the study of exoplanets. Hand-in-hand with these advances, a theoretical understanding of the myriad of processes that dictate the formation and evolution of planets has matured, spurred on by the avalanche of unexpected discoveries. Appreciation of the factors that make a planet hospitable to life has grown in sophistication, as has understanding of the context for biosignatures, the remotely detectable aspects of a planet's atmosphere or surface that reveal the presence of life. Exoplanet Science Strategy highlights strategic priorities for large, coordinated efforts that will support the scientific goals of the broad exoplanet science community. This report outlines a strategic plan that will answer lingering questions through a combination of large, ambitious community-supported efforts and support for diverse, creative, community-driven investigator research.

Exoplanet Atmospheres

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400835305
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Exoplanet Atmospheres by : Sara Seager

Download or read book Exoplanet Atmospheres written by Sara Seager and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-08-02 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past twenty years, astronomers have identified hundreds of extrasolar planets--planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Recent research in this burgeoning field has made it possible to observe and measure the atmospheres of these exoplanets. This is the first textbook to describe the basic physical processes--including radiative transfer, molecular absorption, and chemical processes--common to all planetary atmospheres, as well as the transit, eclipse, and thermal phase variation observations that are unique to exoplanets. In each chapter, Sara Seager offers a conceptual introduction, examples that combine the relevant physics equations with real data, and exercises. Topics range from foundational knowledge, such as the origin of atmospheric composition and planetary spectra, to more advanced concepts, such as solutions to the radiative transfer equation, polarization, and molecular and condensate opacities. Since planets vary widely in their atmospheric properties, Seager emphasizes the major physical processes that govern all planetary atmospheres. Moving from first principles to cutting-edge research, Exoplanet Atmospheres is an ideal resource for students and researchers in astronomy and earth sciences, one that will help prepare them for the next generation of planetary science. The first textbook to describe exoplanet atmospheres Illustrates concepts using examples grounded in real data Provides a step-by-step guide to understanding the structure and emergent spectrum of a planetary atmosphere Includes exercises for students

The Goldilocks Zone

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Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
ISBN 13 : 1499463022
Total Pages : 112 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (994 download)

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Book Synopsis The Goldilocks Zone by : Laura La Bella

Download or read book The Goldilocks Zone written by Laura La Bella and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The search for life in other worlds begins with the search for a habitable planet. This book explores the “Goldilocks Zone,” a defined area that is perfect for harboring life in our universe. Readers will find out how scientists are finding habitable planets by using terrestrial and orbiting telescopes to search these regions. Readers will also get to know how extreme zones on Earth are helping scientists redefine their concept of “habitable” and what kind of life we might find. Fascinating full-color photographs and artist renderings from NASA illustrate this fascinating hunt.

Earth

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521644235
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (442 download)

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Book Synopsis Earth by : Jonathan I. Lunine

Download or read book Earth written by Jonathan I. Lunine and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an outstanding overview of the history of the Earth from a unique planetary perspective for introductory courses in the earth sciences. The book approaches Earth history as an evolution, encompassing the origin of the cosmos through the inner working of living cells. Earth: Evolution of a Habitable Planet tells how the Earth has come to its present state, why it differs from its neighboring planets, what life's place is in Earth's history, and how humanity affects the processes that make our planet livable. Today's human influences are contemplated in the context of natural changes on Earth. This book brings a fresh perspective to the study of the Earth for students who wish to learn how our planet evolved to its present form.

Lucky Planet

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Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0465080820
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis Lucky Planet by : David Waltham

Download or read book Lucky Planet written by David Waltham and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why Earth’s life-friendly climate makes it exceptional—and what that means for the likelihood of finding intelligent extraterrestrial life We have long fantasized about finding life on planets other than our own. Yet even as we become aware of the vast expanses beyond our solar system, it remains clear that Earth is exceptional. The question is: why? In Lucky Planet, astrobiologist David Waltham argues that Earth’s climate stability is what makes it uniquely able to support life, and it is nothing short of luck that made such conditions possible. The four billion year-stretch of good weather that our planet has experienced is statistically so unlikely that chances are slim that we will ever encounter intelligent extraterrestrial others. Citing the factors that typically control a planet’s average temperature—including the size of its moon, as well as the rate of the Universe’s expansion—Waltham challenges the prevailing scientific consensus that Earth-like planets have natural stabilizing mechanisms that allow life to flourish. A lively exploration of the stars above and the ground beneath our feet, Lucky Planet seamlessly weaves the story of Earth and the worlds orbiting other stars to give us a new perspective of the surprising role chance plays in our place in the universe.

Exoplanets

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Publisher : Smithsonian Institution
ISBN 13 : 1588345955
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

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Book Synopsis Exoplanets by : Michael E. Summers

Download or read book Exoplanets written by Michael E. Summers and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past few years have seen an incredible explosion in our knowledge of the universe. Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, and even more remarkable than the sheer number of exoplanets is their variety. In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space. This captivating book reveals the latest discoveries and argues that the incredible richness and complexity we are finding necessitates a change in our questions and mental paradigms. In short, we have to change how we think about the universe and our place in it, because it is stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined.

Billions & Billions

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Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0345379187
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (453 download)

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Book Synopsis Billions & Billions by : Carl Sagan

Download or read book Billions & Billions written by Carl Sagan and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 1998-05-12 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the final book of his astonishing career, Carl Sagan brilliantly examines the burning questions of our lives, our world, and the universe around us. These luminous, entertaining essays travel both the vastness of the cosmos and the intimacy of the human mind, posing such fascinating questions as how did the universe originate and how will it end, and how can we meld science and compassion to meet the challenges of the coming century? Here, too, is a rare, private glimpse of Sagan’s thoughts about love, death, and God as he struggled with fatal disease. Ever forward-looking and vibrant with the sparkle of his unquenchable curiosity, Billions & Billions is a testament to one of the great scientific minds of our day. Praise for Billions & Billions “[Sagan’s] writing brims with optimism, clarity and compassion.”—Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel “Sagan used the spotlight of his fame to illuminate the abyss into which stupidity, greed, and the lust for power may yet dump us. All of those interests and causes are handsomely represented in Billions & Billions.”—The Washington Post Book World “Astronomer Carl Sagan didn’t live to see the millennium, but he probably has done more than any other popular scientist to prepare us for its arrival.”—Atlanta Journal & Constitution “Billions & Billions can be interpreted as the Silent Spring for the current generation. . . . Human history includes a number of leaders with great minds who gave us theories about our universe and origins that ran contrary to religious dogma. Galileo determined that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around. Darwin challenged Creationism with his Evolution of Species. And now, Sagan has given the world its latest challenge: Billions & Billions.”—San Antonio Express-News “[Sagan’s] inspiration and boundless curiosity live on in the gift of his work.”—Seattle Times & Post-Intelligencer “Couldn’t stay awake in your high school science classes? This book can help fill in the holes. Acclaimed scientist Carl Sagan combines his logic and knowledge with wit and humor to make a potentially dry subject enjoyable to read.”—The Dallas Morning News

Planetary Habitability

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780750321198
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (211 download)

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Book Synopsis Planetary Habitability by : Stephen R. Kane

Download or read book Planetary Habitability written by Stephen R. Kane and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction -- Habitability Factors -- Nature's Fusion Reactors -- Planetary Fundamentals -- Orbit, Spin, and System Effects -- The Habitable Zone -- The Solar System -- The Exoplanet Opportunity -- The Next Steps.

Earth System Science: A Very Short Introduction

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0191028967
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Earth System Science: A Very Short Introduction by : Tim Lenton

Download or read book Earth System Science: A Very Short Introduction written by Tim Lenton and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-02-25 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When humanity first glimpsed planet Earth from space, the unity of the system that supports humankind entered the popular consciousness. The concept of the Earth's atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, soil, and rocks operating as a closely interacting system has rapidly gained ground in science. This new field, involving geographers, geologists, biologists, oceanographers, and atmospheric physicists, is known as Earth System Science. In this Very Short Introduction, Tim Lenton considers how a world in which humans could evolve was created; how, as a species, we are now reshaping that world; and what a sustainable future for humanity within the Earth System might look like. Drawing on elements of geology, biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, Lenton asks whether Earth System Science can help guide us onto a sustainable course before we alter the Earth system to the point where we destroy ourselves and our current civilisation. 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.

Mirror Earth

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0802779026
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (27 download)

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Book Synopsis Mirror Earth by : Michael D. Lemonick

Download or read book Mirror Earth written by Michael D. Lemonick and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2012-10-16 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the mid-1990s, astronomers made history when they began to find planets orbiting stars in the Milky Way. More than eight hundred planets have been found since then, yet none of them is anything like Earth and none could support life. Now, armed with more powerful technology, planet hunters are racing to find a true twin of Earth. Science writer Michael Lemonick has unique access to these exoplaneteers, as they call themselves, and Mirror Earth unveils their passionate quest. Unlike competitors in other races, Geoff Marcy, Bill Borucki, David Charbonneau, Sara Seager, and others actually consult and cooperate with one another. But only one will be the first to find Earth's twin. Mirror Earth tells the story of their competition.

Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet

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Publisher : Roaring Brook Press
ISBN 13 : 1250155339
Total Pages : 56 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet by : Curtis Manley

Download or read book Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet written by Curtis Manley and published by Roaring Brook Press. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you wonder if humans are the only beings who wonder if they are alone in the universe? Our sun is a star. In the night sky are all kinds of stars, and orbiting those stars are planets like the ones in our own solar system. Could those planets have life like we do on Earth? Planet Earth is not too big, not too small, not too hot, and not too cold. It’s just right. Our very own Goldilocks planet . . . . Follow a young girl as she explores these questions in this gorgeous book about the wondrous search for another Goldilocks planet.

Alien Oceans

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691227284
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

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Book Synopsis Alien Oceans by : Kevin Hand

Download or read book Alien Oceans written by Kevin Hand and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inside the epic quest to find life on the water-rich moons at the outer reaches of the solar system Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often look to Mars as the most promising site in our solar system, but recent scientific missions have revealed that some of the most habitable real estate may actually lie farther away. Beneath the frozen crusts of several of the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn lurk vast oceans that may have existed for as long as Earth, and together may contain more than fifty times its total volume of liquid water. Could there be organisms living in their depths? Alien Oceans reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out. Kevin Peter Hand is one of today's leading NASA scientists, and his pioneering research has taken him on expeditions around the world. In this captivating account of scientific discovery, he brings together insights from planetary science, biology, and the adventures of scientists like himself to explain how we know that oceans exist within moons of the outer solar system, like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus. He shows how the exploration of Earth's oceans is informing our understanding of the potential habitability of these icy moons, and draws lessons from what we have learned about the origins of life on our own planet to consider how life could arise on these distant worlds. Alien Oceans describes what lies ahead in our search for life in our solar system and beyond, setting the stage for the transformative discoveries that may await us.