How to Find a Habitable Planet (eBook)

James F. Kasting (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2021
352 Seiten
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-1-4008-4508-8 (ISBN)

Infos

The amazing science behind the search for Earth-like planetsEver 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.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 7.12.2021
• Reihe/Serie: Science Essentials
• Reihe/Serie: Science Essentials
• Nachwort: James F. Kasting
• Zusatzinfo: 16 color illus. 57 halftones. 15 line illus. 4 tables.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Schlagworte: Accretion (astrophysics) • Asteroid belt • Astrobiology • Astrometry • Astronomer • Astronomy • Atmosphere of Earth • Atmosphere of Mars • Atmosphere of Venus • Axial tilt • Barnard's Star • Calculation • carl sagan • Climate • climate model • Climate of Mars • Comet • Coronagraph • Cosmic Ray • Drake Equation • early earth • earth • Earth analog • Earth mass • Earth's Magnetic Field • Earth's orbit • Electromagnetic radiation • exoplanet • Extraterrestrial Intelligence • Extraterrestrial Life • Formation and evolution of the Solar System • Galactic Center • galactic habitable zone • Giant planet • gravitational lens • Gravitational microlensing • Greenhouse Gas • Hot Jupiter • Hubble space telescope • Interferometry • Interstellar communication • Interstellar Travel • James Webb Space Telescope • Jupiter • Jupiter mass • Kepler (spacecraft) • Life on Mars • Magnetic field • Magnetosphere • Main sequence • Mars Exploration Rover • Mars Express • Mars Global Surveyor • Mars Orbiter Camera • Martian soil • Martian surface • Measurement • methane • Methods of detecting exoplanets • Nebular hypothesis • neutron star • orbital forcing • Orbital period • Orbital plane (astronomy) • Orbital Resonance • origin of the moon • Paleoclimatology • Photon • photosynthesis • Planet • planetary habitability • Planetary Science • Planetary System • Planetesimal • Planet Hunters • Plate Tectonics • Proxima Centauri • Pulsar planet • Radio Telescope • Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence • silicate • Snowball Earth • Solar Luminosity • spacecraft • Space Interferometry Mission • Space telescope • stellar evolution • Stratosphere • Terraforming of Mars • Terrestrial planet • Terrestrial Planet Finder • Transit of Venus • Ultraviolet • Uranus • Venus • Water • water vapor • Wavelength • weathering • year
• ISBN-10: 1-4008-4508-4 / 1400845084
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4008-4508-8 / 9781400845088