Anmerkung: Intro -- Dedication -- Preface -- About the Author -- Contents -- 1.: Initial Observations -- Introduction -- Historical Observations -- Open, Globular or Simply Associated? -- The Hertzsprung-Russell and Color-­Magnitude Diagrams -- Luminosity Classes of Stars -- A Schism Between Open and Globular Clusters: Observational Bias? -- How Star Clusters Revealed the Structure of the Milky Way -- Conclusions -- 2.: Adventures in Stellar Evolution -- Introduction -- Star Formation: Standard Monolithic Models -- Discs and Jets -- Cracks Within the Monolith -- Realistic Models for the Formation of Star Clusters -- Starburst Formation of Clusters -- Cluster Formation and the Evolution of Galaxies -- The Lives of Stars -- Brief Lives: An Overview of the Lives of Massive Stars -- Intermediate Mass Stars -- Sun-Like Stars -- The Fate of the Smallest Stars in the Universe -- Corpses -- Cosmic Recycling -- Conclusions -- 3.: Variable Stars -- Introduction -- Low and Intermediate Mass Stars from Birth Through Middle Age and Death -- The Music of the Stars -- A Varying Journey Through Time -- T Tauri Stars -- Delta Scuti Stars -- Exit Stage Left -- Semi-regular Variable Stars -- The Horizontal Branch -- W Virginis Stars -- Mira Variables -- OH/IR Variables -- RV Tauri Stars -- ZZ Ceti Stars -- Young, Fickle and Massive -- Herbig Ae/Be stars -- Be Stars -- Supergiant Variable Stars -- Luminous Blue Variables and Wolf-Rayet Stars -- Cataclysmic Variables -- Conclusions -- 4.: Globular Cluster Formation -- Introduction -- The Stars of Globular Clusters -- Cluster Formation: A Reprise -- What Do Observations of Globular Clusters Tell Us About How They Formed? -- Secret Agents: Dwarf Galaxies Masquerading as Star Clusters -- Omega Centauri and Its Kin -- The Problem -- A Question of Mass -- A Helium Clue -- Evidence from the Physical Distribution of Stars. , Do Observations of Young Globular Clusters Back Up This Model? -- Salt in the Diet -- Do Helium-Rich Main Sequence Stars Become Helium-Rich Geriatrics? -- A (Somewhat Silly) Gedankenexperiment -- A Summary: A Confusing Picture Painted with Salt -- Have Globular Clusters Been Consigned to the Dustbin of History? -- Conclusions -- 5.: Open Clusters -- Introduction -- The Structure of Open Clusters -- Old Yet Open? -- Classification of Open Clusters -- How Birth Determines Life -- How Open Clusters Come Apart -- Location, Location, Location -- Planets in Globular Clusters -- Conclusions -- 6.: Stellar Soap Operas -- Introduction -- Binary Star Systems -- General Principles -- Young Clusters -- Lurid Marriages and Messy Divorces -- Two Routes to Blue -- Beyond the Blue: The Twisted Fates of Cluster Stars -- W Ursa Majoris Stars -- How Binary Stars Can Affect One Another: SN 1993J -- How Westerlund-1 Solved the Puzzle of Magnetars -- Pair Instability: The Unfolding Stories of SN 2006gy and SN 2007bi -- The Likely Tale of a Massive Straggler -- X-Ray Binary Systems -- The Universe's Loneliest Supernovae -- Type Ia Supernovae and Beyond -- Conclusions -- 7.: The Complex Lives of Globular Clusters -- Introduction -- Speed, Distance and Crossing Time -- Violent Relaxation -- The Two-Body Relaxation Time -- Disc Shocking -- Core Collapse -- The Large Magellanic Cloud: Snapshots of Creation -- Ring Clusters -- Hodge 11 -- M33: A Brief Tale of Two Clusters -- Core Collapse in M33 -- The Young Clusters of M82: MGG 9 and 11, Density and Fate -- Giant Elliptical Galaxies -- Adrift in a Sea of Galaxies -- Cluster Evaporation -- Multiple Populations of Stars: An Afterthought -- Conclusions -- 8.: From Science Fiction to the Reality of Planets in Star Clusters -- Introduction -- Living Worlds -- Along Came a Spider: What Life (Appears) to Need to Arise. , Limited Clues from an Earthly Tree -- Energy, Entropy and Evolution -- Capturing Energy -- Is Life on Earth a Reasonable Model for Life Elsewhere? -- The Galaxy's Oldest Planet? -- A Planet Pair for Kapteyn's Star -- Visions of Heaven: The Artistic and Visionary View from the Surface of a Cluster World -- Planets in the Open Cluster, M67 -- The Fate of M4's Pulsar Planet -- Conclusions -- 9.: Milkomeda and the Fate of the Milky Way -- Introduction -- The Inevitability of Collisions in the Local Group -- Low Metallicity High Velocity Clouds and Star Formation -- Harassment and Merging Between M33 and M31 -- The Fate of M31 and the Milky Way's Dwarf Satellites -- The Grand Collision -- The Fate of Milkomeda -- Galactic Dissolution -- Conclusions -- Glossary -- Further Reading -- Chapter 1-Historical Perspectives -- Chapter 2-Adventures in Stellar Evolution -- Chapter 3-Variable Stars in Clusters -- Chapter 4-Globular Cluster Formation -- Chapter 5-Open Clusters -- Chapter 6-Stellar Soap Operas -- Chapter 7-The Complex Life of Globular Clusters -- Chapter 8-One Thousand Rubies in the Sky -- Chapter 9-Milkomeda and the Fate of the Milky Way -- Index.

Anmerkung: Intro -- Dedication -- Preface -- Contents -- 1.: What We Know About the Weather on Earth -- Why Do We Have Weather? -- The Highs and Lows of Meteorology -- Wind Direction: Waterwheels and a Suspect Tale from the Front -- The Vertical Structure of the Earth's Atmosphere -- The Language of War-Fronts -- The Jet Stream -- Rotation, Rotation, Rotation -- Rossby Waves -- Other Jets That Drive Terrestrial Weather -- How the Jet Stream Brought a Sting to the Bergen Frontal Model -- Fastnet -- The New Zealand Bomb -- The 1993 US Superstorm -- The Tropics: A Quick Guide -- Interconnections -- Conclusions -- References -- 2.: Climate Oscillations in Space and Time -- Introduction -- The Present Monsoon -- Shifting Continents, Shifting Climate -- Probing the Past Asian Monsoon -- Milanković Cycles: Astronomical Influences on Terrestrial Climate -- The Death of the Tethys and the Birth of the Sahara -- Pangean Monsoons -- Problematic Children: El Niño and La Niña -- The Future East Asian Monsoon Under the Cloud of Global Dimming -- How Global Dimming Caused Geopolitical Chaos in the Dark Ages -- Conclusions -- References -- 3.: Tales of Mass Destruction -- Introduction -- Global Greenhouses: Eocene, Permian and Anthropocene -- The Eocene Climate Maximum -- A Bad Day in the Permian -- The Human Factor -- Anthropogenic Global Warming -- Dissension -- Drifting Hurricanes Amid a Changing Climate -- Endemic Misunderstandings -- The Medieval Tepid Period and the Luke-Warm Little Ice Age -- The Effect of Global Climate Catastrophes on Life -- An Icy Future? -- Visions of Hell: Terrestrial Snowballs and Fireballs -- Snowballs and Slushballs -- Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head: The Controversial Climate of the Early Earth -- Parallel Lives: The Formation of the Earth and Venus -- The Last Icehouse -- The Rise of Amasia -- Geo-Engineering the Future. , Conclusions: The Big Picture -- References -- 4.: Weird Weather -- Introduction -- Strange Lights from Thunderstorms -- Earthlights or Headlights? -- Fata Morgana or Something Else? -- Earthquake Clouds and Lights -- Sprites, Jets and Other Luminous Atmospheric Phenomena -- Gamma Ray Bursts on Earth -- Sky Quakes -- The Red Rains of Kerala -- Flying Spiders -- Conclusions -- References -- 5.: Venus -- Introduction: The Twin That Isn't -- The Venusian Day -- A Noxious Vision of Hell -- The Structure of the Venusian Atmosphere -- No Layer but Yes, Ozone Around Venus -- The Edge of Space -- Changes to Wind Speed at Venus -- Snow on Venus? -- Lightning on Venus -- Why Does Venus Have So Much More Carbon Dioxide than the Earth? -- Constructing a Dry Planet -- Life in Hell? -- Future Venus: The Earth and Venus, Twins Once More -- Conclusions -- References -- 6.: The Wispy Weather of Mars -- Introduction -- The Structure and Formation of the Martian Atmosphere -- Dust Devils, Tornadoes and the Other Whirling Winds of Earth and Mars -- Aurora -- Mystery Clouds Across the Southern, Morning Terminator -- Martian Ozone -- Martian Methane: Mars not Dead, Yet -- The Lingering Death of Mars -- Jean's Escape -- Charge Exchange -- Hydrodynamic Escape -- Solar Wind Stripping -- Future Mars -- Conclusions -- References -- 7.: The Gas Giants -- Introduction -- The Structure of the Giants -- The Color of Giant Planets in the Solar System -- Belts and Braces: The Bands and Storms of Jupiter -- Great Red Spot and Other Vortices -- Derechos and the Storm That Ate Itself -- The Polar Hexagons -- Ice Fall from the Rings -- Io's Electrifying Connection to Jupiter -- Is Mighty Jupiter Losing Any Atmosphere? -- Conclusions -- References -- 8.: The Ice Giants -- Introduction -- Inside the Ice Giants -- The Structure of Uranus and Neptune's Atmospheres -- Seasons -- Dark Spots. , The Twisted Tale of Ammonium Metal -- Conclusions -- References -- 9.: Ice Dwarves: Titan, Triton and Pluto -- Introduction -- Titan -- Introduction -- General Structure of Titan's Atmosphere -- The Weather Report for Titan -- Microbursts and Aeolian Features on Titan -- Titan's Missing Vital Spark -- The "Methanological" Cycle -- Rat Poison -- The Loss of Titan's Atmosphere -- Triton -- Introduction -- Triton's Atmosphere -- What's the Weather Like? -- Pluto -- Introduction -- Pluto and Triton as Non-identical Twins -- Conclusions -- References -- 10.: Tales of Other Worlds -- Introduction -- Exoplanets by the Bucket -- The Climate of Tidally-Locked Planets: Assumptions and Expectations -- The Structure of the Atmosphere of Jupiter-Like Worlds: Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just-Right -- The Mystery of Super-Rotation -- How Do the Atmospheres of Tidally-Locked Worlds Move? -- Hot Jupiters -- Tidally-Locked Earths and Super-Earths: General Ideas -- Model 1: A Smooth, Unrealistic Planet with No Oceans -- Model 2: Oceans on Super-Earths and Earth-Like Worlds -- Tidally-Locked Earths and Super-Earths: Towards A Realistic Planetary Model -- The End of Weather: Atmospheric Collapse and Atmospheric Erosion -- Earth-Like but not Tidally-Locked -- Tipped Over Worlds -- Atmospheric Gravity Waves -- Atmospheric gravity waves and Earthquakes -- Weather, Unbound: Brown Dwarfs, Stars, Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters -- Solar Wind and Stellar Gales -- Galactic Winds -- Cold Fronts in Galaxy Clusters -- Conclusions -- References -- Glossary -- Index.