Keywords:
Earth.
;
Electronic books.
Description / Table of Contents:
The authors of this book are experts on the subject of extrasolar planets. By presenting an updated perspective of our planet as seen from outer space, they provide a guide for the remote detection of life on other planets and planets beyond the solar system.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
Pages:
1 online resource (429 pages)
Edition:
1st ed.
ISBN:
9781441916846
Series Statement:
Astronomy and Astrophysics Library
URL:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/geomar/detail.action?docID=993592
Language:
English
Note:
The Earth as a Distant Planet -- Preface -- 1 Observing the Earth -- 1.1 The Exploration of Our Planet -- 1.2 First Observations of Our Planet from the Air -- 1.2.1 Early Balloon Pictures -- 1.2.2 The Space Research -- 1.2.2.1 The First Attempts -- 1.2.2.2 The Manned Flights -- 1.2.2.3 The Earth Observatory -- 1.2.2.4 Infrared Images -- 1.3 The Earth-Moon System -- 1.4 The Solar System -- 1.4.1 General Characteristics -- 1.4.2 A View from the Edge -- 1.4.3 Our Environment -- 1.4.3.1 Nearby Stars -- 1.4.3.2 The Gaseous and Dusty Neighbourhood -- 1.4.3.3 The Galaxy -- References -- 2 The Earth in Time -- 2.1 The Earth at the Present Time -- 2.1.1 The Interior -- 2.1.1.1 Inner Core -- 2.1.1.2 Outer Core -- 2.1.1.3 Mantle -- 2.1.1.4 Lithosphere -- 2.1.1.5 Energy Budget -- 2.1.2 Plate Tectonics -- 2.1.3 The Atmosphere -- 2.1.4 Energy Balance of the Atmosphere -- 2.1.4.1 Albedo -- 2.1.4.2 The Planet's Mean Temperature -- 2.1.4.3 Greenhouse Gases -- 2.1.4.4 2D Models -- 2.2 The Precambrian Era (4,500-4,550 Ma BP) -- 2.2.1 The Formation of the Earth: The Hadean Era -- 2.2.1.1 The Moon and the Earth Rotation -- 2.2.1.2 Late Heavy Bombardment -- 2.2.1.3 The Early Crust and Mantle -- 2.2.1.4 The Young and Faint Sun -- 2.2.2 The Archaean and Proterozoic Times -- 2.2.2.1 The Origin and Development of Life -- 2.2.2.2 The Carbon Dioxide Cycle -- 2.2.2.3 Sea-Floor Spreading and Continental Growth -- 2.2.2.4 Greenhouse Gases and Paleoclimate -- 2.2.2.5 Oxygen, Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation -- 2.2.2.6 The Snowball Earth -- 2.3 The Phanerozoic Era -- 2.3.1 The Drift, Breakup and Assembly of the Continents -- 2.3.2 Supereruptions and Hot Spots -- 2.3.3 The Connection Temperature-Greenhouse Gases -- 2.3.4 Temporal Variations of the Magnetic Field -- 2.3.5 Mass Extinctions in the Fossil Record -- 2.3.5.1 Historical Introduction.
,
2.3.5.2 Biological Extinctions During the Phanerozoic Era -- 2.3.5.3 The K/T Extinction -- 2.4 The Quaternary -- 2.4.1 The Ice Ages -- 2.4.2 The Present Warming: The Anthropocene -- 2.5 The Future of Earth -- 2.5.1 The End of Life -- 2.5.2 The End of the Earth -- References -- 3 The Pale Blue Dot -- 3.1 Globally Integrated Observations of the Earth -- 3.1.1 Earth Orbiting Satellites -- 3.1.2 Observations from Long-range Spacecrafts -- 3.1.3 An Indirect View of the Earth: Earthshine -- 3.2 The Earth's Photometric Variability in Reflected Light -- 3.2.1 Observational Data -- 3.2.2 Reflectance Models -- 3.2.3 The Earth's Light Curves -- 3.2.4 The Rotational Period -- 3.2.5 Cloudiness and Apparent Rotation -- 3.2.6 Glint Scattering -- 3.3 Earth's Infrared Photometry -- 3.4 Spectroscopy of Planet Earth -- 3.4.1 The Visible Spectrum -- 3.4.2 The Infrared Spectrum -- 3.4.3 The Earth's Transmission Spectrum -- 3.5 Polarimetry of Planet Earth -- 3.5.1 Linear Polarization -- 3.5.2 Circular Polarization -- References -- 4 The Outer Layers of the Earth -- 4.1 Temperature Profile and the Energy Balance -- 4.2 Stratosphere: The Ozone Layer -- 4.2.1 Natural Processes of Ozone Formation and Destruction -- 4.2.1.1 Ozone Formation -- 4.2.1.2 Ozone Destruction -- 4.2.1.3 Ozone Transport -- 4.3 Mesosphere -- 4.4 The Thermosphere -- 4.5 The Exosphere: Geocorona -- 4.6 Airglow -- 4.6.1 Nightglow -- 4.6.2 Dayglow -- 4.6.3 Twilight Airglow -- 4.7 The Ionosphere -- 4.7.1 General Structure -- 4.7.2 Ionosphere Indicators -- 4.7.3 Lightnings -- 4.8 The Magnetosphere -- 4.8.1 Description -- 4.8.2 Radiation Belts -- 4.8.3 Aurorae -- 4.9 Radio Emission of the Earth and Other Planets -- 4.10 The Earth in X-Rays -- 4.11 The Earth's Gamma Ray Emission -- 4.12 The Outer Layers of the Early Earth -- References -- 5 Biosignatures and the Search for Life on Earth.
,
5.1 The Physical Concept of Life -- 5.2 Astrobiology: New Perspectives for an Old Question -- 5.3 Requirements for Life -- 5.3.1 Biogenic Elements -- 5.3.2 A Solvent: Water -- 5.3.3 Energy Source -- 5.3.3.1 Solar Radiation: Photosynthesis -- 5.3.3.2 Chemical Energy -- 5.4 Biosignatures on Present Earth -- 5.4.1 Spectral Biosignatures in the Atmosphere -- 5.4.1.1 Atmospheric Carbon dioxide, Water Vapour and Ozone: The Triple Fingerprint -- 5.4.1.2 Other Atmospheric Biosignatures -- 5.4.2 Chlorophyll and Other Spectral Biosignatures of the Planetary Surface: The Red Edge -- 5.4.3 Chirality and Polarization as Biosignatures -- 5.5 Biosignatures on Early-Earth -- 5.6 Life in the Universe -- 5.6.1 Circumstellar Habitable Zone -- 5.6.1.1 Stellar Constraints -- 5.6.1.2 M Stars and Tidal Locking -- 5.6.1.3 Planetary Constraints -- 5.6.1.4 The Continuously Habitable Zone -- 5.6.2 Additional Constraints for Habitability -- 5.6.2.1 Short-term Stellar Variability -- 5.6.2.2 Ultraviolet and Ionizing Radiation -- 5.6.3 Galactic Habitable Zone -- 5.7 Signatures of Technological Civilizations -- 5.7.1 Night Lights -- 5.7.2 Spectral Features -- 5.7.3 Artificial Radioemission -- 5.7.4 Nuclear Explosions -- 5.7.5 Extraterrestrial Pulses -- References -- 6 Detecting Extrasolar Earth-like Planets -- 6.1 First Attempts to Discover Exoplanets -- 6.2 The Mass Limit: From Brown Dwarfs to Giant Planets -- 6.2.1 The Brown Dwarf Desert -- 6.3 The Detection of Earth-like Planets: A Complex Problem -- 6.3.1 Brightness Ratio -- 6.3.2 Angular Distance -- 6.4 Methods for the Detection of Exoplanets -- 6.4.1 Indirect Detection of Exoplanets -- 6.4.1.1 Astrometry -- 6.4.1.2 Radial Velocity -- 6.4.1.3 Pulsar Timing -- 6.4.1.4 Microlensing Events -- 6.4.1.5 Transits -- 6.4.1.6 Differential Spectro-photometry During Transits -- 6.4.1.7 Miscellaneous Indirect Detection Methods.
,
6.4.2 Direct Observations of Exoplanets -- 6.4.2.1 Coronagraphy -- 6.4.2.2 Nulling Interferometry -- 6.4.2.3 Polarimetry -- 6.5 The Next 20 Years -- References -- 7 The Worlds Out There -- 7.1 Definition of a Planet -- 7.2 Our Solar System -- 7.2.1 General Facts -- 7.2.2 Chemical Abundances in the Solar System -- 7.2.3 Giant Planets -- 7.2.4 Terrestrial Planets -- 7.2.5 Dwarf Planets and Other Minor Bodies -- 7.2.5.1 Asteroid Belt -- 7.2.5.2 Kuiper Belt -- 7.2.5.3 Oort Cloud -- 7.3 Planetary Atmospheres -- 7.4 Statistical Properties of the Extrasolar Giant Planets -- 7.4.1 Mass Distribution -- 7.4.2 Hot Jupiters -- 7.4.3 Eccentric Planets -- 7.4.4 Role of the Metallicity -- 7.4.5 Stellar Masses -- 7.5 Types of Terrestrial Planets -- 7.5.1 Rocky Planets -- 7.5.2 Super-Earths -- 7.5.2.1 Internal Structure -- 7.5.2.2 Surface Appearance and Habitability -- 7.5.3 Carbon-Oxygen Ratio: The Carbon Planets -- 7.5.4 Super-Mercuries -- 7.5.5 Planets Around Pulsars in Metal-Poor Environments -- 7.5.6 Terrestrial Planets Around Giant Planets:The Rocky Moons -- 7.5.7 Free-Floating Planets -- 7.6 Characterization of Exoplanets -- 7.6.1 Mass-Radius Relationships -- 7.6.2 Atmospheres of Exoplanets -- 7.6.2.1 HD 189733b -- 7.6.2.2 HD 209458b -- 7.6.2.3 Terrestrial Planets -- 7.6.3 Radio Emission of Exoplanets -- 7.7 Terraformed Planets -- 7.8 Expect the Unexpected -- References -- 8 Extrasolar Planetary Systems -- 8.1 The Origin of the Solar System: Early Attempts -- 8.1.1 Nebular Theory -- 8.1.2 Catastrophic Theories -- 8.2 Formation of Planetary Systems -- 8.2.1 Stellar Formation -- 8.2.2 The Early Accretion Phase -- 8.2.3 The Protoplanetary and Debris Disks -- 8.2.4 Formation of Giant Planets -- 8.2.5 Formation of Terrestrial Planets -- 8.3 Planetary Orbits -- 8.3.1 Basic Orbital Elements -- 8.3.2 Keplerian Orbits -- 8.3.3 Harmony and Chaos.
,
8.3.3.1 Historical Background -- 8.3.4 Relevant Parameters of Dynamical Stability -- 8.3.4.1 Uncertainty -- 8.3.5 Resonances in Planetary Systems -- 8.3.5.1 Laplace Resonances -- 8.3.5.2 Kirkwood Gaps -- 8.3.5.3 Spin-Orbit Resonance -- 8.3.6 Lagrangian Points -- 8.4 The Dynamically Habitable Zone -- 8.5 Architecture of Planetary Systems -- 8.5.1 Systems with Hot Jupiters: The Planetary Migration -- 8.5.1.1 Planetesimal-driven Migration -- 8.5.1.2 Planet-Planet Scattering -- 8.5.1.3 The LHB Event and the Nice Model -- 8.5.1.4 Interaction with a Distant Companion Star -- 8.5.1.5 Gas Disk Migration -- 8.5.1.6 Stopping the Migration -- 8.5.1.7 Survival of Terrestrial Planets -- 8.5.2 Binary Systems -- 8.5.3 Multiple Planetary Systems -- 8.5.3.1 Gliese 581 -- 8.5.3.2 Gliese 876 -- 8.5.3.3 Upsilon Andromeda (HD 9826) -- 8.5.3.4 55 Cancri (HD 75732) -- 8.5.3.5 47 UMa (HD 95128) -- 8.5.3.6 HD 69830 -- 8.5.3.7 HD160691 ( Arae) -- 8.5.3.8 HD 40307 -- 8.6 Violence and Harmony -- References -- 9 Is Our Environment Special? -- 9.1 Is the Sun Anomalous? -- 9.1.1 Singularity -- 9.1.2 Mass -- 9.1.3 Location -- 9.1.4 Age -- 9.1.5 Chemical Composition: Metallicity -- 9.1.6 Magnetic Activity -- 9.1.7 Solar Analogs -- 9.2 Is the Solar System Unique? -- 9.2.1 Nature vs. Nurture -- 9.2.1.1 Formation -- 9.2.1.2 Stellar Encounters -- 9.2.1.3 Gravitational Interactions: LHB Events -- 9.2.1.4 Mercury: The Achilles Heel -- 9.2.2 Debris Disks -- 9.2.3 The Energetic Environment -- 9.2.4 Solar System Analogs -- 9.3 Is the Earth Something Special? -- 9.3.1 Habitability -- 9.3.2 Variations of Orbital Parameters -- 9.3.3 Presence of a Large Satellite -- 9.4 The Ultimate Factor: Life -- References -- Index.
Permalink
