Destiny or Chance by Stuart Ross Taylor
Written by a leading planetary scientist, this book tells the remarkable story of how our solar system came into existence. It provides a fast-paced and expert tour of our new understanding of the Earth, its planetary neighbours and other planetary systems. We are shown why Mars is so small, where comets come from, how rings form around planets, why asteroids exist and why Pluto isn't a planet at all. En route we discover that chance events have shaped the course of the history of our solar system. Dramatic collisions, for example, have caused the tilts and spins of planets, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of man. Finally, we look at how suitable Earth is for harbouring life, what other planetary systems look like and whether we are alone in the cosmos. For all those interested in understanding our solar system, this is a lucid and compelling read.
'This book would make excellent background reading for astronomy students at both Bachelor and Masters level and gives enough pointers for them to be able to find more quantitative accounts as and when necessaryIt is also an excellent read for the interested lay person … I enjoyed reading it very much and I fully recommend it to other readers who wish to have an authoritative but understandable overview of our solar system.' Iwan Williams, Astronomy and Geophysics
'This book provides a fast-paced and expert tour through the new revolutions sweeping the study of Earth, its planetary neighbours, and other planetary systems. The author's viewpoint of our planetary system's uniqueness is essential reading for those who seek to understand our place in the universe.' Jonathan I. Lunine, University of Arizona
' … [contains a] wealth of factual information on the solar system … supplied with the solid authority of a lifetime's experience in planetological research, backed by impressive international plausits.' Edwin Budding, Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand
' … an accessible, readable format, he includes many historical titbits and a multitude of marvellous facts and figures.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
'This is a book that should be read by anyone who wants to be a scientist, is a scientist, or is interested in science.' Simon Conway Morris, Geological Magazine
'… I found this a very readable book' Linda Fowler, The Open University Geological Society
'A very easily read volume and a useful reference - a good buy!' Peter D. Mata, Spaceflight
'This is just a wonderful book … this is not just another descriptive book about the solar system, but a book that explores the implications of that description … The book can be profitably read, I would think, by anyone from motivated high school students to professional scientists. It can most profitably be read by those who don't already understand the historical sciences.' Graham Ryder, Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin
'This is just a wonderful book … This is not just another descriptive book about the solar system, but a book that explores he implications of that description … Ross Taylor … is a fine writer - the essay-style prose runs easily, the accompanying images play their part, and the text is interwoven with fine interesting asides, especially historical ones (not too many planetary texts caan fluently bring in notes about Haydn).' Graham Ryder, Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin
'… fascinating questions form the core of Taylor's book … benefits from an accessible and engaging tone.' BBC Sky at Night
'This book provides a fast-paced and expert tour through the new revolutions sweeping the study of Earth, its planetary neighbours, and other planetary systems. The author's viewpoint of our planetary system's uniqueness is essential reading for those who seek to understand our place in the universe.' Jonathan I. Lunine, University of Arizona
' … [contains a] wealth of factual information on the solar system … supplied with the solid authority of a lifetime's experience in planetological research, backed by impressive international plausits.' Edwin Budding, Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand
' … an accessible, readable format, he includes many historical titbits and a multitude of marvellous facts and figures.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
'This is a book that should be read by anyone who wants to be a scientist, is a scientist, or is interested in science.' Simon Conway Morris, Geological Magazine
'… I found this a very readable book' Linda Fowler, The Open University Geological Society
'A very easily read volume and a useful reference - a good buy!' Peter D. Mata, Spaceflight
'This is just a wonderful book … this is not just another descriptive book about the solar system, but a book that explores the implications of that description … The book can be profitably read, I would think, by anyone from motivated high school students to professional scientists. It can most profitably be read by those who don't already understand the historical sciences.' Graham Ryder, Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin
'This is just a wonderful book … This is not just another descriptive book about the solar system, but a book that explores he implications of that description … Ross Taylor … is a fine writer - the essay-style prose runs easily, the accompanying images play their part, and the text is interwoven with fine interesting asides, especially historical ones (not too many planetary texts caan fluently bring in notes about Haydn).' Graham Ryder, Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin
'… fascinating questions form the core of Taylor's book … benefits from an accessible and engaging tone.' BBC Sky at Night
Taylor, Stuart Ross: - Stuart Ross Taylor is a trace element geologist and an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University. His research has covered wide-ranging topics involving trace element geochemistry, from the composition and evolution of the Moon, to tektites and the continental crust of the Earth. He has a DSc from the University of Oxford, is a Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Sciences and has received the Goldschmidt Medal of the Geochemical Society, the Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Society and the Bucher Medal of the American Geophysical Union. Professor Taylor is the author of 240 scientific papers and nine books, including Planetary Crusts (with Scott McLennan, 2008) which won the 2010 Mary Ansari Best Reference Award of the Geoscience Information Society. He carried out the initial analysis of the first lunar sample returned to Earth at NASA, Houston in 1969 and Asteroid 5670 is named Rosstaylor in his honour.
| SKU | Nicht verfügbar |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521785211 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521785219 |
| Titel | Destiny or Chance |
| Autor | Stuart Ross Taylor |
| Buchzustand | Nicht verfügbar |
| Bindungsart | Paperback |
| Verlag | Cambridge University Press |
| Erscheinungsjahr | 2000-10-25 |
| Seitenanzahl | 248 |
| Hinweis auf dem Einband | Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden. |
| Hinweis | Nicht verfügbar |