Introduction to Planetary Science: The Geological Perspective

Preface1. The urge to explore2. From speculation to understanding3. The planets of the solar system4. Life and death of stars5. Origin of the solar system6. The earth: model of planetary evolution7. The clockwork of the solar system8. Meteorites and impact craters9. The Earth-Moon system10. Mercury: too hot for comfort11. Venus: planetary evolution gone bad12. Mars: the little planet that could13. Asteroids: shattered worlds14. Jupiter: heavy-weight champion15. Galilean satellites: jewels of the solar system16. Saturn: the beauty of rings17. Titan: an ancient world in deep freeze18. Uranus: what happened here? 19. Neptune: more surprises20. Pluto and Charon: the odd couple21. Ice worlds at the outer limit22. Comets: coming inside from the cold23. Earth: the cradle of humans24. Brown-dwarf stars and extrasolar planetsAppendix I. Mathematical equations used in astronomyAppendix II. Summaries of physical and orbital parametersGlossaryAuthor IndexSubject Index