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How to find a habitable planet / James Kasting.

By: Series: Science essentials (National Academy of Sciences (U.S.))Publication details: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2010.Description: xiv, 326 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cmISBN:
  • 9780691138053 (cloth : alk. paper)
  • 0691138052 (cloth : alk. paper)
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 576.8/39 22
LOC classification:
  • QB820 .K37 2010
Contents:
Past thinking about Earth-like planets and life -- Our habitable Planet Earth. Critical updates on how planets are built ; Long-term climate stability ; More wrinkles in Earth's climate history ; Runaway glaciation and "Snowball Earth" -- Limits to planetary habitability. Runaway greenhouses and the evolution of Venus' atmosphere ; The future evolution of Earth ; The Martian climate puzzle ; Is the Earth rare? ; Habitable zones around stars -- How to find another Earth. Indirect detection of planets around other stars ; Finding and characterizing planets by using transits ; Direct detection of extrasolar planets ; The spectroscopic search for life ; Prospects for the more distant future.
Review: "Ever 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."--BOOK JACKET.
Holdings
Item type Current library Shelving location Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode
Book Book NMC Library Stacks QB820 .K37 2010 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 33039001222172

Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-316) and index.

Past thinking about Earth-like planets and life -- Our habitable Planet Earth. Critical updates on how planets are built ; Long-term climate stability ; More wrinkles in Earth's climate history ; Runaway glaciation and "Snowball Earth" -- Limits to planetary habitability. Runaway greenhouses and the evolution of Venus' atmosphere ; The future evolution of Earth ; The Martian climate puzzle ; Is the Earth rare? ; Habitable zones around stars -- How to find another Earth. Indirect detection of planets around other stars ; Finding and characterizing planets by using transits ; Direct detection of extrasolar planets ; The spectroscopic search for life ; Prospects for the more distant future.

"Ever 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."--BOOK JACKET.

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