The Origin and Evolution of the Solar System

The Origin and Evolution of the Solar System begins by describing historical (pre-1950) theories and illustrating why they became unacceptable. The main part of the book critically examines five extant theories, including the current paradigm, the solar nebula theory, to determine how well they fit with accepted scientific principles and observations. This analysis shows that the solar nebula theory satisfies the principles and observational constraints no better than its predecessors. The capture theory put forward by the author fares better and also indicates an initial scenario leading to a causal series of events that explain all the major features of the solar system.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part 1 The general background: The structure of the solar system. Observations and theories of star formation. What should a theory explain? Part 2 Setting the theoretical scene: Theories up to 1960. Part 3 Current theories: A brief survey of modern theories. The Sun, planets and satellites. Planetary orbits and angular momentum. A planetary collision. The Moon. Smaller planets and irregular satellites. Asteroids, meteorites and comets. Part 4 The current state of theories: Comparisons of the main theories. Appendices.

Über den Autor / die Autorin

Michael M. Woolfson

Zusammenfassung

Describes historical (pre-1950) theories about solar system and illustrates why they became unacceptable. This book also critically examines extant theories, including the solar nebula theory, to determine how well they fit with accepted scientific principles and observations.

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Michael M. Woolfson, Michael M. (University of York Woolfson
• Verlag: Taylor and Francis
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Taschenbuch
• Erschienen: 01.01.2000
• EAN: 9780750304580
• ISBN: 978-0-7503-0458-0
• Seiten: 436
• Gewicht: 780 g
• Serie: Series in Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Themen: Naturwissenschaften, Medizin, Informatik, Technik > Physik, Astronomie > Allgemeines, Lexika; SCIENCE / History, Astrophysics, SCIENCE / Physics / Astrophysics, History of Science, Solar system: the Sun & planets, Solar system: the Sun and planets, SCIENCE / Space Science / Astronomy