Alpha Centauri [electronic resource] : unveiling the secrets of our nearest stellar neighbor / Martin Beech.
2015
QB805
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Can lend chapters, not whole ebooks
Details
Title
Alpha Centauri [electronic resource] : unveiling the secrets of our nearest stellar neighbor / Martin Beech.
Author
Beech, Martin, 1959- author.
ISBN
9783319093727 electronic book
331909372X electronic book
9783319093710
331909372X electronic book
9783319093710
Published
Cham : Springer, [2015]
Copyright
©2015
Language
English
Description
1 online resource (xxiii, 297 pages) : illustrations (some color).
Item Number
10.1007/978-3-319-09372-7 doi
Call Number
QB805
Dewey Decimal Classification
523.8
Summary
As our closest stellar companion and composed of two Sun-like stars and a third small dwarf star, Alpha Centauri is an ideal testing ground of astrophysical models and has played a central role in the history and development of modern astronomyℓ́ℓfrom the first guesses at stellar distances to understanding how our own star, the Sun, might have evolved. It is also the host of the nearest known exoplanet, an ultra-hot, Earth-like planet recently discovered. Just 4.4 light years away Alpha Centauri is also the most obvious target for humanityℓ́ℓs first directed interstellar space probe. Such a mission could reveal the small-scale structure of a new planetary system and also represent the first step in what must surely be humanityℓ́ℓs greatest future adventureℓ́ℓexploration of the Milky Way Galaxy itself. For all of its closeness, ℓł Centauri continues to tantalize astronomers with many unresolved mysteries, such as how did it form, how many planets does it contain and where are they, and how might we view its extensive panorama directly? In this book we move from the study of individual stars to the study of our Solar System and our nearby galactic neighborhood. On the way we will review the rapidly developing fields of exoplanet formation and detection.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
Source of Description
Online resource; title from PDF title page (SpringerLink, viewed November 7, 2014).
Series
Astronomers' universe.
Available in Other Form
Print version: 9783319093710
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Table of Contents
Discovery, Dynamics, Distance and Place
Stellar Properties and the Making of Planets: Theories and Observations
What the Future Holds.- Appendix I: The Magnitude Scale and Stellar Classification
Appendix II: Stellar Motion and Closest Approach
Appendix III: The Orbit and Location of a Cen B.
Stellar Properties and the Making of Planets: Theories and Observations
What the Future Holds.- Appendix I: The Magnitude Scale and Stellar Classification
Appendix II: Stellar Motion and Closest Approach
Appendix III: The Orbit and Location of a Cen B.