An astonishing exploration of planet formation and the origins of life by one of the world’s most innovative planetary geologists. In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 took the first photos of the far side of the moon. Even in their poor resolution, the images stunned scientists: the far side is an enormous mountainous expanse, not the vast lava-plains seen from Earth. Subsequent missions have confirmed this in much greater detail. How could this be, and what might it tell us about our own place in the universe? As it turns out, quite a lot. Fourteen billion years ago, the universe exploded into being, creating galaxies and stars. Planets formed out of the leftover dust and gas that coalesced into larger and larger bodies orbiting around each star. In a sort of heavenly survival of the fittest, planetary bodies smashed into each other until solar systems emerged. Curiously, instead of being relatively similar in terms of composition, the planets in our solar system, and the comets, asteroids, satellites and rings, are bewitchingly distinct. So, too, the halves of our moon. In When the Earth Had Two Moons, esteemed planetary geologist Erik Asphaug takes us on an exhilarating tour through the farthest reaches of time and our galaxy to find out why. Beautifully written and provocatively argued, When the Earth Had Two Moons is not only a mind-blowing astronomical tour but a profound inquiry into the nature of life here—and billions of miles from home.

For centuries, astronomers have placed a special interest on the other planets of the solar system. But with the advent of spacecraft and the tremendous missions undertaken by the Voyager and Cassini probes, astronomers have discovered that the natural satellites of the planets—the solar system's moons—are some of the most extraordinary places imaginable. There are moons with towering geysers, erupting volcanoes, and subterranean oceans of warm, mineral-rich water. Some of the highest mountains and deepest canyons can be found on the moons. There are moons that have shattered into pieces and then reassembled. There is even a moon where it rains rocket fuel. Recently, scientists have turned to the moons for answers in their investigations of the origins of the solar system and the evolution of life on our own planet. Featuring full-color, scientifically accurate illustrations by NASA artist Ron Miller, Natural Satellites: The Book of Moons chronicles these investigations and the questions we have yet to answer in our exploration of the solar system's moons.

Provides an introduction to the bodies in our solar system so that young astronomers and explorers can learn to identify the nine planets and how to seek out the shapes in the sky that make up the constellations. Simultaneous.

Learn about our solar system in this science reader packed with NASA photos and space facts. For up-to-date information (including about Pluto and its fellow dwarf planets) and stellar photos and illustrations, kids eager for mind-blowing non-fiction need look no further!

Can we detect the moons of extrasolar planets? For two decades, astronomers have made enormous progress in the detection and characterisation of exoplanetary systems but the identification of an "exomoon" is notably absent. In this thesis, David Kipping shows how transiting planets may be used to infer the presence of exomoons through deviations in the time and duration of the planetary eclipses. A detailed account of the transit model, potential distortions, and timing techniques is covered before the analytic forms for the timing variations are derived. It is shown that habitable-zone exomoons above 0.2 Earth-masses are detectable with the Kepler space telescope using these new timing techniques.

From September 2007 to June 2008 the Space Studies Board conducted an international public seminar series, with each monthly talk highlighting a different topic in space and Earth science. The principal lectures from the series are compiled in Forging the Future of Space Science. The topics of these events covered the full spectrum of space and Earth science research, from global climate change, to the cosmic origins of life, to the exploration of the Moon and Mars, to the scientific research required to support human spaceflight. The prevailing messages throughout the seminar series as demonstrated by the lectures in this book are how much we have accomplished over the past 50 years, how profound are our discoveries, how much contributions from the space program affect our daily lives, and yet how much remains to be done. The age of discovery in space and Earth science is just beginning. Opportunities abound that will forever alter our destiny.