When we look at a starry night sky, we are looking out through vast invisible expanses of our own Solar System. The planets, appearing as bright specks, have been revealed as worlds by space missions. However, the invisible spaces between them are equally interesting. Unseen forces, such as the effect of gravity, spiraling magnetic fields, and subatomic particles, originate from the Sun. Celestial bodies too small to see form unexpected patterns, while atoms and nuclei are hidden even if in our own bodies. Weaving the history of discovery with clear explanations, Invisible Solar System pulls back the cloak of invisibility under which myriad aspects of the local region of space are connected. Features: • Gravity, originally seen as an invisible force, is now revealed as a curvature of spacetime, and, even in its simple form, enables amazing patterns to form • The smallest particles have other structures that enable them to interact, powering the present Solar System while also giving clues to nuclear events past and present • Long-range forces of electricity and magnetism connect the Sun and planets, dominating the hot plasma gas of space while protecting us from cosmic rays via multiple layers of magnetic shields Martin Connors is a Professor of Astronomy, Mathematics, and Physics at Canada’s dominant distance education institution, Athabasca University. He is also affiliated with the planetary science group at Western University in London, Canada. He has authored numerous courses and scientific articles. His wide-ranging research has extended from the history of astronomy, through asteroids and their impact craters, to auroras and their magnetic effects. He has been a visiting professor at UCLA and at Nagoya University in Japan. When not doing scientific work, he reads about history, practices foreign languages, and blends photography with travel when possible.

A new frontier in our solar system opened with the discovery of the Kuiper Belt and the extensive population of icy bodies orbiting beyond Neptune. Today the study of all of these bodies, collectively referred to as trans-Neptunian objects, reveals them to be frozen time capsules from the earliest epochs of solar system formation. This new volume in the Space Science Series, with one hundred contributing authors, offers the most detailed and up-to-date picture of our solar systemÕs farthest frontier. Our understanding of trans-Neptunian objects is rapidly evolving and currently constitutes one of the most active research fields in planetary sciences. The Solar System Beyond Neptune brings the reader to the forefront of our current understanding and points the way to further advancement in the field, making it an indispensable resource for researchers and students in planetary science.

Richly illustrated with full-color images, this book is a comprehensive, up-to-date description of the planets, their moons, and recent exoplanet discoveries. This second edition of a now classic reference is brought up to date with fascinating new discoveries from 12 recent Solar System missions. Examples include water on the Moon, volcanism on Mercury's previously unseen half, vast buried glaciers on Mars, geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus, lakes of hydrocarbons on Titan, encounter with asteroid Itokawa, and sample return from comet Wild 2. The book is further enhanced by hundreds of striking new images of the planets and moons. Written at an introductory level appropriate for undergraduate and high-school students, it provides fresh insights that appeal to anyone with an interest in planetary science. A website hosted by the author contains all the images in the book with an overview of their importance. A link to this can be found at www.cambridge.org/solarsystem.

This book builds upon a wide variety of academic and professional resources to offer an in-depth analysis of the nature, causes, and consequences of major business and technology trends of our time. First, prospects for energy, commodities, water, food, and healthcare services are explored. Then, leading business transformations such as the sharing economy, Fourth Industrial Revolution, gig economy, and recent developments in the global economy are analyzed. Finally, innovation and emerging technologies including automation, robotics, connectivity, quantum computing, and new materials and energies are examined and their business implications are discussed. Major Business and Technology Trends Shaping the Contemporary World is a timely and relevant reference for business leaders, managers, students, and all those who are passionate about understanding our rapidly changing world.

What has Dark Matter got to do with your Afterlife? In 2006 Jay proposed that dark matter (which comprises about 85 per cent of the matter in the universe) could include self-interacting dark plasma. Subsequently, this proposal received support in the scientific literature. This has significant implications not only for the universe as a whole, but also planet Earth and its inhabitants. In recent years, scientists have pointed out to the life-like characteristics of plasma. How has this life-like dark plasma participated in human evolution? Does dark plasma provide the physical basis for your afterlife? Do we have dark plasma bodies which co-evolved with our ordinary matter bodies but are currently invisible to us? This book explores this in detail, while adhering to experimental data, with some surprising conclusions.