Solar and Extra-Solar Planetary Systems: Lectures Held at the Astrophysics School XI Organized by the European Astrophysics Doctoral Network (EADN)in The Burren, Ballyvaughn, Ireland, 7–18 September 1998

Iwan P. Williams (auth.), Iwan P. Williams, Nicolas Thomas (eds.)3540425594, 9783540425595

Both the high level of activity in worldwide space exploration programmes and the discovery of extra-solar planets have spurred renewed interest in the physics and evolution dynamics of solar systems. The present book has grown out of a set of lectures by leading experts in the field within the framework of the well-known EADN summer schools. It addresses primarily graduate students and young researchers but will be equally useful for scientists in search of a comprehensive tutorial account that goes beyond the material found in standard textbooks.

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Table of contents :
Introduction — Solar and Extra-Solar Planetary Systems….Pages 1-2
The Solar System: An Overview….Pages 3-11
Setting the Scene: A Star Formation Perspective….Pages 12-34
Extrasolar Planets: A Review of Current Observations and Theory….Pages 35-53
The Giant Planets….Pages 54-75
The Formation of Planets….Pages 76-90
Dynamics of the Solar System….Pages 91-152
Photometry of Resolved Planetary Surfaces….Pages 153-163
Mercury — Goals for a Future Mission….Pages 164-172
Physical Processes Associated with Planetary Satellites….Pages 173-190
Light Scattering in the Martian Atmosphere: Effects on Surface Photometry….Pages 191-204
The Small Bodies of the Solar System….Pages 205-217
Dust in the Solar System and in Other Planetary Systems….Pages 218-242
Meteors, Meteor Showers and Meteoroid Streams….Pages 243-255