Introduction to planetary science : the geological perspective

Preface 1. The urge to explore 2. From speculation to understanding 3. The planets of the solar system 4. Life and death of stars 5. Origin of the solar system 6. The earth: model of planetary evolution 7. The clockwork of the solar system 8. Meteorites and impact craters 9. The Earth-Moon system 10. Mercury: too hot for comfort 11. Venus: planetary evolution gone bad 12. Mars: the little planet that could 13. Asteroids: shattered worlds 14. Jupiter: heavy-weight champion 15. Galilean satellites: jewels of the solar system 16. Saturn: the beauty of rings 17. Titan: an ancient world in deep freeze 18. Uranus: what happened here? 19. Neptune: more surprises 20. Pluto and Charon: the odd couple 21. Ice worlds at the outer limit 22. Comets: coming inside from the cold 23. Earth: the cradle of humans 24. Brown-dwarf stars and extrasolar planets Appendix I. Mathematical equations used in astronomy Appendix II. Summaries of physical and orbital parameters Glossary Author Index Subject Index