John Davies

Beyond Pluto (eBook, PDF)

Exploring the Outer Limits of the Solar System

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

In the ten years preceding publication, the known solar system more than doubled in size. For the first time in almost two centuries an entirely new population of planetary objects was found. This 'Kuiper Belt' of minor planets beyond Neptune revolutionised our understanding of the solar system's formation and finally explained the origin of the enigmatic outer planet Pluto. This is the fascinating story of how theoretical physicists decided that there must be a population of unknown bodies beyond Neptune and how a small band of astronomers set out to find them. What they discovered was a family of ancient planetesimals whose orbits and physical properties were far more complicated than anyone expected. We follow the story of this discovery, and see how astronomers, theoretical physicists and one incredibly dedicated amateur observer came together to explore the frozen boundary of the solar system.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Cambridge University Press
• Erscheinungstermin: 19. Juli 2001
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780511032141
• Artikelnr.: 38183380

Autorenporträt

John Davies was born and raised in Port Talbot, South Wales, and began writing in 2002 when he retired after thirty years as a chemist with BP Chemicals, Baglan Bay. John says that he only started writing for children after his granddaughter Freya was born in 2010. John now has two other grandchildren: Ayla, born in February 2013, and Osian, born in December 2015. John has previously published works with a strong Welsh influence, including Hewl: Stori Geraint Griffiths and Chester to Chepstow, and the children's picture book, Trevor the One-Eyed Tractor. Darren the Dragon, published in 2013, was the first of a popular series of children's books released by John. A further three books have been released since, the most recent being Darren and the Duke of Darkness. John also published his first children's poetry collection, How to be a Dog, in 2014. John intends to concentrate on these genres, as he believes they satisfy his childish nature!

Inhaltsangabe

Prologue
1. Towards the edge of the solar system
2. The centaurs
3. The mystery of the short period comets
4. Shooting in the dark
5. Deeper and deeper
6. Sorting out the dynamics
7. What are little planets made of?
8. Numbers and sizes
9. Things that go bump in the dark
10. Dust and disks
11. Where do we go from here?
12. Will we ever get our names right?
Appendix
Index.