Stardust: The Cosmic Seeds of Life (Astronomers' Universe)

Kwok, Sun

ISBN 10: 3642328016 / ISBN 13: 9783642328015

Edité par Springer, New York, NY, 2013

A propos de cet article

Minor edge and corner wear; lightly scuffed and scratched; spine is gently creased; some light shelf wear; ex-library with the usual library markings; overall a nice used copy! Full-color pictorial wrapper with yellow and white lettering. 267 informative and educational pages nicely enhanced by black and white and full-color photographs and illustrations! "In accessible, informative language, this book describes stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science showing that complex organic compounds, formed in and ejected from old stars, could have played a central role in the origin of life on Earth.".

N° de réf. du vendeur 052957

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Stardust: The Cosmic Seeds of Life (Astronomers' Universe)
• Éditeur: Springer, New York, NY
• Date de parution: 2013
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 3642328016
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9783642328015
• Reliure: Soft cover
• Édition: 1st Edition
• Impression: 1st Printing
• État de l'article: Good
• Poids: 16 onces

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

How did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of a chemical reaction involving simple molecules such as methane and ammonia cooking in a primordial soup. Recent space observations have revealed that old stars are capable of making very complex organic compounds. At some point in their evolution, stars eject those organics and spread them all over the Milky Way galaxy. There is evidence that these organic dust particles actually reached the early Solar System. Through bombardments by comets and asteroids, the young Earth inherited significant amounts of stardust. Was the development of life assisted by the arrival of these extraterrestrial materials?

In this book, the author describes stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science made over the last 10 years that have yielded a new perspective on the origin of life.

Other interesting topics discussed in this book

• The discovery of diamonds and other gemstones in space
• The origin of oil
• Neon signs and fluorescent lights in space
• Smoke from the stars
• Stardust in our hands
• Where oceans come from
• The possibility of bacteria in space

À propos de l?auteur

Sun Kwok is a leading world authority on the subject of astrochemistry and stellar evolution. He is best known for his theory on the origin of planetary nebulae and the death of Sun-like stars. His recent research has been on the topic of the synthesis of complex organic compounds in the late stages of stellar evolution. He is the author of a number of books, including Cosmic Butterflies: The Colorful Mysteries of Planetary Nebulae.