1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910820636503321

Autore

Gater Will

Titolo

The Cosmic Keyhole [[electronic resource] ] : How Astronomy Is Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe / / by Will Gater

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, NY : , : Springer New York : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2009

ISBN

1-282-36333-6

9786612363337

1-4419-0513-8

Edizione

[1st ed. 2009.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (261 p.)

Collana

Astronomers' Universe, , 1614-659X

Disciplina

523.1

Soggetti

Astronomy

Astrophysics

Planetology

Popular Science in Astronomy

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Outer space Exploration Popular works

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Water and the Search for Life in our Solar System -- The Hardiest Microbes on Earth -- The Hunt for Life Begins -- Where Does Water Flow? -- Our Active Solar System -- Cassini and Its Saturnian Adventure -- The Hidden Wanderers and a Cometary Meeting -- Worlds Around Other Stars -- Planetary Nurseries and Dusty Discs -- The Discovery of Extrasolar Planets -- The Universe at Large -- The Universe on a Grand Scale -- The Era of Hubble – From Disaster to Deep Field -- Star Life in Starlight -- Exotic Space.

Sommario/riassunto

It is 400 years since Galileo first turned the newly invented telescope towards the heavens and saw things that few had ever seen before. His discoveries, along with those of his contemporaries, completely changed our view of the world. Since that time, there have been many revolutions in our understanding of the universe, some perhaps even more revolutionary than the ones from Galileo’s time. In this book, Will Gater leads us through various recent advances in modern astronomy that have increased our understanding of the universe and seen it grow



from a single Solar System full of intriguing worlds to a galaxy filled with other star systems and their own planets — maybe even Earthlike worlds. This is a journey like no other. What you glimpse through Gater’s keyhole is vast, breathtakingly beautiful, and sometimes utterly bizarre, certainly unfamiliar to those of us on Terra Firma. From the desolate plains of Mars and the frozen moons of the outer Solar System, from the Milky Way to the ends of the universe, you will learn of wonders often hard to describe and sometimes even harder to fathom. And you, too, will come to know some of the enthralling secrets of the universe.