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Chaos theory plays an important role in modern physics and related sciences, but -, the most important results so far have been obtained in the study of gravitational systems applied to celestial mechanics. The present set of lectures introduces the mathematical methods used in the theory of singularities in gravitational systems, reviews modeling techniques for the simulation of close encounters and presents the state of the art about the study of diffusion of comets, wandering asteroids, meteors and planetary ring particles. The book will be of use to researchers and graduate students alike.

Terms such as "expanding Universe", "big bang", and "initial singularity", are nowadays part of our common language. The idea that the Universe we observe today originated from an enormous explosion (big bang) is now well known and widely accepted, at all levels, in modern popular culture. But what happens to the Universe before the big bang? And would it make any sense at all to ask such a question? In fact, recent progress in theoretical physics, and in particular in String Theory, suggests answers to the above questions, providing us with mathematical tools able in principle to reconstruct the history of the Universe even for times before the big bang.

In the emerging cosmological scenario the Universe, at the epoch of the big bang, instead of being a "new born baby" was actually a rather "aged" creature in the middle of its possibly infinitely enduring evolution. The aim of this book is to convey this picture in non-technical language accessibile also to non-specialists. The author, himself a leading cosmologist, draws attention to ongoing and future observations that might reveal relics of an era before the big bang.

Richly illustrated with full-color images, this book is a comprehensive, up-to-date description of the planets, their moons, and recent exoplanet discoveries. This second edition of a now classic reference is brought up to date with fascinating new discoveries from 12 recent Solar System missions. Examples include water on the Moon, volcanism on Mercury's previously unseen half, vast buried glaciers on Mars, geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus, lakes of hydrocarbons on Titan, encounter with asteroid Itokawa, and sample return from comet Wild 2. The book is further enhanced by hundreds of striking new images of the planets and moons. Written at an introductory level appropriate for undergraduate and high-school students, it provides fresh insights that appeal to anyone with an interest in planetary science. A website hosted by the author contains all the images in the book with an overview of their importance. A link to this can be found at www.cambridge.org/solarsystem.

Guiding the reader through all the stages that lead to the formation of a star such as our Sun, this advanced textbook provides students with a complete overview of star formation. It examines the underlying physical processes that govern the evolution from a molecular cloud core to a main-sequence star, and focuses on the formation of solar-mass stars. Each chapter combines theory and observation, helping readers to connect with and understand the theory behind star formation. Beginning with an explanation of the interstellar medium and molecular clouds as sites of star formation, subsequent chapters address the building of typical stars and the formation of high-mass stars, concluding with a discussion of the by-products and consequences of star formation. This is a unique, self-contained text with sufficient background information for self-study, and is ideal for students and professional researchers alike.

This book contains the proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Symposium no. 225, held in July 2004 at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Lausanne, Switzerland. The meeting focused on the applications of gravitational lensing to cosmological physics, and this book summarizes the most recent theoretical and observational developments. Written by leading scientists in the field, the book is a valuable resource for professional astronomers and graduate students in astronomy, physics and astro-particle physics.

The untold story of Dudley Wolfe and Americas ill-fated 1939 expedition to the roof of the world. In 1939 the Savage Mountain claimed its first victim. Born into vast wealth yet uneasy with a life of leisure, Dudley Wolfe, of Boston and Rockport, Maine, set out to become the first man to climb K2, the worlds second-highest mountain and, in the opinion of mountaineers, an even more formidable challenge than Mt. Everest. Although close to middle age and inexperienced at high altitude, Wolfe, with the team leader, made it higher than any other members of the expedition, but he couldnt get back down. Suffering from altitude sickness and severe dehydration, he was abandoned at nearly 25,000 feet; it would be another sixty-three years before Jennifer Jordan discovered his remains. In a story where The Great Gatsby meets Into Thin Air, readers follow Wolfe from the salons of Europe to the most forbidding landscape on earth. Wolfe went to K2 to find his own strength, only to encounter his teammates lethal weaknesses in a place called the Death Zone. 16 pages of photographs

Praise for the hardcover edition: BEST BOOKS 2007, JUNIOR HIGH AND YOUNG ADULTS, ASTRONOMY "Simply put, this book is a real gem." -- Science Books and Films "A glorious vision of the universe." -- American Reference Books Annual 300 Astronomical Objects is a handy and comprehensive reference to the most interesting celestial objects. It takes readers on a photographic tour through the galaxy, from its solar core to its outer limits, stopping to view all the highlights and give the very latest data about the universe. Convenient sidebars with each entry provide up-to-date facts and figures on every object, including mass, magnitude, density, radius, rotation period, and surface and core temperatures. An annotated cross-section of the object enhances this information, and a full-color photograph brings the object to life. Additional spreads bring together and explain related objects and phenomena. For example, the corresponding pages for the sun include solar power, sunspots and solar flares. Others examples include: Mercury and its surface The asteroid belt and 433 Eros Jupiter and its moons, including Io, Europa and Callista Uranus and its rings and moons, including Ariel and Titania Outer belts and comets, such as Halley's comet, and the Deep Impact mission Space telescopes, including the International Space Station. 300 Astronomical Objects is a beautiful and handy reference for the amateur astronomer.

In this brand-new paperback edition, acclaimed science authors John and Mary Gribbin, together with the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, offer a stunning visual tour of the universe that begins on Earth and blasts off for the Moon, the Sun, the Solar System, the Milky Way, and beyond. From the Big Bang, to the mysteries of black holes and dark matter, to the possibility of alien life, this accessible and stimulating guide--enhanced with extraordinary photographs and artist's renderings--is the next best thing to a seat aboard the International Space Station.

This book is a comprehensive description of hybrid plasma simulation models and will provide a very useful summary and guide to the vast literature on this topic. It addresses researchers and graduate students knowledgeable about computational science and numerical analysis, and can be used in courses on astrophysical and space plasmas. It is also meant for plasma installation designers. The coupled Vlasov--Maxwell equations with collisions describing well the physical system are far too heavy for numerical siumulations. Hybrid models treat some aspects kinetically and some as fluids. In the first part the author discusses hybrid codes, which include a wide spectrum of description for ions, positrons, dust grains, atoms and electrons. In the second part he treats the applications to basic plasma phenomena like particle acceleration and dissipation processes as well as to the global interaction of the solar wind with nonmagnetic planets, comets, and the local interstellar medium.