This all-new and long-awaited sequel to Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan's international bestseller Cosmos takes readers to worlds only now emerging with the advent of new technologies. With lucid prose that recalls the best-selling and beloved Cosmos, Ann Druyan takes readers on an extraordinary journey through the vast and unexplored realms of Earth and space, past and future, fact and imagination. Written and published in coordination with the sensational international television debut of a second season of National Geographic's Cosmos, Cosmos: Possible Worlds travels through more than 14 billion years of cosmic evolution and into an astonishing future where probes travel by light beams to distant stars, helping us solve enduring mysteries of our origins and dream of an unimaginable time ahead. Along the way, we meet the colorful characters who push beyond the boundaries of knowledge—both the little-known but monumental visionaries of the past and the scientists whose work is shaping our future. Color photographs, art, and diagrams based on graphics created for the television series—plus a foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson, best-selling author, wildly popular science commentator, and host of Cosmos on the National Geographic Channel—complete this highly anticipated package.

Over the past twenty years, astronomers have identified hundreds of extrasolar planets--planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Recent research in this burgeoning field has made it possible to observe and measure the atmospheres of these exoplanets. This is the first textbook to describe the basic physical processes--including radiative transfer, molecular absorption, and chemical processes--common to all planetary atmospheres, as well as the transit, eclipse, and thermal phase variation observations that are unique to exoplanets. In each chapter, Sara Seager offers a conceptual introduction, examples that combine the relevant physics equations with real data, and exercises. Topics range from foundational knowledge, such as the origin of atmospheric composition and planetary spectra, to more advanced concepts, such as solutions to the radiative transfer equation, polarization, and molecular and condensate opacities. Since planets vary widely in their atmospheric properties, Seager emphasizes the major physical processes that govern all planetary atmospheres. Moving from first principles to cutting-edge research, Exoplanet Atmospheres is an ideal resource for students and researchers in astronomy and earth sciences, one that will help prepare them for the next generation of planetary science. The first textbook to describe exoplanet atmospheres Illustrates concepts using examples grounded in real data Provides a step-by-step guide to understanding the structure and emergent spectrum of a planetary atmosphere Includes exercises for students

The beginning of the 21st century is a watershed in modern science, a time that will forever change our understanding of the universe, Susskind contends. Several decades ago, he introduced the revolutionary concept of string theory to the world of physical science. In doing so, he inspired a generation of physicists who believed that the theory would uniquely predict the properties of our universe. Now, in his first book, Susskind argues that the very idea of such an "elegant theory" no longer suits our understanding of the universe, and that our narrow 20th-century view of a unique universe will have to give way to the much broader concept of a gigantic cosmic landscape--a megaverse, pregnant with new possibilities.--[Résumé de l'éditeur].

Flying Saucers and Science is a comprehensive look at the scientific data on the flying saucer phenomenon. Nuclear physicist and lecturer Stanton T. Friedman has distilled more than 40 years of research on UFOs, and shares his work on a wide variety of classified advanced nuclear and space systems. He answers a number of physics questions in layman's terms, and establishes that travel to nearby stars is within reach, without violating the laws of physics. This book presents intriguing data from a number of large-scale scientific UFO studies that almost no one has discussed in detail. It deals with ''why'' questions, such as reasons for a cover-up, reasons for aliens to come to Earth, and reasons for them not landing on the White House lawn. Friedman unveils the SETI program and details the antipathy of science-fiction writers to UFOs. He also reviews false notions about those who believe in alien visitors and the adequacy of coverage by media and the scientific community. After reading Flying Saucers and Science, you will never think the same way about UFOs again.

This book is a comprehensive and coherent introduction to the role of cosmic strings and other topological defects in the universe. After an introduction to standard cosmological theory and the theory of phase transitions in the early universe, the book then describes, in turn, the properties, formation, and cosmological implications of cosmic strings, monopoles, domain walls and textures. It concludes with a chapter considering the role of topological defects in inflationary universe models. Ample introductory material is included to make the book readily accessible. It will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.

1. Introduction.- 2. Observational Data.- 3. Celestial Mechanics Minimum.- 4. Elementary Particle Dynamics. I Rigid Body Collisions.- 5. Elementary Particle Dynamics. II Ring Cosmogony.- 6. Elementary Particle Dynamics. III Wave, Photometric, and Other Effects.- 7. Collective Dynamics of Disc Particles. I Formalism.- 8. Collective Dynamics of Disc Particles. II Stability Analysis.- 9. Resonance Effects in Planetary Rings. I Spiral Waves.- 10. Resonance Effects in Planetary Rings. II Narrow Ringlets and Satellites.- 11. Formation and Stability of the Uranian Rings.- 12. Origin, Dynamics, and Stability of the Neptunian Rings.- 13. Self-organisation of the Solar System.- 14. Space Studies of the Outer Planets.- Conclusion.- Appendices I. The Possibility of Studying the Dynamics of Astrophysical Discs in a Two-Dimensional Approach.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Original Equations for the "Volume" Functions.- 2.1 Initial Dynamic Equations.- 2.2 Equation of State.- 3. Derivation of the Basic Equations for the "Plane" Functions.- 3.1 Order-of-Magnitude Estimates of the Terms in the Initial Equations.- 3.2 The Two Limiting Cases of Astrophysical Discs.- 3.3 Limitations of the Characteristic Times of Processes Studied in the Two-Dimensional Approximation.- 3.4 Closed System of Integro-differential Equations for a Barotropic Disc.- 4. Closed Set of Differential Equations for a Polytropic Disc in an External Gravitational Field.- 4.1 Derivation of the Two-Dimensional Equations.- 5. Closed Set of Differential Equations for a Polytropic Self-gravitating Disc.- 5.1 Derivation of the Two-Dimensional Equations.- 5.2 Why Does the Gradient of the Plane Pressure Not Have the Physical Meaning of a Force?.- 6. Conclusion.- 1. Derivation of a Closed Set of Integro-differential Equations.- 2. Derivation of the Dispersion Equation Describing the Three-Dimensional Perturbations.- 4. Dispersion Relation for Waves in the Plane of the Disc.- 5. The Role of Perturbations Along the Rotation Axis.- 5.1 Condition for Neglecting Mass Transfer Along the Rotation Axis.- 5.1.1 General Case.- 5.1.2 Isothermal Disc.- 6. Conclusion.- III. Derivation of the Linearised Equations for Oscillations of a Viscous Disc.- 1. Derivation of the Linearised Equations for Oscillations of a Viscous Uniformly Rotating Disc.- 2. Derivation of the Linearised Equations for Oscillations of a Viscous Differentially Rotating Disc of Inelastic Particles with Account of External Matter Fluxes.- 3. Derivation of the General Dispersion Equation.- IV. Evaluating the Gravitational Potential Inside and Outside a Triaxial Ellipsoid.- 1. Potential Inside the Ellipsoid.- 2. Potential Outside the Ellipsoid.- V. A Drift Mechanism for the Formation of the Cassini Division.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Statement of the Problem.- 3. Derivation of the Non-linear Momentum Conservation Equations.- 4. Time-Averaged Non-linear Momentum Conservation Equations.- 5. Absence of Averaged Radial Mass Flux in a Dissipationless Disc. Large-Scale Convection.- 6. Radial Mass Transfer in a Viscous Disc.- 7. Evolution of the Surface Density of a Disc.- 8. Conditions for the Formation of Different Types of Resonant Structures: Gaps or Wavetrains?.- 9. Estimate of the Maximum Width of a Gap Produced by a Density Wave.- 10. Some Additional Remarks.- VI. Resonance Structures in Saturn's C Ring.- References.