The Solar System

INDEX 637

Coronagraph, 143, 146 , 147
Coronal holes, 160, 163
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), 161, 163
Cosmic microwave background
radiation, 182
Cosmic rays, 119
Coulomb barrier, 152
Coulomb force, 124
Cratering, impact, 427
by asteroids, 574–578
on asteroids, 559, 560
by comets, 575–576, 578
late heavy bombardment and, 452
on Mars, 482
on Mercury, 402, 461
on moon, 402, 444, 446–447, 451, 452
overview of, 401, 402
on Phobos/Deimos, 489
regolith and, 451
secondary, 444, 446
on Venus, 468–469
Craters, Earth
Barringer Crater, 574
Chicxulub Crater, 577
Critical point, 496
Crust, 431
Earth’s active, 431, 432–433, 434–435
Terrestrial planets and, 426
C-type asteroids, 564 –565

D
Dark-line spectra, 130, 132
Data manipulation, 469
Davida, 559
Davis, Raymond, Jr., 153–154
Death, star
origins/mechanics of, 172–176
red dwarf, 154–155
Debris disks, 415
Deferent, 55, 57
Deimos, 489–490
Density, 136, 137
comet, 567
Earth, 428
Jupiter, 496
Mars, 477
Mercury, 455
moon, 443
Neptune, 540
photosphere, 143–144
Saturn, 511
solids condensation and, 408
sun, 144
uncompressed, 408
Uranus, 529
Venus, 465

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), 583

biological evolution and, 586

cell division and, 585

chemical compounds and, 584

RNA and, 583, 585

De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium

(Copernicus)

acceptance of, 60–61

diagram in, 60

planet motion in, 59–61

publishing of, 58–59

retrograde motion explained in, 59

as scientifi c revolution, 61

Descartes, René, 397–398

De Stella Nova (Brahe), 62

Deuterium, 151

Dialogo Sopra i Due Massimi del Mondo

(Galilei), 70

Diameter, angular, 18, 38–39

Diamond ring effect, 41 , 42

Differential rotation, 158

Differentiation, 410 , 427

Dione, 520

Direct collapse, 412

Discovery, accidental, 528

Disks

debris, 415

Jupiter regarding, 510

planet forming, 169, 171, 414–415

solar system shape and, 407, 412

DNA.See Deoxyribonucleic acid

Doppler effect, 137

blue/redshift and, 138–139

calculating, 139

sound and, 138

as wavelength shift, 137–138

Drake, Frank, 598

Drake equation, 598

Dust tail, 568

Dwarf planets, 546

family of, 546–547

history of, 548

Pluto, 544–546, 548

Dynamo effect, 158 , 431

E

Earth

active, 432–433, 434–435

age of, 405–406

Asteroid 2004 MN4 and, 578

asteroid impacts and, 576–578

atmosphere of, 433, 436–439

celestial sphere and, 16–19

Chicxulub Crater on, 577

climate, 25–27, 436–439

core of, 430–431

crust of, 431, 432–433, 434–435

Doppler effect and, 139

ecliptic and, 21

Eratosthenes’ measurements of, 54, 55

evolution stages of, 427

as exceptional, 428

in fi eld of view, 2–4

history, 591

interior of, 429–431

Jupiter compared with, 501

life on, 586–592

lunar eclipses and, 33, 36–37

magnetic fi eld of, 431–432

mantle of, 431

Mars compared with, 479–480

misconceptions about, 54, 436,

437, 438

moon viewed from, 443–445,

446–447

NEOs and, 562–563

observing eclipses on, 41–43

orbit regarding, 4, 20, 26, 82, 84–85,

139, 428

as planet, 427–428

plate margins and, 433

precession, 19–20

predicting eclipses and, 43–46

profi le of, 428

Roche limit and, 499, 502

rotation/revolution regarding, 20

seasons, 21–22, 23–24

seismic waves and, 429–430

shadow, 33

solar eclipses and, 37–41

solid, 429–433

tidal coupling and, 443

Venus compared with, 465, 466, 469,

475–476

volcano types on, 470, 472–473

East point, 17

Eccentricity, 64 –65

Eccentrics, 55

Eclipses

annular, 39–41

lunar, 33, 36–37

misconceptions about, 42

observing, 41–43

predicting, 43–46

solar, 37–41

Eclipse season, 43 –44, 46

Eclipse year, 44

Ecliptic, 21

Effect, 80

Egg Nebula, 175

Einstein, Albert

general relativity theory and, 92–94