Research Catalog

Title

The Cambridge encyclopedia of the sun / Kenneth R. Lang.

Author

Lang, Kenneth R.

Publication

New York : Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xi, 256 pages : illustrations; 29 cm

Summary

• "The Sun is our powerhouse, sustaining life on Earth. It energizes our planet and fuels the engine of life. Its warmth drives our weather, lifting water from the seas and producing winds that drive clouds over the continents.".
• "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Sun is a fundamental, up-to-date reference source of information about the Sun, from basic material to detailed concepts. It is written in a concise, light and uniform style, without being unnecessarily weighted down with specialized materials or the variable writing the multiple authors. It is filled with vital facts and information for astronomers of all types and for anyone with a scientific interest in the Sun.".
• "The many full-color figures and photographs throughout the book help to make all the information highly accessible. The text is organized in a thematic way, with chapters on the properties of the Sun as a star and its place in the Galaxy and the Universe. There are chapters that deal with the science of the Sun's interior and its visible disk, and what makes it shine. The work also covers solar flares and the solar wind, and their impact on the Earth.".
• "This encyclopedia will be a significant reference for anyone needing information on any aspect of solar astronomy, solar astrophysics, or solar-terrestrial relations. It will become the definitive reference work on our home star for professionals, graduate students, advanced undergraduates, keen amateur astronomers and the interested general reader."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject

• Sun > Encyclopedias

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

• 1. The Sun's domain. 1.1. Fire of life. 1.2. Radiation from the Sun. 1.3. Physical characteristics of the Sun. 1.4. Gravity's center. 1.5. Spectroscopy and the ingredients of the Sun. 1.6. The planets are inside the expanding Sun. 1.7. How the solar system came into being -- 2. The Sun as a star. 2.1. The Sun's place in the Milky Way. 2.2. The Sun's place in the Universe. 2.3. How stars evolve -- 3. What makes the Sun shine? 3.1. Awesome power, enormous times. 3.2. A hot, dense core. 3.3. Nuclear fusion reactions in the Sun. 3.4. The mystery of solar neutrinos. 3.5. The Sun's remote past and distant future -- 4. Inside the Sun. 4.1. How the energy gets out. 4.2. Taking the Sun's pulse. 4.3. Sounds inside the Sun. 4.4. Internal motions -- 5. The magnetic solar atmosphere. 5.1. The photosphere and its magnetism. 5.2. The solar chromosphere. 5.3. The solar corona - loops, holes and unexpected heat -- 6. The explosive Sun. 6.1. Solar flares.
• 6.2. Coronal mass ejections and eruptive prominences. 6.3. Theories for explosive solar activity. 6.4. Predicting explosions on the Sun -- 7. The Sun's winds. 7.1. The fullness of space. 7.2. Where do the Sun's winds come from? 7.3. Getting up to speed. 7.4. Termination of the solar wind -- 8. The Sun-Earth connection. 8.1. The Earth's magnetic influence. 8.2. Geomagnetic storms and terrestrial auroras. 8.3. Danger blowing in the wind. 8.4. The varying Sun and its effect on the Earth's atmosphere. 8.5. The Sun's role in warming and cooling the Earth -- 9. Observing the Sun. 9.1. Ground-based optical observing. 9.2. Ground-based radio observations of the Sun. 9.3. Observing the Sun from space. 9.4. The next solar missions.

ISBN

0521780934

LCCN

00049365

OCLC

• 505055369
• ocn505055369
• SCSB-4206410

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries