MARC record from Internet Archive

LEADER: 03149cam a2200313 a 4500
001 2009034490
003 DLC
005 20110219081644.0
008 090903s2010 njuaf b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2009034490
015 $aGBA9C5175$2bnb
016 7 $a015448194$2Uk
020 $a9780691138053 (cloth : alk. paper) :$c$29.95
020 $a0691138052 (cloth : alk. paper)
035 $a(OCoLC)ocn435967548
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dUKM$dYDXCP$dC#P$dBWX$dMOF$dCDX$dVP@$dABG$dUWO$dDLC
050 00 $aQB820$b.K37 2010
082 00 $a576.8/39$222
100 1 $aKasting, James F.
245 10 $aHow to find a habitable planet /$cJames Kasting.
260 $aPrinceton, N.J. :$bPrinceton University Press,$cc2010.
300 $axiv, 326 p., [8] p. of plates :$bill. (some col.) ;$c25 cm.
490 1 $aScience essentials series
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 299-316) and index.
505 0 $aPast thinking about Earth-like planets and life -- Our habitable Planet Earth. Critical updates on how planets are built ; Long-term climate stability ; More wrinkles in Earth's climate history ; Runaway glaciation and "Snowball Earth" -- Limits to planetary habitability. Runaway greenhouses and the evolution of Venus' atmosphere ; The future evolution of Earth ; The Martian climate puzzle ; Is the Earth rare? ; Habitable zones around stars -- How to find another Earth. Indirect detection of planets around other stars ; Finding and characterizing planets by using transits ; Direct detection of extrasolar planets ; The spectroscopic search for life ; Prospects for the more distant future.
520 1 $a"Ever since Carl Sagan first predicted that extraterrestrial civilizations must number in the millions, the search for life on other planets has gripped our imagination. Is Earth so rare that advanced life forms like us - or even the simplest biological organisms - are unique to the universe? How to Find a Habitable Planet describes how scientists are testing Sagan's prediction, and demonstrates why Earth may not be so rare after all." "James Kasting has worked closely with NASA in its mission to detect habitable worlds outside our solar system, and in this book he introduces readers to the advanced methodologies being used in this extraordinary quest. He addresses the compelling questions that planetary scientists grapple with today: What exactly makes a planet habitable? What are the signatures of life astronomers should look for when they scan the heavens for habitable worlds?" "In providing answers, Kasting explains why Earth has remained habitable despite a substantial rise in solar luminosity over time, and why our neighbors, Venus and Mars, haven't. If other Earth-sized planets endowed with enough water and carbon are out there, he argues, chances are good that some of those planets sustain life. Kasting describes the efforts under way to find them, and predicts that future discoveries will profoundly alter our view of the universe and our place in it."--BOOK JACKET.
650 0 $aHabitable planets.
650 0 $aExobiology.
830 0 $aScience essentials (National Academy of Sciences (U.S.))