The Planets (23 page)

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Adams, John Couch, 192
n
–98

Airy, Sir George Biddel, 193
n
, 195

Allan Hills 84001, 120–25

Almagest
(Ptolemy), 33–34, 71

Alpha Regio (Venus), 65

Ancient era

Jupiter in, 145

Mercury in, 30–34

Venus in, 55–56

Anemone volcanoes, 68

Antoniadi, Eugène, 44–45

Aphrodite (Greek goddess), 56

Aphrodite Terra (Venus), 64

Apollo (Greek god), 31

Apollo
missions, 8, 102–3, 117

Apollonia (Mercury), 44

Arachnoids, 68

Ares Vallis (Mars), 134

Argus (Greek monster), 31

Aristotle, 33

Asteroids

asteroid belt, 17

Ceres, 218

formation of, 16–17

Astrology

Jupiter in, 141–45, 150–51, 155–56

split from astronomy, 143

Auroras, 26

Balboa, Vasco Núñez, 81

Bay of Rainbows (Moon), 108

Beagle
, 92–96

Beta Regio (Venus), 65

Big Bang, 14–16

Bode, Johann Elert, 187
n
–88

Brahe, Tycho, 38

Caduceata (Mercury), 44

Callisto (moon of Jupiter), 157–58

Caloris Basin (Mercury), 47

Cassini
mission, 175, 231–34

Cassini, Jean-Dominique, 171–72, 177, 233

Ceres (asteroid), 218

Charon (moon of Pluto)

discovery of, 8–9, 217

orbit with Pluto, 221–22

surface features, 224–25

Chinese astrology, 150–51

Chronometers, 92–93

Chryse (Mars), 133

Columbus, Christopher, 77–81

Comets, 108–10

formation of, 22–23

Miss Mitchell’s, 181–82

Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 10, 152–53

Cook, James, 90–93

Copernicus, 34, 37–38, 82–84, 143, 165

Cordelia (moon of Uranus), 203

Cox, Harold, 168–69

Cyllene (Mercury), 44

Darwin, Charles, 92–96

Deimos (moon of Mars), 130

Desdemona (moon of Uranus), 203

Despina (moon of Neptune), 207

Dog Star, 73

Earth, 71–99

age of exploration, 75–84

continental shifts, 96–98

core, rotation of, 98

formation of, 17–18

magnetism of, 85–87

mapping of, 72–88

rotation, decrease in, 114–15

scientific exploration (1698–1912), 86–96

tectonic plates, 97–98

Earth-lock, 113–14

Earthquakes, 97–98

Eclipse, 27–28

Einstein, Albert, 43

Encke, Johann Franz, 177, 182
n

Erathosthenes, 74

Europa (moon of Jupiter), 157–59, 161

Evros Valles (Mars), 134

Exoplanets, 9–11

FitzRoy, Robert, 93

Flammarion, Camille, 42

Flamsteed, John, 189, 189
n

Galápagos Islands, 93–95

Galatea (moon of Neptune), 207

Galileo, 53, 140–46, 170, 175–77

Galileo
mission, 153–62

Galle, Johann Gottfried, 194–97

Ganymede (moon of Jupiter), 157–58

Gassendi, Pierre, 39–40

Genesis, 13, 16, 26

Genesis Rock, 124

Geographia
(Ptolemy), 72–75

Gilbert, William, 85–86

Gravity

moon and tides, 111–14

of Sun, 19–20

Great Red Spot (Jupiter), 147

Greeks, ancient, 31–34

Habitable zone, 20

Halleyan lines, 87

Halley, Edmond, 86–89

Harmonice Mundi
(Kepler), 166

Heliopause, 26

Herschel, Caroline Lucretia, 180, 181
n
–201

Herschel, Sir John, 180, 181
n
, 196, 199, 233

Herschel, Sir William, 180, 181
n
–91, 185
n
–86, 190, 199–202, 208

Hindemith, Paul, 166
n

Holst, Gustav, 163–64, 167–68, 179

Hubble Space Telescope, 46, 208, 216

Huygens, Christiaan, 168–69, 232–33

Huygens
probe, 232–34

Ice

of Neptune, 197–98

of Pluto, 20, 224–25

of Uranus, 197–98

Ice dwarfs, 219

Ingersoll, Andy, 229–30

Io (moon of Jupiter), 157–59

Ishtar (Chaldean goddess), 55

Ishtar Terra (Venus), 64

Ixion (Kuiper Belt object), 220

Juliet (moon of Uranus), 203

Jupiter, 140–62

in astrology, 141–45, 150–51, 155–56

bands of, 146–47

chemical composition of, 146–49, 153, 155

clouds of, 144–48, 155

energy released by, 148, 156

formation of, 17, 153–55

Galileo
probe, 153–62

Galileo sighting, 140–46

Great Red Spot, 147

magnetic field, 150, 159

moisture of, 155–57

in night sky, 22

orbit of, 150–51

and Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 10, 152–53

rings of, 178

rotation of, 150, 159

satellites of, 146, 157–59

size of, 145, 204

winds of, 155

Kepler, Johannes, 38–39, 88
n
, 157
n
, 165–66

Klaproth, Martin Heinrich, 188
n

Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs), 219–20, 225–27

Kuiper, Gerard, 207, 219–21, 225–27

Lacus Timorus (Moon), 108

Lada Terra (Venus), 64

Larissa (moon of Neptune), 207

Lassell, William, 198
n
, 207

Lebreton, Jean-Pierre, 232

Leonardo da Vinci, 105

Leverrier, Urbain Jean-Joseph, 41–42, 192
n
–98

Lomonosov, Mikhail, 57

Lowell, Percival, 212–14

Ma’adim Vallis (Mars), 134

Magellan, Ferdinand, 81–82

Magellan
mission, 64–69

Magnetism

of compass, 85–86

of Earth, 85–89

of Jupiter, 150, 159

Mappa mundi, 75–77

Mariner 9
, 134

Mariner 10
, 46–47

Marius, Simon, 157
n

Mars, 120–39

life on, 128–32

meteorite from, 120–25

moons of, 130

orbit of, 130

polar caps, 126, 135

rotation of, 129–30

scientific exploration of, 133–36

surface features, 125–27

surface toxicity, 136–37

temperature of, 130

terraforming, 137–38

water on, 127

winds of, 125–26

Mars
(Lowell), 213

Mars Hill, 213–14

Marsh of Sleep (Moon), 108

Maskelyne, Neville, 183–84
n
, 186

Maxwell, James Clerk, 65–66, 172–73

Maxwell Montes (Venus), 65

Medicean stars, 141–43, 157
n

Medici, Cosimo de’, 141–42

Mercury, 29–48

ancient concept of, 30–34

formation of, 16

mapping of, 45–45, 48

Mariner 10
photos, 46–47

MESSENGER
, 47–48

in mythology, 29–31

orbit of, 2, 34–35, 45

proximity to Sun, 34

rotation of, 35, 45

surface features, 46–47

temperature of, 20, 35–36

transit of (1631), 38–40

visibility from Earth, 36–37, 43–46

Mercury (Roman god), 29–31

MESSENGER
, 47–48

Meteorites

age determination, 124

Allan Hills 84001 from Mars, 120–25

Willamette Valley (Oregon), 6–7

Milky Way, 15

Mimas (moon of Saturn), 177

Mitchell, Maria, 65, 180–82

Moon, 100–119

Apollo
missions, 8, 102–3, 117

dryness of, 108–11

Earth-lock, 113–14

and eclipse, 27–28

far side, 117–18

formation of, 17–18, 110–11

illumination by Sun, 22, 116–17

micro-meteorite showers, 118–19

phases of, 105–7, 116–17

rotation of, 113–14

surface features, 102–3, 111, 118

synchronization with Earth, 114–15

and tides, 111–14

Mundilfari (moon of Saturn), 233
n

Music

connection to astronomy, 164–68

planet-inspired, 162–63, 166
n
–69

Naiad (moon of Neptune), 207

Neptune, 195–99

chemical composition of, 204–5

discovery of, 41, 195–97

formation of, 17

heat generated by, 206–7

as ice planet, 20, 204–5

magnetic field of, 205

moons of, 198, 207

in night sky, 22

orbit of, 198
n

relationship to Uranus, 197–99, 209–10, 217

rings of, 178, 207–8

rotation of, 206

size of, 204

Voyager 2
, 207–8

Nereid (moon of Neptune), 207

New Horizons
, 225

Newton, Sir Isaac, 41, 43, 145

Oberon (moon of Uranus), 203

Ocean of Storms (Moon), 108

Olympus Mons (Mars), 126

Ophelia (moon of Uranus), 203

Pan (moon of Saturn), 233

Pangaea, 96

Panthalassa, 96

Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, 152–53

Peters, Christian, 42

Phobos (moon of Mars), 130

Pigafetta, Antonio, 82

Pioneer 10
, 8

Planetai
(wanderers), 31

Planets

creation of, 16–17

Greek conception of, 31–33

heated by Sun, 20

speed and Sun, 20

See also individual planets

Planets, Suite for Orchestra
(Holst), 162–63, 167–69

Plato, 33, 165

Planetesimals, 16–18, 225–26

Pluto, 211–28

atmosphere of, 223–24

discovery of, 209, 214–16

formation of, 17

as frozen planet, 20, 224–25

Pluto (
cont
.)

illumination by Sun, 224

in Kuiper Belt, 219–21, 225–27

moon of, 8–9, 217, 221–23

New Horizons
, 225

orbit of, 220–21

rotation of, 221

status as planet, 9, 217–19

surface features, 224

viewing difficulty, 22, 216–17

Principia Mathematica
(Newton), 41

Proteus (moon of Neptune), 207

Protoplanetary disks, 179

Proto-solar nebula, 15–16

Ptolemy, 33–34, 40, 71–75

Pythagoras, 164–65, 175

Quaoar (Kuiper Belt object), 220

Ring systems

and cosmic design, 179

Jupiter, 178

Neptune, 178, 207–8

Saturn.
See
Saturnian rings

Uranus, 178, 181–204, 209

Roche, Edouard, 174

Roche zone, 174

Saturn, 168–79

Cassini
, 175, 229–34

chemical composition of, 169, 178

formation of, 17

magnetic field, 178

moons of, 174–77

rings of.
See
Saturnian rings

rotation of, 178

size of, 204

Saturnian rings, 168–72

Cassini Division, 171, 177

composition of, 169

constant changes to, 178–79

discovery of, 170–71

edgewise, 169–70

Encke Division, 177

formation of, 173–74

Galileo’s observation of, 170

Huygens’s diagram of, 171

Maxwell’s concept of, 172–73

size of, 168

Schiaparelli, Giovanni, 43–45

Sea of Calm (Moon), 108

Sea of Crises (Moon), 107

Sedna (planetoid), 227

Shooting stars, 23
n

Solar minimum/maximum, 24–25

Solar System

development of, 14–16

division of, 16–17

habitable zone, 20

planets, formation of, 16–17

third zone, 219

Solar wind, 25–26

Solitudo Hermae Trismegisti (Mercury), 44–45

Spring tides, 112–13

Sputnik
, 7–8

Star formation, and Big Bang, 14–15

Sun, 13–28

aging of, 18–19

creation of, 15–16

light of, 23–24

planets, heating of, 20

rotation of, 25

size of, 19

solar wind, 25–26

and speed of planets, 20

sunspots, 24–25

total solar eclipse, 27–28

Systema Saturnium
(Huygens), 171

Tectonic plates, 97–98

Terraforming, 137–38

Terra Incognita, 91

Tesserae (Venus), 68

Thalassa (moon of Neptune), 207

Thales of Meletus, 33

Tides and moon, 111–14

Titan (moon of Saturn), 220, 232–33

Titania (moon of Uranus), 203

Tombaugh, Clyde, 205, 214–16

Triton (moon of Neptune), 198
n
, 207

Two New Sciences
(Galileo), 175

Uranus, 180–93, 199–210

acceleration/deceleration, 197–98

chemical composition of, 204–205

discovery of, 181
n
–91, 183
n
, 201–2

eclipse of star (1977), 202, 209

formation of, 17

as ice planet, 20, 204–205

magnetic field of, 205

moons of, 203–4

naming of, 187–88

in night sky, 22

orbit of, 190–1, 206

relationship to Neptune, 197–99, 209–10, 217

rings of, 178, 201–4, 209

rotation of, 205–6

size of, 204

Uranus telescope, 185
n

Utopia (Mars), 133

Valles Marineris (Mars), 127, 134

Varuna (Kuiper Belt object), 220

Venera
, 69

Venus, 49–70

acid rain of, 61–62

ancient concept of, 55–56

atmosphere of, 59–60, 61–62, 70

brightness of, 50–53

compared to Earth, 57–60

formation of, 16

illumination by Sun, 22, 51

Venus (
cont
.)

Magellan
images, 64–70