Foreword vii
Preface x
Acknowledgments xvi
Introduction xvii
Part One: tHe eartH 1
1 the earth: Fast Facts about a Planet in Orbit 3
Fundamental Information about the Earth 4
2 the Interior of the earth 24
Moment of Inertia 27
The Brittle Crust 30
The Solid but Moving Mantle 33
High-Pressure Experiments 36
Rheology, or How Solids Can Flow 40
The Solid and Liquid Cores 45
Magnetic Field 49
Temperatures, Pressures, and Compositions 54
What Is Pressure? 56
3 the early evolution of the Planet earth 60
Elements and Isotopes 68
4 the Visible Planet 76
How Old Is the Earth’s Surface? 76
Surface Features 81
Determining Age from Radioactive Isotopes 82
Volcanism 95
Earthquakes 100
Atmosphere, Surface Conditions, and Weather 106
The Saffr-Simpson Hurricane Scale 118
5 Life on earth 124
Dr. Sara Seager and the Search for Extrasolar Planets 130
6 Global Climate Change 135
Air Temperature Change 139
Hurricanes 140
Atmospheric Chemistry 143
Ocean Temperature, Circulation, and Average Sea Level 147
Possible Future Climate Scenarios 148
Humankind’s Ability to Alter Future Climate 155
Part twO: tHe MOOn 157
7 the Moon: Fast Facts about the earth’s Moon in Orbit 159
Formation of the Moon 161
8 Formation and evolution of the Moon 167
Formation and Crystallization of the Lunar Magma Ocean 171
Highlands 176
The Late Heavy Meteorite Bombardment 180
Fossa, Sulci, and Other Terms for Planetary Landforms 182
Basins and Volcanism 185
9 the Moon’s Interior and Surface today 197
The Interior 197
Surface Features 199
Remote Sensing 204
The Insignifcant Magnetic Fields and Atmosphere 216
Water on the Moon? 219
10 Missions to the Moon 223
Planned Missions 238
11 Conclusion: the Known and the Unknown 242
appendix 1: Units and Measurements 247
Fundamental Units 247
Comparisons among Kelvin, Celsius, and Fahrenheit 250
Useful Measures of Distance 251
Defnitions for Electricity and Magnetism 256
Prefxes 259
appendix 2: Light, wavelength, and radiation 260
appendix 3: a List of all Known Moons 270
Glossary 273
Further Resources 284
Index 291