TY - BOOK AU - Taylor,Stuart Ross TI - Solar system evolution: a new perspective SN - 9780521675666 U1 - 550.4 PY - 2001/// CY - Cambridge PB - Cambridge University Press KW - Solar system KW - Origin KW - Cosmochemistry N1 - Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements Prologue 1. A brief history 2. The universe 3. Stars 4. The solar nebula 5. Composition and chemical evolution of the nebula 6. The evidence from meteorites 7. Building planets 8. The giant planets 9. Satellites and rings 10. The refugees 11. The survivors: Mercury and Mars 12. The twins: Venus and the Earth 13. The Moon 14. The role of impacts 15. Epilogue: on the difficulty of making Earth-like planets Subject index Author index N2 - This completely rewritten new edition begins with an historical perspective of the place of the solar system in the universe. Evidence from meteorites is used to describe how the planets were formed and the giant planets are considered in the light of the discovery of new extrasolar giants. Other chapters discuss satellites, comets, centaurs, asteroids and why Pluto is not a planet. Explanations on why Earth and Venus turned out so differently, and how Mars and Mercury are the survivors of many similar bodies, are also discussed. The formation of the Moon in a giant impact leads to an assessment of the importance of collisions and impacts in the solar system. It is concluded that our solar system is the end product of many accidental and chance events. This leads to the philosophical discussion of whether planets like our Earth are likely to be found elsewhere in the universe ER -