Ralph D. LorenzCambridge University Press, 1/3/2019EAN 9781108471541, ISBN10: 1108471544Hardcover, 332 pages, 25.3 x 17.8 x 2 cmLanguage: EnglishThis book chronicles the history of climate science and planetary exploration, focusing on our ever-expanding knowledge of Earth's climate, and the parallel research underway on some of our nearest neighbours: Mars, Venus and Titan. From early telescopic observation of clouds and ice caps on planetary bodies in the seventeenth century, to the dawn of the space age and the first robotic planetary explorers, the book presents a comprehensive chronological overview of planetary climate research, right up to the dramatic recent developments in detecting and characterising exoplanets. Meanwhile, the book also documents the discoveries about our own climate on Earth, not only about how it works today, but also how profoundly different it has been in the past. Highly topical and written in an accessible and engaging narrative style, this book provides invaluable historical context for students, researchers, professional scientists, and those with a general interest in planetary climate research.Foreword by Ellen StofanPreface1. The age of wonderlearning the Earth, oceans and sky2. Planets and greenhouses3. Age of calculation4. Feeling the heat5. First contact6. The ice returns7. Mars attracts8. A new millennium9. Dune worlds10. Looking ahead11. Worlds beyond12. ConclusionsGlossaryFurther readingBibliographyIndex.
