Dr Sun Kwok, Professor of Astronomy and Canada Counci1 Killam Fellow, is a leading world expert in planetary nebulae. He serves as the chairman of the planetary Nebulae Working Group of the international Astronomical Union, and is the co-chair of the 200l IAU symposium on planetary nebulae in Canberra, Australia. He has published over 200 scientific papers, and his book The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae published by the Cambridge University Press in 2000, is widely considered to be the definitive treatise on the subject. He has been a member of the Advisory Panel of the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan since 1993, and is committed to the development of astronomy in the Far East.
Cosmic Butterflies. The Colorful Mysteries Of Planetary Nebulae
Par :Formats :
- Nombre de pages179
- PrésentationRelié
- Poids0.935 kg
- Dimensions25,8 cm × 25,9 cm × 1,8 cm
- ISBN0-521-79135-9
- EAN9780521791359
- Date de parution01/01/2001
- ÉditeurCambridge University Press
Résumé
At the end of a star's life, it wraps itself in a cocoon by spilling out gas and dust. Sometime later, a butterfly-like nebula emerges from the cocoon and develops into a planetary nebula. Planetary nebulae are among the Most beautiful of the celestial objects imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. Their structures, like bubbles floating in the void, are complemented by a kaleidoscope of color emitted by glowing gases. Delicate, lace like, streamers of gas add to their complexity. The production of a planetary nebula is a milestone in the 1ife of a star, an event that foretells the doom of the star before it disappears into oblivion. In this book, Sun Kwok tells the story of the discovery process of the creation of planetary nebulae and of the future of the Sun.