Many observations are interpreted in terms of the then-current paradigm. Here, a review of almost 1290 scientific papers shows that the significance of some key observations have not been appreciated while some key facts have been ignored. It is assumed planets formed from a distribution of planetesimals, but we do not know how dust accreted to planetesimals. Oligarchic accretion should not apply beyond 10 AU, but this would mean LkCa 15b, and TYC 8998-760-1 b and c were impossible. The atmospheres of three of our rocky planets have clearly different atmospheric compositions, but they are supposed to come from one source, which has the wrong elemental ratios for any of them. The early Earth atmosphere is believed to have been oxidized, but samples from the time show that the atmosphere contained much methane, and the oceans much ammonia. We cannot understand how Mars could have running water, yet there are river valleys. This book argues these and many other problems go away if we assume the initial accretion was caused by chemistry, including physical chemistry, and our solar system is an archetype for planetary formation. If our water was ammoniacal, why could not the Martian water have been, in which case it would flow at the obvious low temperatures. The case is made that life can only evolve from a planet with Earth’s chemistry, and it evolved around fumaroles. There are at least seven reasons why there will be no life under-ice at Europa. These conclusions mainly come from putting together information already known, together with a few original propositions. The book ends with a large number of predictions, including some from experiments that could be carried out in a lab on Earth.

Planetary formation is a captivating process that unfolds over millions to billions of years, sculpting the celestial bodies that populate our cosmos. It begins within the swirling embrace of a protoplanetary disk, a vast expanse of gas and dust leftover from the birth of a new star. Within this cosmic crucible, tiny grains of dust collide and coalesce, forming larger and larger aggregates known as planetesimals. Through the relentless pull of gravity, these planetesimals grow into protoplanets, embryonic worlds with the potential to one day become full-fledged planets. As these protoplanets continue to accrete material from the surrounding disk, they undergo a dynamic interplay of gravitational interactions, collisions, and mergers. Some protoplanets may grow to become gas giants, like Jupiter and Saturn, while others may evolve into terrestrial planets, such as Earth and Mars. The process of planetary differentiation further shapes these nascent worlds, as heavier elements sink toward their cores, creating layered structures with distinct compositions and properties.

When this book was published in 2006, it had been just over ten years since the first planet outside our solar system was detected. Since then, much work has focused on understanding how extrasolar planets may form, and discovering the frequency of potentially habitable Earth-like planets. This volume addresses fundamental questions concerning the formation of planetary systems in general, and of our solar system in particular. Drawing from advances in observational, experimental and theoretical research, it summarises our understanding of the planet formation processes, and addresses major open questions and research issues. Chapters are written by leading experts in the field of planet formation and extrasolar planet studies. The book is based on a meeting held at Ringberg Castle in Bavaria, where experts gathered together to present and exchange their ideas and findings. It is a comprehensive resource for graduate students and researchers, and is written to be accessible to newcomers to the field.

`Are there other planetary systems like ours? Other planets like ours? Is there life elsewhere in the Universe?' So asks Dr. Lew Allen Jr. in the Foreword. In December of 1992, theorists, observers, and instrument builders gathered at the California Institute of Technology to discuss the search for answers to these questions. The International Conference, entitled `Planetary Systems: Formation, Evolution, and Detection' and supported through NASA's newly formed TOPS (Toward Other Planetary Systems) program, was the first of a series of conferences uniting researchers across disciplines and political boundaries to share thoughts and information on planetary systems. The conference was sponsored by NASA, hosted by JPL at Caltech, and endorsed by the 1992 International Space Year Association. These proceedings include discussions of topics ranging from stellar, disk, and planetary formation to new ways of searching for other stellar systems containing planets. The authors represent a wide range of nationalities, disciplines, and points of view. The second international conference took place in December of 1993.

An in-depth view of the panspermia hypothesis examined against the latest knowledge of planetary formation and related processes. Panspermia is the concept that life can be passively transported through space on various bodies and seed, habitable planets and moons, which we are beginning to learn may exist in large numbers. It is an old idea, but not popular with those who prefer that life on Earth started on Earth, an alternative, also unproven hypothesis. This book updates the concept of panspermia in the light of new evidence on planet formation, molecular clouds, solar system motions, supernovae ejection mechanisms, etc. Thus, it is to be a book about newly understood prospects for the movement of life through space. The novel approach presented in this book gives new insights into the panspermia theory and its connection with planetary formation and the evolution of galaxies. This offers a good starting point for future research proposals about exolife and a better perspective for empirical scrutiny of panspermia theory. Also, the key to understanding life in the universe is to understand that the planetary formation process is convolved with the evolution of stellar systems in their galactic environment. The book provides the synthesis of all these elements and gives the readers an up-to-date insight on how panspermia might fit into the big picture. Audience Given the intrinsic interdisciplinary nature of the panspermia hypothesis the book will have a wide audience across various scientific disciplines covering astronomy, biology, physics and chemistry. Apart from scientists, the book will appeal to engineers who are involved in planning and realization of future space missions.

This updated second edition takes in the latest measurements. An authoritative introduction for graduate students in the physical sciences.

This fully-updated second edition remains the only truly detailed exploration of the origins of our Solar System, written by an authority in the field. Unlike other authors, Michael Woolfson focuses on the formation of the solar system, engaging the reader in an intelligent yet accessible discussion of the development of ideas about how the Solar System formed from ancient times to the present.Within the last five decades new observations and new theoretical advances have transformed the way scientists think about the problem of finding a plausible theory. Spacecraft and landers have explored the planets of the Solar System, observations have been made of Solar-System bodies outside the region of the planets and planets have been detected and observed around many solar-type stars. This new edition brings in the most recent discoveries, including the establishment of dwarf planets and challenges to the ‘standard model’ of planet formation — the Solar Nebula Theory.While presenting the most up-to-date material and the underlying science of the theories described, the book avoids technical jargon and terminology. It thus remains a digestible read for the non-expert interested reader, whilst being detailed and comprehensive enough to be used as an undergraduate physics and astronomy textbook, where the formation of the solar system is a key part of the course.Michael Woolfson is Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics at University of York and is an award-winning crystallographer and astronomer.

An integrated discussion of the similarities and differences between the atmospheres of various bodies of the solar system, including the Earth.

Representatives of several scientific communities, such as planetary scientists, astronomers, space physicists, chemists and astrobiologists have met with the aim to review the knowledge on four major themes: (1) the study of the formation and evolution processes of the outer planets and their satellites, beginning with the formation of compounds and planetesimals in the solar nebula, and the subsequent evolution of the interiors of the outer planets, (2) a comparative study of the atmospheres of the outer planets and Titan, (3) the study of the planetary magnetospheres and their interactions with the solar wind, and (4) the formation and properties of satellites and rings, including their interiors, surfaces, and their interaction with the solar wind and the magnetospheres of the outer planets. Beyond these topics, the implications for the prebiotic chemical evolution on Europa and Titan are reviewed. At the time of publication, the study of the outer planets is particularly motivated by the fact that the Saturn system is being investigated by the Cassini-Huygens mission.