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A guide to the solar corona
1958
BOOK REVIEWS
In the second chapter are given the general geometrical and dynamical data of the terrestrial and jovian planets as well as the optical properties of their surfaces and atmospheres. In the remaining chapters are presented separately the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Minor Planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and their satellites, except the Moon. For each one of the planets are given (a) the data supplied by the positional astronomy and the celestial mechanics, (b) the conclusions obtained till now by spectroscopic, photometric, polarimetric, visual etc. observation on the temperature, the microscopic structure and morphology of their surfaces, the chemical constitution and circulation of their atmospheres, and (c) the results concerning the radioemissions of some of the planets, as regards their ionospheres, temperature etc. obtained by radioastronomy as well as their magnetic field surface structure etc. obtained by direct exploration by space probes. To these, radar echoes for the study of rotation periods and the relief of the planets, should be added. The book, as a whole, can be considered as a source of methodically supplied information in planetary concern, for the non-specialized reader. J. H. FOCAS JMN DUFAY: Les Comktes. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris 1966. 124 pp, Frcs 3.00. Trns attractive paperback conveys in a nutshell a surprising amount of properly selected and well balanced information on comets. Its simple language is clear and precise, as are its equations, tables, astrophysical and statistical data. Although most of the contents should be understandable to the educated 1ayman;it serves as an excellent textbgok for university study and, especially, as an introduction to conte~mporary cometary research for anyone who wishes to enter actively this field of astronomy. Elementary celestial mechanics, orbital statistics, spectroscopy, photochemistry and ionization of cometary molecules, physics and dimensions of cometary nuclei, dynamics of the tails and interaction with solar wind, origin of the comets and their relation to meteor streams are covered with masterful brevity. Alternative hypotheses are critically assessed and unsolved problems are pointed out-a challenge for the researcher. Technical errata seem to be absent. Some of the newest developments in cometary physics for 1963-65 may have been overlooked, and some interpretations may invite a different angle of approach. In a rapidly developing field, and in a volume of such brevity this may be unavoidable. On the whole, the booklet can be recommended as one of the best textbooks covering a specialized field of astrophysics. E. J. c)pnr D. E. BILLINGS:A Guide to the Solar Corona. Academic Press, New York, 1966. 10+323.
112s. Tms book provides a useful guide to many aspects of the solar corona. In particular, it gives a clear and detailed account of techniques of observation and data reduction, and it includes accounts of present ideas on the nature of the coronal gas, on radiative and mechanical processes in the corona, on distribution of density, temperature and magnetic fields, and on relations to other aspects of solar activity. Such a comprehensive account is of great value in showing the complexity of coronal phenomena and in making one realise that simplified models, which are sometimes used in theoretical discussions, may bear little resemblance to reality. The author is an active coronal observer and he presents us with a great wealth of observational material. In discussions of outstanding problems in coronal physics-such as heating mechanisms, temperatures and local densities, and chemical compositions-the true complexity which the material reveals must be taken fully into account. M. J. SEATON
BOOK REVIEWS
In the second chapter are given the general geometrical and dynamical data of the terrestrial and jovian planets as well as the optical properties of their surfaces and atmospheres. In the remaining chapters are presented separately the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Minor Planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and their satellites, except the Moon. For each one of the planets are given (a) the data supplied by the positional astronomy and the celestial mechanics, (b) the conclusions obtained till now by spectroscopic, photometric, polarimetric, visual etc. observation on the temperature, the microscopic structure and morphology of their surfaces, the chemical constitution and circulation of their atmospheres, and (c) the results concerning the radioemissions of some of the planets, as regards their ionospheres, temperature etc. obtained by radioastronomy as well as their magnetic field surface structure etc. obtained by direct exploration by space probes. To these, radar echoes for the study of rotation periods and the relief of the planets, should be added. The book, as a whole, can be considered as a source of methodically supplied information in planetary concern, for the non-specialized reader. J. H. FOCAS JMN DUFAY: Les Comktes. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris 1966. 124 pp, Frcs 3.00. Trns attractive paperback conveys in a nutshell a surprising amount of properly selected and well balanced information on comets. Its simple language is clear and precise, as are its equations, tables, astrophysical and statistical data. Although most of the contents should be understandable to the educated 1ayman;it serves as an excellent textbgok for university study and, especially, as an introduction to conte~mporary cometary research for anyone who wishes to enter actively this field of astronomy. Elementary celestial mechanics, orbital statistics, spectroscopy, photochemistry and ionization of cometary molecules, physics and dimensions of cometary nuclei, dynamics of the tails and interaction with solar wind, origin of the comets and their relation to meteor streams are covered with masterful brevity. Alternative hypotheses are critically assessed and unsolved problems are pointed out-a challenge for the researcher. Technical errata seem to be absent. Some of the newest developments in cometary physics for 1963-65 may have been overlooked, and some interpretations may invite a different angle of approach. In a rapidly developing field, and in a volume of such brevity this may be unavoidable. On the whole, the booklet can be recommended as one of the best textbooks covering a specialized field of astrophysics. E. J. c)pnr D. E. BILLINGS:A Guide to the Solar Corona. Academic Press, New York, 1966. 10+323.
112s. Tms book provides a useful guide to many aspects of the solar corona. In particular, it gives a clear and detailed account of techniques of observation and data reduction, and it includes accounts of present ideas on the nature of the coronal gas, on radiative and mechanical processes in the corona, on distribution of density, temperature and magnetic fields, and on relations to other aspects of solar activity. Such a comprehensive account is of great value in showing the complexity of coronal phenomena and in making one realise that simplified models, which are sometimes used in theoretical discussions, may bear little resemblance to reality. The author is an active coronal observer and he presents us with a great wealth of observational material. In discussions of outstanding problems in coronal physics-such as heating mechanisms, temperatures and local densities, and chemical compositions-the true complexity which the material reveals must be taken fully into account. M. J. SEATON