Cosmic Butterflies: The Colorful Mysteries of Planetary Nebulae

Kwok, Sun

ISBN 10: 0521791359 / ISBN 13: 9780521791359

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2001

About this Item

Original black boards, dust jacket, illustrated with numerous (full page) colour photographs, 4to.

Seller Inventory # 363723-KG7

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Cosmic Butterflies: The Colorful Mysteries of Planetary Nebulae
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521791359
• ISBN 13: 9780521791359
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis

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. They 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 colour emitted by glowing gases. Delicate, lacelike, streamers of gas add to their complexity. The production of a planetary nebula by a star is a milestone in the life of a star, an event that foretells the doom of the star when its central energy source runs out. 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. Full colour illustrations are included throughout the book.

About the Author

Sun Kwok is a leading world authority on the subject of astrochemistry and stellar evolution. He is best known for his theory on the origin of planetary nebulae and the death of Sun-like stars. His recent research has been on the topic of the synthesis of complex organic compounds in the late stages of stellar evolution. He is the author of many books, including The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae (2000), Physics and Chemistry of the Interstellar Medium (2007) and Organic Matter in the Universe (2012). He has been a guest observer on many space missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Infrared Space Observatory. He currently serves as President of Commission 34 Interstellar Matter of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), as well as Vice President of IAU Commission 51 Bioastronomy. He served as chairman of the IAU Planetary Nebulae Working Group between 1994 and 2001, and as organizing committee member of the IAU Astrochemistry Working Group.