Ultraviolet Astronomy and the Quest for the Origin of Life
- 1st Edition - March 27, 2021
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Editor: Ana I. Gomez de Castro
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 1 9 1 7 0 - 5
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 1 9 1 7 1 - 2
Ultraviolet Astronomy and the Quest for the Origin of Life addresses the use of astronomical observations in the ultraviolet range to better understand the generation of complex,… Read more
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Request a sales quoteUltraviolet Astronomy and the Quest for the Origin of Life addresses the use of astronomical observations in the ultraviolet range to better understand the generation of complex, life-precursor molecules. The origin of RNA is still under debate but seems to be related to the generation of pools of complex organic molecules submitted to heavy cycles of solution in water and drying. This book investigates whether these cycles require a planetary surface or may occur in space by examining both the theoretical and observational aspects of the role of UV radiation in the origin of life. This book offers the latest advances in these studies for astronomers, astrobiologists and planetary scientists.
- Addresses both the theoretical and observational aspects of the role of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the origin of life
- Builds on the requirements to produce prebiotic molecules in space and the implications for the origin of RNA
- Investigates the use of ultraviolet observations related to planetary system formation, the evolution of young planetary disks, and the interaction of stars with planetary atmospheres
Astronomers, astrobiologists, and planetary scientists
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Chapter 1. The growing case for life as a cosmic phenomenon
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Interstellar extinction
- 3. Failure of graphite grain model
- 4. Molecular hypothesis for the 2175Å band
- 5. Convergence to biology
- 6. More on comets
- 7. Icy moons
- 8. Geological evidence
- 9. Concluding remarks
- Chapter 2. UV astronomy and the investigation of the origin of life
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The interaction of UV radiation and matter: implications for astrobiology
- 3. Formation of planetary systems
- 4. Evolution of planetary atmospheres
- 5. The chemical evolution and the missing metals problem
- 6. The UV path to the detection of amino acids in space
- 7. Summary and conclusions
- Chapter 3. Superflares UV impact on the habitability of exoplanets
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Kepler-96: a solar-type star with a Proterozoic age
- 3. TRAPPIST-1 system
- 4. Planetary atmosphere
- 5. Contribution of the flare to the UV flux
- 6. Effective UV radiation on life
- 7. Biological impacts on Kepler-96 and TRAPPIST-1 planets
- Chapter 4. Ultraviolet investigations of the interstellar medium from astrospheres to the local cavity
- 1. Why is ultraviolet spectroscopy important for understanding the interstellar medium?
- 2. Tools of the trade: satellites and instruments
- 3. Challenges of the trade: interstellar absorption in the ultraviolet and extreme-ultraviolet
- 4. Astrospheres: where the interstellar medium interacts with stellar winds
- 5. Warm clouds in the local interstellar medium
- 6. The local cavity
- 7. Is the interstellar medium static or dynamic?
- 8. Speculations concerning how the interstellar medium may affect the habitability of exoplanets
- 9. Summary
- Chapter 5. UV facilities for the investigation of the origin of life
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Operational missions
- 3. Missions under construction
- 4. Projects
- 5. Summary
- Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: March 27, 2021
- Imprint: Elsevier
- No. of pages: 176
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780128191705
- eBook ISBN: 9780128191712
AG
Ana I. Gomez de Castro
Ana Inés Gómez de Castro is a professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics and member of the Mathematics Faculty in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and leads the Research Group on Space Astronomy. She is also the Principal Investigator of the Spanish participation in the Russian led mission World Space Observatory-UV (WSO-UV) with intended launch date 2021. WSO-UV is a 1.7 m space telescope equipped with instrumentation for UV imaging and spectroscopy. She is the chair of the European Network for Ultraviolet Astronomy (www.nuva.eu) and has been elected as member of Division B of the International Astronomical Union. She chairs the working group on UV astronomy of the IAU that has as fundamental objective to elaborate a road map for UV astronomy at international scale, seeking for international synergies and collaboration. She has published more than 200 articles, and edited 8 books, among them the NUVA series on UV astronomy. She has been member of the Editorial board of the journal Astrophysics and Space Science from 2011 to 2014. Her principal research interests are the physics of star formation and early stellar evolution.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics and member of the Mathematics Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), SpainRead Ultraviolet Astronomy and the Quest for the Origin of Life on ScienceDirect