The Exoplanet Handbook 1st Edition

The Exoplanet Handbook by Michael Perryman is a highly useful source of knowledge on extrasolar planetary research, involving both identified exoplanets and their parent stars. The book covers a large range of important topics, including historical aspects, observational planetary search methods, planetary habitability, planet-host star relationships, properties and dynamics of multiplanetary systems, interiors and atmospheres of planets, "free-floating" planets, as well as a comparative assessment of the Solar System. The Exoplanet Handbook also contains numerous chapters on significant physical aspects pertaining to exoplanets, such as planetary formation and the orbital stability of planets in binary systems. Another notable aspect of The Exoplanet Handbook is the presentation of "focus boxes" devoted to specific topics such as microlensing and planetary orbital stability; they allow for a detailed consideration of those materials without interrupting the book's overall flow. The book's high scientific value also stems from the fact that it has elements of a typical astrophysical textbook as well as a catalog. Concerning the latter, it contains a detailed listing of properties of radial velocity planets, including information on their host stars. The Exoplanet Handbook also reports lesser known historical facts about extrasolar planetary discoveries through the presentation of a selective chronology. It provides information on tentative exoplanet identifications, especially for the time period between 1987 and 1995 in consideration of that August 29, 1995 is often referred to as marking the milestone of the first noncontroversial detection of an exosolar Jupiter-mass planet (which is 51 Pegasi b) orbiting a solar-type star other than the Sun. The Exoplanet Handbook furthermore contains a thorough discussion of observational search methods for exosolar planets, including the Kepler mission as well as various Europe-based missions and initiatives. In conclusion, I would like to stress the breadth and the completeness of the book's coverage, as well as the fact that it provides a valuable source of information for both experts and beginners. For the latter, The Exoplanet Handbook by Michael Perryman is useful for attaining an overview of various aspects of exoplanetary research, which may inspire especially student readers to get deeper involved in the field. The quality of the book is further enhanced through the inclusion of an extensive list of references encompassing more than 70 pages. In conclusion, I would like to strongly recommend The Exoplanet Handbook by Michael Perryman to both experts and novices without serious reservations. - Review provided by Dr. Manfred Cuntz, Professor of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington

Excellent value and super snapshot of rapidly evolving field. Many details on obs techniques and discoveries, updated from hardback edition with a couple of pages on specific systems but the rest of the text is unmodified. Discovery of microbial life by some clever technique not discussed is quite probable in the not too distant future. Meanwhile, shows how diverse planetary systems are compared to ours.

Although fairly recent and dated because the field is moving fast, it has a wealth of basic information on exoplanets. Excellent book.

An incredible book, i am currently using it for my Thesis.With this book you'll get complete information regarding exoplanets

My daughter was delighted with this book as a gift for Christmas. Her roommate is also studying astrophysics and was impressed, too.

The Exoplanet Handbook provides a very valuable integration of all aspects of the fascinating and interdisciplinary world of exoplanet science. It combines in a coherent context the presentation of the observational techniques, covering recent highlights and future prospects, with the description of the vast range of intertwining phenomena and processes that shape the paths of planet formation, evolution and structure, and with clear explanation of the essential physical concepts and methods employed to characterize exoplanets. The book shows an impressive command of a wide variety of topics. It is an encyclopedic mine of information, with a very large amount of figures and diagrams, and it provides all the references needed for a wider and in-depth understanding. Each one of the more than 4000 papers quoted includes reference to the pages of the book where the pertinent topics are treated: a very useful guide to the enormous literature, being all the papers placed in their right context. The Handbook is an invaluable resource for professional planetary scientists and academic teachers, for both practicing astronomers and motivated amateurs, and for advanced undergraduates and graduates students venturing into the exciting, fast-moving, world of exoplanet science. (Review written by V. Vanzani)

This remarkable compilation brings together observations and theoretical explorations of a rapidly growing astronomical field - extrasolar planets. Literally every possible observational method is explained and recent results given. These include radial velocities, astrometry, transits, microlensing, timings, and imaging. The level is quite technical (I find myself using the book in my ongoing research), but a motivated armchair amateur astronomer could derive much from the very helpful overviews and introductions to each chapter. Of possibly equal value to the practicing astronomer, areas not yet fully understood are clearly identified. While the number of known exoplanets changes weekly, the methods through which we discover and characterize these do not. Highly recommended.

An extremely useful reference for any exoplaneteer. A comprehensivereview of all exoplanet literature to date. Comparedto the other essential book, Exoplanets (Seager), this volume isshorter, more unified, and more encyclopedic. Exoplanets (Seager) ismore pedagogical, more concerned with fundamentals andless concerned with a comprehensive review of the current literature(and it is also cheaper). Put both on your bookshelf.