ビッグバン直後の銀河の誕生から、主に赤色矮星から成る薄く暗い銀河が広がる何兆年も先の宇宙まで、最新の学識を踏まえ概説する一冊です。観測技術の発達が可能になった惑星系形成の瞬間の観測で得られた洞察、それを裏付ける理論面の進展、死にゆく恒星の振る舞いがいかに惑星の誕生を促し岩石惑星の形成を始めるのか。30年近く前まで確認されていなかった系外惑星とその気候を決定づける要因や、惑星系の寿命を決定づけるもの、さらにその終焉に何が起きるのかも詳しく探ります。
 

• Introduces the latest developments in understanding the formation and properties of planetary systems
• Shows how scientists are beginning to lift the veil on the question of whether we are alone in the Universe
• Discusses what planets are made of, and where the ingredients come from
• Describes what happens at The End of the Universe

　　　
Not long ago, the Solar System was the only example of a planetary system - a star and the bodies orbiting it - that we knew. Now, we know thousands of planetary systems, and have even been able to observe planetary systems at the moment of their birth.
　　　
This Very Short Introduction explores this new frontier, incorporating the latest research. The book takes the reader on a journey through the grand sweep of time, from the moment galaxies begin to form after the Big Bang to trillions of years in the future when the Universe will be a dilute soup of dim galaxies populated mostly by red dwarf stars. Throughout, Raymond T. Pierrehumbert introduces the latest insights gained from a new generation of telescopes that catch planetary systems at the moment of formation, and to the theoretical advances that attempt to make sense of these observations. He explains how the elements that make up life and the planets on which life can live are forged in the interiors of dying stars, and make their way into rocky planets. He also explores the vast array of newly discovered planets orbiting stars other than our own, and explains the factors that determine their climates. Finally, he reveals what determines how long planetary systems can live, and what happens in their end-times.