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WORK TITLE: Exoplanets
WORK NOTES: with James Trefil
PSEUDONYM(S): Summers, Mike
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://spacs.gmu.edu/profile/mike-summers/ * http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/smithsonian-books-releases-exoplanets-march-14 * http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/editorial/review-exoplanets-diamond-worlds-super-earths-pulsar-planets-and-the-new-search-for-life-beyond-our-solar-system/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-summers-164a2039/ * http://eeriedigest.com/2012/12/taem-interview-with-dr-michael-summers-of-gmu/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:Murray State University, B.A., 1975; University of Texas at Dallas, M.S., 1978; California Institute of Technology, Ph.D., 1985.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, planetary scientist, physicist, and educator. George Mason University, adjunct professor, 1990-99, associate professor, 2000-03, professor of planetary science and astronomy, 2003—. Computational Physics, Inc., Annandale, VA, research physicist, 1987-88; Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, research physicist, 1988-2000. Served on the mission teams of multiple NASA space probe missions, including the New Horizons mission to the Pluto-Charon double planet.
MEMBER:American Astronomical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society.
AWARDS:Ford Foundation Scholarship, 1975; postdoctoral fellow, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1985-1987; Alan J. Berman Research Publication Award, Naval Research Laboratory, 1992, 1998; NASA Group Achievement Award, ARES Mission Concept Development Team;
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
As a planetary scientist Michael E. Summers “specializes in the study of structure and evolution of planetary atmospheres,” noted a writer on the George Mason University, School of Physics, Astronomy, and Computational Sciences Website. He also serves as a professor of physics and astronomy at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He has studied the chemistry and thermal structure of planets such as Uranus and Neptune and moons such as Io (a moon of Jupiter) and Triton (Neptune’s largest moon). He has been involved in several NASA missions, primarily as a science planner and as an interpreter of spacecraft observations. Summers holds a B.A. in physics, mathematics, and Russian from Murray State University; an M.S. in space physics from the University of Texas at Dallas; and a Ph.D. in planetary science and astronomy from the California Institute of Technology.
In Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life beyond Our Solar System, Summers and coauthor James Trefil examine the topic of exoplanets, planets that exist outside our known solar system. With advances in technology in fields such as astronomy, physics, and space science, astronomers and related experts have been able to discover more and more of these planets and study them with greater precision.
Summers and Trefil present a concise history of the search for exoplanets and the many outer worlds that have been discovered. They address the topic of defining what does and does not constitute a planet and how tightening of these definitions has affected the exoplanet search. Many of the exoplanets so far charted by scientists do not behave in familiar ways. For example, some orbit two or three stars instead of one. Some have no gravitational connection to any planet and essentially wander through space. Some exoplanets are made up mostly of water or metal. An exoplanet composed of carbon suggests that much of its material will be diamond.
The authors “write confidently and straightforwardly for lay readers, who will long ponder what planets circle other suns,” remarked a Publishers Weekly writer. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted, “Space enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy this exploration into the farthest reaches of the universe and the cutting edge of astronomical research.”
“For any space or astronomy buff looking for something the read while they are traveling or for a primer on what the latest findings in a field that is fairly exploding, every day, with new discoveries, this is a must-have,” concluded Jason Rhian on the website Spaceflight Insider.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2017, review of Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System.
Publishers Weekly, January 2, 2017, review of Exoplanets.
ONLINE
Eerie Digest, http://www.eeriedigest.com/ (October 22, 2017), interview with Michael Summers.
George Mason University, School of Physics, Astronomy, and Computational Sciences Website, http://www.physics.gmu.edu/ (October 22, 2017).
Spaceflight Insider, http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/ (February 12, 2017), Jason Rhian, review of Exoplanets.
MICHAEL SUMMERS is a planetary scientist and professor of physics and astronomy at George Mason University. Since 1989, he has served on the mission teams of several NASA space probes in the role of science planning and interpretation of spacecraft observations. He is currently a coinvestigator on the NASA New Horizons mission to the Pluto-Charon double planet, where he serves as the deputy lead of the Atmospheres Theme Team.
Michael (Mike) Summers
Professor
Primary Research: Astrophysics, Space Weather
Email: msummers@gmu.edu
Office: 203B Planetary Hall Phone: 703.993.3971
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00–3:00 PM.
Personal Website: http://summers.www.physics.gmu.edu/
Curriculum Vitae Publications
Current Research Interests
Michael E. Summers is a planetary scientist who pecializes in the study of structure and evolution of planetary atmospheres. His planetary research has dealt with the chemistry and thermal structure of the atmospheres of Io (one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter), Titan (largest of Saturn's moons), Uranus, Neptune, Triton (largest moon of Neptune), Pluto, and Mars. Dr. Summers' research on the Earth's atmosphere has focused on understanding middle atmospheric ozone chemistry, coupled chemical-dynamical-radiative modeling of active trace gases, heterogeneous chemistry on meteor dust, the influence of solar variability on the state of the stratosphere and mesosphere, and polar mesospheric clouds and their connection to climate.
Teaching Interests
Introduction to Physics & Chemistry of the Atmosphere
ASTR 401 Astrobiology
ASTR 403 Planetary Sciences
ASTR 710 Planetary Sciences and Astrobiology
PHYS 676/CSI 755 Atmospheric Physics II: Atmospheric Dynamics
CV:
Education:
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Planetary Science and Astronomy, 1985.
M.S., The University of Texas at Dallas, Space Physics, 1978.
B.A., Murray State University, Majors in Physics, Mathematics and Russian; Minors in Astronomy and Russian History, 1976.
Leningrad State University, Council for International Educational Exchange, Program for Russian Studies, 1975.
Professional Experience:
Professor of Planetary Science and Astronomy: 2003-present.
Associate Professor of Computational Sciences and Physics: 2000-2003.
Research Physicist: Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC, 1988-2000.
Adjunct Professor: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 1990-1999.
Research Physicist: Computational Physics, Inc., Annandale, VA, 1987-1988.
Postdoctoral Fellow: The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1985-1987.
Selected Awards and Honors:
NASA Group Achievement Award: ARES Mission Concept Development Team.
Alan J. Berman Research Publication Award: Naval Research Laboratory, Annual awards given by NRL for the highest quality research publications. Awarded in 1992 and 1998.
Invited speaker for Herbert Friedman - NRL Lifetime Achievement Symposium. One of five invited speakers that presented talks on the future of science and engineering at NRL. This was on the occasion of the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Herbert Friedman in 1996.
Ford Foundation Scholarship, Exchange Program to the Former Soviet Union, sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in 1975. Scholarship to study Russian language at Leningrad State University (now St. Petersburg). One of 32 participants chosen from the US to participate in this program.
Selected Activities:
Co-Editor: American Geophysical Union - Chapman Conference Monograph #123, Atmospheric Science Across the Stratopause, Eds. D.E. Siskind, S.E. Eckerman, M.E. Summers, American Geophysical Union, Dec. 2000.
Co-Chair: American Geophysical Union sponsored Chapman Conference, Atmospheric Science Across the Stratopause, Annapolis, MD, April, 1999.
Group Leader: Middle Atmospheric Theory program at the Naval Research Laboratory from 1992 to1999.
Chair: NRL Committee for DoD SERDP (Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program) supercomputer modeling at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, 1992-1995.
Group Leader of two working groups as a part of the CRISTA/MAHRSI (Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere/Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph) space shuttle missions in 1994 and 1997: Photochemical Modeling working group; Mesospheric Tracers working group.
World Meteorological Organization: Contributor to 1998 Report: Assessment of Stratospheric Ozone.
Reviewer for the journals: Science, Nature, Icarus, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, The Astrophysical Journal, Astrophysical Journal Letters.
NASA review panels: Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling and Analysis Program (ACMAP), the Planetary Atmospheres Review Panel (PATRP), and the Ionosphere, Thermosphere, and Mesosphere (ITM) program (twice).
Mission Co-Investigator, New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, launched Jan. 19, 2006, Southwest Research Institute, Dr. Alan Stern, PI.
Mission Co-Investigator, Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM), SMEX mission launched Sept. 2006, Hampton University/LASP, Dr. James Russell, PI.
Mission Co-Investigator, ARES Mars Airplane, Concept and Engineering study for proposed first airplane to fly on another planet. Currently proposed to 2011 Mars Scout Program. NASA Langley Research Center, Dr. Joel Levine, PI.
Professional Memberships:
American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Sciences
American Geophysical Union
American Meteorological Society
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EXOPLANETS
Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System
by Michael Summers & James Trefil
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KIRKUS REVIEW
A comprehensive introduction to the thousands of newly discovered planets beyond our solar system, which are beautiful and mind-bending in their diversity—and those are just the ones we know of.
Though astronomers had long predicted that there were other solar systems out there, only in the past decade has satellite telescope technology been able to confirm the existence of an enormous number of exoplanets, “planets outside our solar system. Even more significant than their abundance is their diversity, and even more astonishing than their diversity is, in some cases, their very existence—many of these worlds defy what scientists thought they knew about what was possible about how planets form and behave. Planetary scientist Summers (Physics and Astronomy/George Mason Univ.), who has been a member of multiple NASA mission teams, and Trefil (Physics/George Mason Univ.; Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond, 2016, etc.) take readers on an exhilarating tour of the universe as we now know it. In a series of chapters that detail a variety of recently detected planets, the authors provide both a history of exoplanet discovery and a look toward the future of the field (which just may bear fruit in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence). “If there really are rogue planets floating around just outside the solar systems,” they write, then perhaps “multigenerational starships…won’t be needed to reach them.” These otherworldly planets are dizzying in scope and are a wonderful feast for the imagination, even as the authors back up their imagery with the latest research findings. Also included are a number of photographs and illustrations that provide a welcome visual accompaniment to the lay-friendly text.
Space enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy this exploration into the farthest reaches of the universe and the cutting edge of astronomical research.
Pub Date: March 14th, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58834-594-3
Page count: 224pp
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19th, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15th, 2017
Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System
Michael Summers and James Trefil. Smithsonian, $29.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-58834-594-3
Readers tour several bizarre worlds in this slim read, as Summers and Trefil, professors of physics at George Mason University, show how “defining a ‘planet’ has been made significantly more difficult” in the exoplanet age. Astronomical investigations outside our celestial backyard are ripe with paradigm shifts because scientists suffered “the curse of the single example”: our solar system and carbon-based life. Detailed photos and illustrations aid “visits” to unusual worlds, including 55 Cancri e, where volcanoes spew liquid diamond; Kepler 186f, with its vast lagoons and black flora that absorb “what energy they can from the faint sun”; and a rogue planet wandering dark space, where any life “must see in the infrared” and be warmed by the planet’s core. The authors temper runaway imaginations with scientific uncertainties about each location, and they reexamine the Drake equation—used in the search for extraterrestrial life—in light of our current understanding of exosystem frequency and dynamics. Summers and Trefil write confidently and straightforwardly for lay readers, who will long ponder what planets circle other suns and the peculiar possibilities of life beyond our blue marble. Illus. Agent: Leslie Gardner, Artellus Ltd. (U.K.). (Mar.)
DETAILS
Reviewed on: 01/02/2017
Release date: 03/14/2017
MP3 CD - 978-1-5200-6717-9
Compact Disc - 978-1-5200-6713-1
Review: Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System
Jason Rhian
February 12th, 2017
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image: http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/NASA-image-of-exoplanets-orbiting-distant-star.-Image-Credit-NASA.jpg
NASA image of exoplanets orbiting a distant star. Image Credit: NASA
A new book is set for release – Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System by Michael Summers and James Trefil. There are, at present, 3,700 exoplanets (that we’re aware of) and counting, which makes this a welcomed addition to a space enthusiast’s library.
Exoplanets is poised to be released on March 14 of this year (2017) and has already gained praise in a recent Booklist review. To get a better understanding of the startling discoveries being made in this field, SpaceFlight Insider spoke with one of the book’s authors, Michael Summers.
image: http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Exoplanets-Diamond-Worlds-Super-Earths-Pulsar-Planets-and-the-New-Search-for-Life-Beyond-our-Solar-System.jpg
Image Credit: Smithsonian Books
Summers, who is a professor of planetary science at George Mason University, has made a career out of studying planets. He has studied exoplanets for the better part of the past decade, and he noted that this relatively new field has revolutionized his field of study.
Summers told SpaceFlight Insider: “When you look at exoplanets, there are at least a dozen more categories of planets (not including those found within our Solar System: dwarf, terrestrial, and gas giants). […] there are planets that are all water, planets that are all metal; we think that we’ve found at least two planets that are all elemental carbon and at high pressure – that means diamond.
“In some cases, you [have] got a planet that’s mostly carbon with a mantle that’s 20,000 kilometers (12,427 miles) thick, and then, at the center of that world, you’ve got a crystalline-carbon core that it’s under so much pressure that it flows [like] a liquid. You’ve got planets that go around two stars instead of one, planets that orbit three [stars], planets that orbit four stars; you’ve got planets that float around between stars and are not even gravitationally bound to stars – it just goes on and on.”
The authors found they had to take a step back and take a look at the “big picture”, so as to develop a table of all these newly discovered worlds and their properties. Much as biologists use a hierarchical system to classify organisms on a species level, Summers and other scientists studying these planets’ characteristics to classify them.
Summers noted that not only new planets were being discovered each month but also entirely new categories of planets, and that list is also likely to be extensive. Summers described the amount of work in front of exoplanet researchers as “overwhelming”.
Summers told SpaceFlight Insider: “Just finding a way to organize the discussion, not so much do the science, how do you talk about all these things? What words do you use? What categories?
“We’re coming up with new techniques to detect the chemicals in their atmospheres, and we’re very close to being able to detect signatures of life in the atmospheres of planets around other stars.”
Summers’ knowledge about exoplanets extends to those worlds who dwell in the abyss between stars. Summers noted that there could be more of these so-called “rogue planets” than the traditional ones we’re all familiar with.
“Think about our galaxy of 400 billion stars, and say, on average, each of those stars has 10 planets – and that’s not unreasonable given what we know – and take that number it and multiply it by ten,” Summers said. “That may be the number of planets that are floating around between the stars, or it could be a hundred times the number of bound planets. Between our Solar System and the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, there could be half a dozen dark planets – rogue planets that we can’t see.”
Summers stated that if Jupiter and its four Jovian moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, were in the interstellar medium, their potential habitability would change little – as much of their energy originates from gravitational tidal interaction. This keeps the oceans underneath the ice of three of these moons (Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) liquid.
Published by Smithsonian Books, Summers and Trefil’s Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System is a concise read at just 224 pages. For any space or astronomy buff looking for something the read while they are traveling or for a primer on what the latest findings in a field that is fairly exploding, every day, with new discoveries, this is a must-have. The book can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and elsewhere for $29.95 U.S. and $38.95 Canadian.
Read more at http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/editorial/review-exoplanets-diamond-worlds-super-earths-pulsar-planets-and-the-new-search-for-life-beyond-our-solar-system/#ZsAbRAr0LtK3oswm.99