Young Stars and Planets Near the Sun (IAU S314)

A key reference concerning the nearest-known examples of young stars and for studying the exoplanets that orbit them.

Joel H. Kastner (Edited by), Beate Stelzer (Edited by), Stanimir Metchev (Edited by)

9781107138162, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 April 2016

316 pages, 150 b/w illus. 1 colour illus. 30 tables
25.5 x 18 x 1.5 cm, 0.64 kg

In the past two decades, astronomers have discovered an abundance of young stars within ~100 parsecs of the Sun. Thanks to their proximity, these stars provide unique opportunities to investigate early stellar evolution, and they offer readily accessible targets for direct imaging and other measurements of dusty circumstellar disks, newly-formed brown dwarfs and, especially, young exoplanets. This volume highlights major advances in our understanding of the early evolution of stars and planetary systems flowing from investigations of nearby young stars. It features contributions that approach such studies from a wide variety of directions: the identification, ages, and origins of local young moving groups; early stellar evolution from theoretical and observational perspectives; and aspects of nascent or recently formed exoplanet systems. This up-to-date reference on local groups of young stars and their ability to aid the widening search for exoplanets addresses advanced students and researchers in the field.

1. The identification, ages, and origins of nearby young stars and moving groups
2. The early evolution of low- to intermediate-mass stars
3. The dispersal of protoplanetary disks and the origins of debris disks
4. The early evolution of planetary systems
5. Prospects for advances in the study of nearby young stars and planets
6. Conference summary.

Subject Areas: Popular astronomy & space [WNX], Space science [TTD], Astrophysics [PHVB], Astronomy, space & time [PG]