A new book by Scott Tremaine, Emeritus Charles A. Young Professor of Astronomy on the Class of 1897 Foundation and renowned dynamicist, was published by Princeton University Press last week.  Tremaine’s book, “Dynamics of Planetary Systems,” focuses on celestial mechanics—the study of the movement of planets, satellites, and smaller bodies such as comets.  While one of the oldest subjects in the physical sciences, the field of celestial mechanics has experienced a recent renaissance, especially with the accelerating pace of discovery and characterization of exoplanets since the 1990s. Tremaine’s modern, authoritative introduction to planetary system dynamics reflects these recent discoveries as well as developments in theory, and is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers.

“This book is clearly destined to become a major resource in the field. I would strongly recommend it as essential reading for any student intending to study planetary system dynamics at the graduate level and beyond.”—Mark Wyatt, Professor of Astrophysics, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

“Dynamics of Planetary Systems thoroughly incorporates recent advances in the field and lays crucial background for understanding them while emphasizing the fundamentals of the dynamics discipline, making it sure to remain a valuable resource for interpreting whatever surprises await us in the next decades.”—Rebekah Ilene Dawson, Pennsylvania State University

“Artfully balancing breadth with depth, and abundant with deep insights, unorthodox approaches, and numerous practical examples based on real astrophysical problems, Dynamics of Planetary Systems can be used as a comprehensive teaching tool and as an authoritative reference for professional researchers.”—Roman Rafikov, University of Cambridge

The book is available now through Princeton University Press.

Congratulations, Scott!