Author: Seymour Simon
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0688158439
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36
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Book Description
Whether they appear as distant specks in an astronomer's telescope or shoot brilliantly across the evening sky, comets, meteors, and asteroids have fascinated sky gazers throughout history. But where do these racing celestial bodies come from, and what can they teach us about our universe? Join Seymour Simon for a look at the fiery mystery and wild wonder of these luminous bodies of night.
Author: Tom Gehrels
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 9780816515059
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1340
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Book Description
In 1993, the U.S. Department of Defense declassified information dealing with frequent explosions in the upper atmosphere caused by meteoric impact. It is estimated that impacts have occurred of a magnitude equivalent to the atomic bomb detonated at Hiroshima. Not all such space voyagers meet their end in the atmosphere, however; huge craters attest to the bombardment of earth over millions of years, and a major impact may have resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs. An impact in Siberia near the beginning of this century proves that such events are not confined to geologic time. Hazards Due to Comets and Asteroids marks a significant step in the attempt to come to grips with the threats posed by such phenomena. It brings together more than one hundred scientists from around the world, who draw on observational and theoretical research to focus on the technical problems related to all aspects of dealing with these hazards: searching for and identifying hazardous comets and asteroids; describing their statistics and characteristics; intercepting and altering the orbits of dangerous objects; and applying existent technologies—rocket boosters, rendezvous and soft-landing techniques, instrumentation—to such missions. The book considers defensive options for diverting or disrupting an approaching body, including solar sails, kinetic-energy impacts, nuclear explosives, robotic mass drivers, and various propulsion systems. A cataclysmic impact posing a threat to life on Earth is a possibility that tomorrow's technology is capable of averting. This book examines in depth the reality of the threat and proposes practical measures that can be initiated now should we ever need to deal with it.
Author: Dennis B. Fradin
Publisher: Children's Press(CT)
ISBN: 9780516017235
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 52
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Book Description
Describes in simple terms the meteors, comets, and asteroids that are part of our solar system and discusses the various theories concerning their origin and their effect on life on Earth.
Author: Ron Miller
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
ISBN: 0761372792
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 84
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Book Description
From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them and have studied all visible objects. People began to identify differences between stars and planets, and as technology advanced with telescopes and space probes, they sought deeper understanding of the millions of bits of debris rocketing through the solar system. Scientists determined that most of these objects are left over from the creation of the planets and their moons. They classified these leftovers into categories such as asteroids, comets, and meteors. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of asteroids, comets, and meteors. Ceres is a huge mountain-sized asteroid that orbits with other asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. Other marvels include Ganymede, the largest asteroid in the group called Earthgrazers or Near-Earth Objects, and Halley's comet, a ball of ice, that passes Earth every seventy-five or so years. We'll also explore the amazing impact that space debris can have on planets and moons. The Borealis Basin, a wondrous crater more than 5,000 miles across, formed when an asteroid collided with Mars in the ancient past. Then we will travel to the far-off Kuiper belt, where as many as 200 million icy bodies orbit, and wonder at the mystery of planetlike objects, such as Pluto and Charon. Finally, we’ll can experience a space wonder firsthand by standing outside on a night in August to watch the spectacular Perseid meteor shower fill the sky.
Author: Robin Kerrod
Publisher: Lerner Publications
ISBN: 9780822539056
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40
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Book Description
Introduces asteroids, comets and meteors, including their origin, composition, orbits, and effects on Earth and other bodies in the solar system.
Author: Rosalind Mist
Publisher: QED Publishing
ISBN: 9781845389666
Category : Asteroids
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
"An introduction to asteroids, comets, and meteors, including what they are made of, where they are, and how they interact with other bodies of the solar system"--Provided by publisher.
Author: Kevin Kurtz
Publisher: Space in Action: Augmented Rea
ISBN: 1541578856
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36
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Book Description
"Billions of comets and asteroids orbit the sun. Learn about the latest discoveries in comet and asteroid science in an augmented reality adventure that brings space alive."--
Author: Steven N. Koppes
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
ISBN: 9780822528616
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 124
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Book Description
Describes the role that collisions with meteors, comets, and asteroids have played in the history of Earth and other planets in the solar system and examines what is being done to protect Earth from future collisions.
Author: Natalie Starkey
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472944038
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
'A promising debut.' New Scientist Icy, rocky, sometimes dusty, always mysterious – comets and asteroids are among the Solar System's very oldest inhabitants, formed within a swirling cloud of gas and dust in the area of space that eventually hosted the Sun and its planets. Locked within each of these extra-terrestrial objects is the 4.6-billion-year wisdom of Solar System events, and by studying them at close quarters using spacecraft we can coerce them into revealing their closely-guarded secrets. This offers us the chance to answer some fundamental questions about our planet and its inhabitants. Exploring comets and asteroids also allows us to shape the story of Earth's future, enabling us to protect our precious planet from the threat of a catastrophic impact from space, and maybe to even recover valuable raw materials from them. This cosmic bounty could be as useful in space as it is on Earth, providing the necessary fuel and supplies for humans as they voyage into deep space to explore more distant locations within the Solar System. Catching Stardust tells the story of these enigmatic celestial objects, revealing how scientists are using them to help understand a crucial time in our history – the birth of the Solar System, and everything contained within it.
Author: Andrew S. Rivkin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313344337
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227
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Book Description
Geared toward students, this guide provides an overview of the small bodies that orbit the sun. This volume in the Greenwood Guides to the Universe series covers asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets—those small bodies that revolve the Sun—and provides readers with the most up-to-date understanding of the current state of scientific knowledge about them. Scientifically sound, but written with the student in mind, Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets is an excellent first step for researching the exciting scientific discoveries of the smallest celestial bodies in the solar system. The book will introduce students to all of the areas of research surrounding the subject, answering many intriguing questions. It defines a dwarf planet and explains why Pluto is one. It looks at how such small bodies form, what they are made of, and what kind of atmospheres might they have. And it asks—and answers—whether asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets present a hazard to the Earth or to spacecraft.
