Book Description

The Sun as now studied is far removed from its early modelsthat described a homogeneous spherical body: chemical fractionation aswell as considerable fine-structure in and above the solar surface andinternal mixing must now be taken into account. Accordingly, attentionin composition studies has shifted from absolute solar abundancestoward differences in the chemical (and isotopic) composition of thedifferent parts of the Sun: in its interior, in the structures thatmake up its atmosphere, and in solar-wind and other, more energetic,particle streams. As was the case with the earlier photosphericcomposition studies, the investigation of abundance differencesresults in further clues and input for understanding, in particular,mass-transport, separation and heating mechanisms. This volumecontains the reviews and contributions on these topics presented at anISSI Workshop, and it summarises the resulting discussions inrapporteur papers. The book is intended to provide both activeresearchers and advanced graduate students with a comprehensiveup-to-date `compte rendu' on solar composition. ... Read more

Book Description

Could a giant asteroid or comet crash into the Earth and destroy life as we know it? Many astronomers who formerly discredited the risks are now convinced there is a grave danger. In Rogue Asteroids and Doomsday Comets, astronomer Duncan Steel explores the scientists' fascinating and often chilling findings.

Director of one of three global asteroid and comet search programs, Steel is one of the world's leading experts. He tells the intriguing story of the scientific detection work that pieced together mounting evidence to uncover a stunning history of impacts. Massive comet and asteroid impacts scarred our planet frequently in the past—a comet was almost surely responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. Recent advances in telescope tracking technology show at least 2,000 objects now orbiting the Earth that are large enough to hit with the force of a nuclear weapon. Based on the best calculations, it is certain that the Earth will sooner or later find itself on a disastrous collision course once again.

In the event of a collision, evidence suggests outcomes such as three-mile-high ocean waves capable of obliterating coastal communities worldwide, a massive conflagration and a cloud of dust and ash blocking all sunlight and making agriculture impossible. With consummate authority, Steel explains and evaluates these prospects and the plans researchers have proposed for the search and destruction of oncoming celestial bodies, including Edward Teller's provocative call for a nuclear bomb.

Rogue Asteroids and Doomsday Comets is a compelling account of the threat posed to life on Earth from outer space, and of scientists' response. Killer comets and asteroids populate the cosmos in greater numbers than we have ever imagined. But for the first time, humankind is in a position to prevent calamity. This book makes a compelling case that to waste that opportunity would be both perilous and foolhardy.

"A chilling and utterly convincing account of a cosmic menace that must not be ignored any longer. Duncan Steel writes with authority and credibility. This book is a welcome challenge to the scientific prejudice against catastrophism." —Paul Davies, author of The Mind of God

Evidence of Earth's encounters with killer comets and asteroids . . .

An enormous crater 180 kilometers across was recently identified in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The asteroid that created it 65 million years ago must have been larger than 20 kilometers. Was this gargantuan collision the cause of a global environmental disaster that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs? Fossil evidence shows that 900f the terrestrial biomass was incinerated about the time of the asteroid's impact. Did an asteroid crash spark a fireball that literally saw the Earth go up in flames?

• In 1908, a much smaller asteroid exploded in the atmosphere over the remote Tunguska region of Siberia. The blast, estimated at 20 megatons—2,000 times the power of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leveled vast expanses of forest and ignited fires that burned out of control. The explosion's mighty thunderclap was audible over 400 miles away, and throughout Europe the night sky glowed unnaturally bright
• Could both Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt have been constructed to observe and commemorate a period of phenomenal meteor storms and asteroid detonations produced by a burst of activity in the Taurid Complex 4,500 to 5,000 years ago? Author Duncan Steel examines the evidence indicating rogue asteroids and doomsday comets may have been behind these and other ancient phenomena.

Reviews (4)

Ignore speculation and you have a good book..
I liked the book, but do not rate it as highly as "Rain of Iron and Ice" by John S. Lewis and "Impact" by Gerrit L Verschuur. However, it is much better than "Fire on Earth" by John and Mary Gribben.
My chief reservation about Steel's work is that he seems easily drawn to flights of whimsy such as Clube's and Napier's contentions regarding Beta Taurid cometary impacts that have affected history on a mammoth scale. While these are captivating proposals, perhaps, there isn't enough hard scientific evidence for them clutter up what was otherwise a hitherto fine scientific presentation of a real problem by Steel. Up to the author's dalliance into the speculative, the book is a good read about a serious, overlooked, preventable threat. His admonitions should be taken seriously.

Craters
Duncan Steel is one of the best known advocates for a near Earth observation system, and he and others like him should be listened to. Unfortunately the book is not too great. It didn't hold my attention, partly because of the intrusion of some of his opinions. If nothing else is available on the topic, this could be an okay choice. See instead "Rain of Iron and Ice" by John S. Lewis

Related titles include "Night Comes to the Cretaceous" by James Lawrence Powell and "T Rex and the Crater of Doom" by Walter Alvarez.

Please create an audio abridged version ...
To the publisher I would appreciate it if the publisher could produce an audio adaptation of this book. I would love to listen to this while I drive to work and to let my 16 month old son listen to it as a bedtime story. My goal is to expose him to some of my favorite passions, maths, sciences, physics, geophysics, paleontology, astronomy, electronics, photonics, new science and discoveries etc. The more audio books you can produce of the above genre the more I will support you. Arnold D Veness

Death from Space! - sometime.
Three events in the past decade have caused a great deal of interest in objects around us in space. Giotto's encounter with Halleys Comet, Hubble Space Telescope pictures of the Shoemaker/Levy comet crashing onto Jupiter and lastly the naked eye sightings of the Hale/Bopp Comet we have enjoyed earlier in the year. Originally from Somerset, Duncan Steel now works at the Anglo-Australian Observatory and his book provides a very readable account of the nature and movements of these very varied objects.

Ever since the first pictures of other planets and in particular their moons arrived, studies have been made of their cratering records. Pictures from space have also been the main method of detecting craters but this time down on earth where plate tectonics, erosion, sediments or vegetation tend to erase them.

Astronomy and Geology linked up when cosmic impact events were suggested as possible cause or trigger for some of the major extinctions we find in the fossil record. The effects of both solar and cosmic cycles on all aspects of life on the planet are now widely studied.

Mr. Steel gives an account of a very bright meteor seen by many people in 1993 in New South Wales. When asked for an estimate of how soon it would before another such sighting to occur the answer was given in years. One week later, however, an object estimated to be 2-3 meters in size and traveling at 30Km/Sec exploded 18Km overhead with the amount of energy produced by a Hiroshima Bomb. Events such as these and the trail of impacts left on Jupiter show that objects in space are certainly not solitary. Lines of craters have been found on other moons in the system. Comet Hale/Bopp provided a spectacular sight a few months ago but for now the interest is in the debris and dust they and asteroids can leave behind often in highly eccentric trails across our orbit. Gravitational forces and solar wind affect the objects and the trails have a structure and it is the "busy" parts of the belt which give the peaks to meteor showers as we pass. The widely varying time scales which have been linked with extinctions and other cycles are the result of earth and solar system moving round the galaxy.

The possible effects of a large impact, global warming, ice ages, large fire storms or basalt floods have all been discussed elsewhere but the book considers several other theories. A large object landing in the ocean could cause a truly instant catastrophe.

This is the tsunami wave which can be caused by earthquakes or large undersea slope collapse. Islands in the middle of the Pacific can feel the effects of activity right across the ocean. The sloping continental shelves amplify the height of the waves and in low lying areas they can reach well in land. Observations of the cratering pattern on Mercury led to one theory where the shock waves from a large impact travel round the globe and fracture the crust on the opposite side. Reconstruction of the continents at the times of suggested impact events seems to make it possible to link basalt floods such as the Deccan traps with their "opposite" partner.

The remainder of the book deals with the problems involved first in detecting objects which may be a threat to the earth and also discusses what or how anything could be done about it. The pictures of S/L 9 described as a "string of pearls" as it approached Jupiter show just how much of a problem this could prove. For a book found

on the astronomy shelves in the library this one provided a very interesting read and shows that we on earth are not alone in space. ... Read more

Book Description

The explosive growth of knowledge in the field of space exploration and, in particular the interdisciplinary character of the subject of collisions in the solar system, put the scientific interest of planetary and galactic astronomers, as well as specialists in geophysics, dynamics, and cosmochemistry in a common focus.

Obvious highlights include the explosion in the rate of discoveries of Kuiper belt objects; better understanding of dynamics of main belt asteroids and the processes affecting their injection into the inner planets crossing orbits; growing understanding of the importance of comets and asteroids in the delivery of volatiles to the inner planets and even possibly in life origin on the Earth; great acceleration of NEO discovery and more reliable prediction of their future threat to the Earth.

All these topics are thoroughly addressed and discussed by the top-level specialists in the field on the most comprehensive and unprecedented basis. Owing to its interdisciplinary character the book will undoubtedly meet an interest of specialists in the different fields of astronomy, planetary and Earth sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Old, but useful
It took one evening to get through. Well written by a man who loves astronomy. There is lots of anecdotes, history of human relation with heavens which gives food to your thought.

The book has been written well before great modern observations: Hale-Bopp, Haley, Jove impact and scientific material is not up-to-date.

Not for observer, too. Nothing about observing technique, ephemerides, magnitude approximation, etc.

Good to compare with more recent issues to how fast science changes those days. ... Read more

Book Description

What are the terrestrial effects of solar activity and the solar activity cycle? The modern term used for solar terrestrial relations is `Space Weather'. This term describes all external effects on the space environment of the Earth and the Earth's atmosphere. The main driver for space weather is our Sun. Explosive events on the Sun that are modulated by the solar activity cycle lead to enhanced particle emission and short wavelength radiation. This affects satellites: for example surface charging and enhanced drag forces on satellites in low Earth orbit can cause satellite crashes etc. Enhanced radiation also poses a problem for astronauts, especially for extravehicular activities. Another source of space weather effects is space debris and micrometeoroids.Since the Sun is the main source of space weather effects, the first part of the book is devoted to a general introduction to the physics of the Sun. A better understanding of the phenomena underlying solar activity is also important for prediction of solar outbursts and thus for establishing alert systems for space missions and telecommunication systems.The book contains the following topics: + possible influence of the Sun on the Earth's climate; + the effects of radiation on humans in space and the expected radiation dose from various solar events; + disturbances of the Earth's ionosphere and the implications of radio communication at different wavelength ranges; + possible hazardous asteroids and meteoroids and their detection; and +space debris and special shielding of spacecraft.In the cited literature the reader can find more detailed information about the topics.This book provides an introduction and overview of modern solar-terrestrial physics for students as well as for researchers in the field of astrophysics, solar physics, geophysics, and climate research. ... Read more

Book Description

Expanding upon the ideas first proposed in his seminal book Cosmical Magnetic Fields, Eugene N. Parker here offers the first in-depth treatment of the magnetohydrodynamic theory of spontaneous magnetic discontinuities.In detailing his theory of the spontaneous formation of tangential discontinuities (current sheets) in a magnetic field embedded in highly conducting plasma, Parker shows how it can be used to explain the activity of the external magnetic fields of planets, stars, interstellar gas clouds, and galaxies, as well as the magnetic fields in laboratory plasmas.Provocative and fascinating, Spontaneous Current Sheets in Magnetic Fields presents a bold new theory that will excite interest and discussion throughout the space physics community. ... Read more

Book Description

Celestial Navigation Quick & Easy. In your head calculations of latitude and longitude. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Indeed mostly useless
Alas a have to join the last reviewer in most of his remarks. Though I liked the Analemma part which was quite interesting and somewhat useful, there is nothing in it which would help you in navigating with a sextant. The rest is indeed a collection of noncoherent sentences and topics. Might be interesting for a child but my advice for everyone else interested in celestial navigation is buy a better book

Worse; then, useless
This may be the worst-written and most poorly edited book I've ever seen. Full of maybe-even-interesting but absolutely useless, (not to mention repetitive) facts, factoids, and opinions having next to nothing to do with actually learning something about celestial navigation (example: "Dick Gordon, astronaut, has pointed out, that most photos of the moon are placed upside down".) Rife with typos, spelling errors, and punctuation errors that a second-grader wouldn't make, this "book" shouldn't even be in print, much less for sale. Nonetheless, if there were one thing I would suggest to make the book at least marginally worthwhile, it would be for the author to ask himself, "So what?" about every fact/factoid/opinion he chooses to include. 99% of this book left me wondering, "So what?"

Celestial Navigation Quick & Easy
A totally unique way of explaining celestial navigation. It is clear and simple, with over 200 illustrations. You can understand a very complex subject. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume includes contributions from 28 experts in their respective areas who present a broad range of information on planetary accretion and the origin and earliest history of the Earth. The central theme of the book is the Giant Impact model for the formation of the moon, which if correct, has important implications regarding the early history of the Earth. The book is being co-published with the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. ... Read more

Book Description

Where did the solar system begin? What is the meaning of pairs of elementary particles, white and black holes, double stars, double planets, two sexes - male and female. Mladen Millhov explains the hidden mysteries behind the origin of the solar system. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Planetary Astronomy 101
This book provides an excellent overview of the evolution of human knowledge about the Solar System from the first observations in recorded history to the latter 1990s. Its emphasis is on communicating a basic understanding of planetary astronomy rather than focusing on scientific details. This makes the book an outstanding introduction to a complex and fascinating subject. The general public rather than astronomers and space scientists are the primary audience for this work, but conceivably specialists in the field could read this book with profit. Jurgen Rahe, NASA's late director of Solar System exploration, sponsored this work as a formal effort to provide general readers with a reliable, well-written overview of planetary astronomy. He succeeded in that objective as author Ron Schorn has published a fine entree to comprehending the breadth of the subject.

Of course, planetary astronomy is generally categorized as consisting of the outer planets and inner planets of the Solar System. Schorn begins with a discussion of the nighttime sky and what one may view there. While he discusses the possibilities for origins of the universe, and the galaxies on view every night, his focus is on what planets one might view with the naked eye, relatively simple telescopes, and then more complex instruments. At that point he journeys back in time to the earliest observations by the ancients and how they constructed their understanding of the universe based on astronomical observations. He then quickly moves forward to the twentieth century when understandings of planetary astronomy changed rapidly in response to ground and airborne observatories and especially space probes sent to the various planets of the Solar System.

Schorn discusses at some length the many spacecraft that have been sent to the inner planets by the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as European and Japanese consortia, traveling to Mercury, Venus, and particularly Mars. This book explains well the story of such missions as the Mariner series that journeyed to these planets, the two Viking spacecraft that landed on Mars in 1976, and plans for future explorations of the red planet. Some spacecraft have been sent, but far fewer, to the outer planets. Visits to the gas giants of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and the small distant rock known as Pluto have been largely the province of the United States' efforts. NASA, for example, sent Pioneer 10 and 11 on a "windshield" tour of Jupiter and Saturn in the 1970s; following soon thereafter with Voyagers 1 and 2 that flew past the gas giants beginning in the latter 1970s through the 1980s. This activity, Schorn asserts, represents a golden age for Solar System exploration.

Schorn is at his best in discussing the decline of planetary astronomy in the early twentieth century--as astronomers led by Edwin Hubble focused their attention on galaxies beyond the Milky Way rather than on the Solar System--and its recovery in the 1960s as NASA reenergized planetary exploration with the first probes to Venus and Mars. This reemphasis on planetary astronomy was actually quite practical. The recently created NASA held a mandate to undertake exploration of the cosmos with both human and robotic spacecraft. Since the technical capability for planetary exploration existed, NASA's scientists focused their attention there. Even more important, according to Schorn, these scientists also emphasized lunar exploration as an adjunct of NASA's Apollo program to humans on the Moon. These efforts revitalized scientific study of the Solar System and yielded an enormous harvest of understanding about our immediate corner of the universe.

Easy to read and dased on a wealth of sources, both oral and written, "Planetary Astronomy" is a wonderful introduction to an enthralling subject. Enjoy!

Fascinating book by a knowledgeable insider!
This is a fascinating history of the field of planetary astronomy written by an insider.Dr. Schorn was once head of planetary astronomy for Nasa.As such, he's known most of major figures of the field from the last half of the 20th century.What distinguishes this book is it's very literary style.Dr. Schorn not only knows the field, he writes of it in an engrossing style that the layman can understand.If you have any curiousity about how study of the planets has grown, then languished for decades, only to re-emerge during the space age, then this book is for you.

Well written history!
This book is a good read for anyone who has a limited knowledge of astronomy, especially from a historical perspective.I would have rated it five stars, however I would have like to have seen a little more discussion about celestial mechanics (the movement, alignment, and rotation of the planets) along with illustrations.I found it somewhat cumbersome to intereperet some of the early models of the universe without charts or other illustrations.Overall though a very well written book.

one of the best books I read last year
This book is surprisingly well written and very engrossing.The authornever gets ahead of himself--each new nugget of knowledge about the heavensabove is evaluated using the science of the day, not with a modern bias. Consequently, you never feel that ancient astronomers were somehow stupidfor missing things that are so "obvious" to us, such as theheliocentric model of the solar system or the nature of comets.The veryfirst chapter is an especially good gem--it puts you in the shoes ofsomeone two thousand years ago and asks "what could you logicallydeduce from looking at the heavens above?"Utterly captivating and amust-read.

Thoughful history of the evolution of planetary astronomy.
This book is a must as a historical reference.It offers a fresh insightful look at Planetary astronomy as it happened.Schorn has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat at the turning points of discovery(i.e. Newton... sunlight through a prism... but spectroscopy wasn't to bediscovered for another 2 centuries...), minutes, purpose and impact of theUS/USSR space race... ... Read more