Near-Earth Objects: Finding Them Before They Find Us
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Of all the natural disasters that could befall us, only an Earth impact by a large comet or asteroid has the potential to end civilization in a single blow. Yet these near-Earth objects also offer tantalizing clues to our solar system's origins, and someday could even serve as stepping-stones for space exploration. In this book, Donald Yeomans introduces readers to the science of near-Earth objects--its history, applications, and ongoing quest to find near-Earth objects before they find us.
In its course around the sun, the Earth passes through a veritable shooting gallery of millions of nearby comets and asteroids. One such asteroid is thought to have plunged into our planet sixty-five million years ago, triggering a global catastrophe that killed off the dinosaurs. Yeomans provides an up-to-date and accessible guide for understanding the threats posed by near-Earth objects, and also explains how early collisions with them delivered the ingredients that made life on Earth possible. He shows how later impacts spurred evolution, allowing only the most adaptable species to thrive--in fact, we humans may owe our very existence to objects that struck our planet.
Yeomans takes readers behind the scenes of today's efforts to find, track, and study near-Earth objects. He shows how the same comets and asteroids most likely to collide with us could also be mined for precious natural resources like water and oxygen, and used as watering holes and fueling stations for expeditions to Mars and the outermost reaches of our solar system.
Related to Near-Earth Objects
Related ebooks
Near-Earth Objects: Finding Them Before They Find Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Planet X - The 2017 Arrival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Falling Stars: A Guide to Meteors & Meteorites Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Asteroid Impact Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Angels and Aliens Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Disturbing the Solar System: Impacts, Close Encounters, and Coming Attractions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Planet Factory: Exoplanets and the Search for a Second Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Explore Comets and Asteroids!: With 25 Great Projects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLunar Contact Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComets and Asteroids in Action (An Augmented Reality Experience) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeaven's Touch: From Killer Stars to the Seeds of Life, How We Are Connected to the Universe Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fly Me to the Moon: An Insider's Guide to the New Science of Space Travel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sun Kings: The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington and the Tale of How Modern Astronomy Began Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Voyage to Europa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5We Are Not Alone: Why We Have Already Found Extraterrestrial Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings14 Fun Facts About Comets: A 15-Minute Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breakthroughs in Moon Exploration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsZwicky: The Outcast Genius Who Unmasked the Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings14 Fun Facts About Comets: Educational Version Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeteors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Little Book of Black Holes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Super Surprising Trivia About Space and the Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGenesis Revisited: Is Modern Science Catching Up With Ancient Knowledge? Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Big History: The Story of Life, the Universe and Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cosmological Ice Ages Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Megacatastrophes!: Nine Strange Ways the World Could End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Astronomy & Space Sciences For You
Erotic Astrology: The Sex Secrets of Your Horoscope Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rendezvous with Rama Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Linda Goodman's Love Signs: A New Approach to the Human Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spiritual Astrology: A Path to Divine Awakening Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Linda Goodman's Sun Signs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thirty Days Has September: Cool Ways to Remember Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nodes by Sign and House Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How You'll Do Everything Based on Your Zodiac Sign Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Extraterrestrial Species Almanac: The Ultimate Guide to Greys, Reptilians, Hybrids, and Nordics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Narnia Code: C. S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astrology 101: From Sun Signs to Moon Signs, Your Guide to Astrology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Be Taught, If Fortunate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/52010: Odyssey Two Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astrology For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Diaspora Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rising Signs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ilium Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide, Eighth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Toxic Zodiac Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Zodiac by Degrees: Second Edition, Extensively Revised Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Astrology Dictionary: Cosmic Knowledge from A to Z Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Isonomi: Masonic Keys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sun Sign, Moon Sign: Discover the personality secrets of the 144 sun-moon combinations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Near-Earth Objects
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A good introduction to the topic of Near Earth Objects. Hopefully, as we gain new knowledge in the future, it would be interesting to see this book revised and expanded.