Comets
Creators and Destroyers
Published on 20. May 1998
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-684-85255-3 (ISBN)
Description
A guide to comets, which explores their history, recent discoveries and the belief that comets inspire everything from psychotic behaviour and suicide, to the actions of world leaders. The author also contemplates the possibility of a comet colliding with Earth.
More details
Edition
Original ed.
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
1, black & white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
371 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-684-85255-3 (9780684852553)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/1998
1st Edition
Touchstone
€13.84
Available for download
Person
David H. Levy is the co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy, which slammed into Jupiter in 1994 in a series of spectacular explosions with a force equal to several million tons of TNT. He is the author of More Things in Heaven and Earth, the Man Who Sold the Milky Way, The Ultimate Universe and Impact Jupiter. Levy was asked by Parade Magazine to take over the science column after the death of Carl Sagan. Levy is also the editor of The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos.
Content
CONTENTS
Preface GHOSTLY APPARITIONS IN THE NIGHT 11
One FROM DUST TO DUST 17
Two FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO 37
Three COMETS AND THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 57
Four THREE BILLION YEARS AGO 71
Five SIXTY-FIVE MILLION YEARS AGO 87
Six COMETS ARE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORDS 103
Seven EARTH'S FIRST COLD WAR 115
Eight A TIME FOR COMETS 125
Nine A FIELD OF DREAMS 139
Ten TARGET EARTH 153
Eleven THREE LITTLE WORLDS 173
Twelve PROBING FOR LIFE IN OUR GALAXY 185
Thirteen YES, VIRGINIA, COMETS DO HIT PLANETS 197
Fourteen PRESCRIPTION FOR DOOMSDAY 215
Fifteen AN EPILOGUE 231
NOTES 239
INDEX 245
Preface GHOSTLY APPARITIONS IN THE NIGHT 11
One FROM DUST TO DUST 17
Two FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO 37
Three COMETS AND THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 57
Four THREE BILLION YEARS AGO 71
Five SIXTY-FIVE MILLION YEARS AGO 87
Six COMETS ARE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORDS 103
Seven EARTH'S FIRST COLD WAR 115
Eight A TIME FOR COMETS 125
Nine A FIELD OF DREAMS 139
Ten TARGET EARTH 153
Eleven THREE LITTLE WORLDS 173
Twelve PROBING FOR LIFE IN OUR GALAXY 185
Thirteen YES, VIRGINIA, COMETS DO HIT PLANETS 197
Fourteen PRESCRIPTION FOR DOOMSDAY 215
Fifteen AN EPILOGUE 231
NOTES 239
INDEX 245