Cosmic Pinball: The Science of Cosmets, Meteors, and Asteroids

Go beyond the hype—the real story of the science behind the "rocks" from space. Based on the latest scientific research,Cosmic Pinball details what is happening right here in our planetary neighborhood. It pieces together the story of "rogue rocks"—from the benevolent Lenoid meteor showers,to Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's powerful impact on Jupiter,to the KT Event asteroid that is currently credited with wiping out the dinosaurs. Going beyond millennial hype,Cosmic Pinball provides a unique framework tying together both history and today's research—to present a sound overview of the science of comets,meteors,and asteroids. Sumners and Allen have brought together three leading astronomers who are at the forefront of this cutting-edge field: Guy Consolmagno,Ph.D.,Vatican Observatory; Daniel David Durda,Ph.D.,University of Colorado at Boulder,David Kring,Ph.D.,University of Arizona at Tucson.

The real story of the science behind the "rocks" from space. Based on the latest scientific research,Cosmic Pinball explores three cosmic intruders from right here in our planetary neighborhood: comets,meteors,and asteroids. It masterfully pieces together the many stories of these rogue rocks—from the memorable Leonid meteor showers,to Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's powerful impact on Jupiter,to the asteroid credited with wiping out the dinosaurs. Carolyn Sumners,Director of Astronomy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science,and Carlton Allen,planetary geologist at NASA's Johnson Space Center,bring together a panel of highly respected scientists to dig through the many myths and fables surrounding the potentially treacherous trio of projectiles. The contributingastronomers are: Guy Consolmagno,SJ,Ph.D.,Vatican Observator; Daniel Durda,Ph.D.,Southwest Research Institute; and David Kring,Ph.D.,University of Arizona. Going beyond the paranoia and hype,Cosmic Pinball provides a unique framework tying together myths,history,and today's research,to present a sound overview of the science of comets,meteors,and asteroids.