Download or read book What If the Earth Had Two Moons written by Neil F. Comins and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2010-03-30 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "What if?" questions stimulate people to think in new ways, to refresh old ideas, and to make new discoveries. In What If the Earth Had Two Moons, Neil Comins leads us on a fascinating ten-world journey as we explore what our planet would be like under alternative astronomical conditions. In each case, the Earth would be different, often in surprising ways. The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but that won't last forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one extra-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth sports a Saturn-like ring. This and nine and other speculative essays provide us with insights into the Earth as it exists today, while shedding new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars. Appealing to adult and young adult alike, this book is a fascinating journey through physics and astronomy, and follows on the author's previous bestseller, What if the Moon Didn't Exist?, with completely new scenarios backed by the latest astronomical research.
Download or read book When the Earth Had Two Moons written by Erik Asphaug and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An astonishing exploration of planet formation and the origins of life by one of the world’s most innovative planetary geologists. In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 took the first photos of the far side of the moon. Even in their poor resolution, the images stunned scientists: the far side is an enormous mountainous expanse, not the vast lava-plains seen from Earth. Subsequent missions have confirmed this in much greater detail. How could this be, and what might it tell us about our own place in the universe? As it turns out, quite a lot. Fourteen billion years ago, the universe exploded into being, creating galaxies and stars. Planets formed out of the leftover dust and gas that coalesced into larger and larger bodies orbiting around each star. In a sort of heavenly survival of the fittest, planetary bodies smashed into each other until solar systems emerged. Curiously, instead of being relatively similar in terms of composition, the planets in our solar system, and the comets, asteroids, satellites and rings, are bewitchingly distinct. So, too, the halves of our moon. In When the Earth Had Two Moons, esteemed planetary geologist Erik Asphaug takes us on an exhilarating tour through the farthest reaches of time and our galaxy to find out why. Beautifully written and provocatively argued, When the Earth Had Two Moons is not only a mind-blowing astronomical tour but a profound inquiry into the nature of life here—and billions of miles from home.
Download or read book What If the Moon Didn t Exist written by Neil F. Comins and published by . This book was released on 2012-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Demonstrates how ten hypothetical situations would affect our planet and life on it. Topics include: what if the moon didn't exist, what if earth were tilted like Uranus, what if a black hole passed through earth, and so on.
Download or read book What If the Earth Had Two Moons written by Neil F. Comins and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2010-03-30 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An astronomer and author explores ten examples of what Earth would be like if conditions in the universe were slightly altered, in a fascinating journey into scientific scenarios.
Download or read book Many Skies written by Arthur Upgren and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2005-01-18 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What if Earth had several moons or massive rings like Saturn? What if the Sun were but one star in a double-star or triple-star system? What if Earth were the only planet circling the Sun? These and other imaginative scenarios are the subject of Arthur Upgren's inventive book Many Skies: Alternative Histories of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars. Although the night sky as we know it seems eternal and inevitable, Upgren reminds us that, just as easily, it could have been very different. Had the solar sytem happened to be in the midst of a star cluster, we might have many more bright stars in the sky. Yet had it been located beyond the edge of the Milky Way galaxy, we might have no stars at all. If Venus or Mars had a moon as large as ours, we would be able to view it easily with the unaided eye. Given these or other alternative skies, what might Ptolemy or Copernicus have concluded about the center of the solar sytem and the Sun? This book not only examines the changes in science that these alternative solar, stellar, and galactic arrangements would have brought, it also explores the different theologies, astrologies, and methods of tracking time that would have developed to reflect them. Our perception of our surroundings, the number of gods we worship, the symbols we use in art and literature, even the way we form nations and empires are all closely tied to our particular (and accidental) placement in the universe. Many Skies, however, is not merely a fanciful play on what might have been. Upgren also explores the actual ways that human interferences such as light pollution are changing the night sky. Our atmosphere, he warns, will appear very different if we have belt of debris circling the globe and blotting out the stars, as will happen if advertisers one day pollute space with brilliant satellites displaying their products. From fanciful to foreboding, the scenarios in Many Skies will both delight and inspire reflection, reminding us that ours is but one of many worldviews based on our experience of a universe that is as much a product of accident as it is of intention.
Download or read book Bad Astronomy written by Philip C. Plait and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2002-10-08 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advance praise for Philip Plait s Bad Astronomy "Bad Astronomy is just plain good! Philip Plait clears up everymisconception on astronomy and space you never knew you sufferedfrom." --Stephen Maran, Author of Astronomy for Dummies and editorof The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia "Thank the cosmos for the bundle of star stuff named Philip Plait,who is the world s leading consumer advocate for quality science inspace and on Earth. This important contribution to science willrest firmly on my reference library shelf, ready for easy accessthe next time an astrologer calls." --Dr. Michael Shermer,Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for ScientificAmerican, and author of The Borderlands of Science "Philip Plait has given us a readable, erudite, informative,useful, and entertaining book. Bad Astronomy is Good Science. Verygood science..." --James "The Amazing" Randi, President, JamesRandi Educational Foundation, and author of An Encyclopedia ofClaims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural "Bad Astronomy is a fun read. Plait is wonderfully witty andeducational as he debunks the myths, legends, and 'conspiraciesthat abound in our society. 'The Truth Is Out There' and it's inthis book. I loved it!" --Mike Mullane, Space Shuttle astronaut andauthor of Do Your Ears Pop in Space?
Download or read book A Question and Answer Guide to Astronomy written by Pierre-Yves Bely and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-23 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains 250 questions and answers about astronomy, particular for the amateur astronomer.
Download or read book Walk Two Moons written by Sharon Creech and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-06 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In her own singularly beautiful style, Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion. Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, proud of her country roots and the "Indian-ness in her blood," travels from Ohio to Idaho with her eccentric grandparents. Along the way, she tells them of the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, who received mysterious messages, who met a "potential lunatic," and whose mother disappeared. As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold—the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.
Download or read book Lunar Sourcebook written by Grant Heiken and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1991-04-26 with total page 796 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The only work to date to collect data gathered during the American and Soviet missions in an accessible and complete reference of current scientific and technical information about the Moon.
Download or read book Moons written by David A. Rothery and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our Solar System contains more moons than planets. They show astonishing variety, and some look more likely than Mars to host microbial life. David Rothery describes these fascinating small worlds, their discovery, names, and what they can tell us about our solar system.
Download or read book Lunar Abundance written by Ezzie Spencer and published by Running Press Adult. This book was released on 2018-03-06 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lunar Abundance is a beautiful and practical guide for today's women on cultivating peace, purpose, and abundance in both their personal and professional lives, guided by the phases of the moon. In a world in which women feel increasingly disconnected-from their inner selves, each other, and the world, Lunar Abundance offers a path to reconnection, with results that you can actually see. It shows how by tuning into the natural rhythm of lunar ebbs and flows, you can connect with work, relationships, your body, and surroundings on a higher level than ever before, becoming more productive and self-aware in the process. Filled with inspirational photography and interactive features, it's also a practical guide to self-care that will help you summon your true potential and create a better life for you and for those in your orbit. This beautiful book is perfect for any woman seeking holistic wellness and unique inspiration to feed mind, body, and soul.
Download or read book Forging the Future of Space Science written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-03-08 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From September 2007 to June 2008 the Space Studies Board conducted an international public seminar series, with each monthly talk highlighting a different topic in space and Earth science. The principal lectures from the series are compiled in Forging the Future of Space Science. The topics of these events covered the full spectrum of space and Earth science research, from global climate change, to the cosmic origins of life, to the exploration of the Moon and Mars, to the scientific research required to support human spaceflight. The prevailing messages throughout the seminar series as demonstrated by the lectures in this book are how much we have accomplished over the past 50 years, how profound are our discoveries, how much contributions from the space program affect our daily lives, and yet how much remains to be done. The age of discovery in space and Earth science is just beginning. Opportunities abound that will forever alter our destiny.
Download or read book The Two Moons written by James P. Hogan and published by Baen Books. This book was released on 2006 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Previously published by Del Rey Books as two separate novels--"Inherit the Stars" and "The Gentle Giants of Ganymede"--these two stories, now available in one volume, began Hogan's legendary Giants series and the career of a major SF talent.
Download or read book Moon Earth s Best Friend written by Stacy McAnulty and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2019-06-11 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From writer Stacy McAnulty and illustrator Stevie Lewis, Moon! Earth's Best Friend is a light-hearted nonfiction picture book about the formation and history of the moon—told from the perspective of the moon itself. Meet Moon! She's more than just a rock—she’s Earth’s rock, her best friend she can always count on. Moon never turns her back on her friend (literally: she's always facing Earth with the same side!). These two will stick together forever. With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Moon in this next celestial "autobiography" in the Our Universe series. Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by Stevie Lewis, this is an equally charming and irresistible companion to Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years and Sun! One in a Billion.
Download or read book Seveneves written by Neal Stephenson and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2015-05-19 with total page 419 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon comes an exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years. What would happen if the world were ending? A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space. But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain . . . Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong—embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown . . . to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth. A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.
Download or read book Next Time You See the Moon written by Emily Morgan and published by NSTA Press. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating book will stay with children every time they gaze up at the night sky. Through vivid pictures and engaging explanations, children will learn about many of the Moon’s mysteries: what makes it look like a silvery crescent one time and a chalk-white ball a few nights later, why it sometimes appears in the daytime, where it gets its light, and how scientists can predict its shape on your birthday a thousand years from now. Next Time You See the Moon is an ideal way to explain the science behind the shape of the Moon and bring about an evening outing no child—or grown-up—will soon forget. Awaken a sense of wonder in a child with the Next Time You See series from NSTA Kids. The books will inspire elementary-age children to experience the enchantment of everyday phenomena such as sunsets, seashells, fireflies, pill bugs, and more. Free supplementary activities are available on the NSTA website. Especially designed to be experienced with an adult—be it a parent, teacher, or friend—Next Time You See books serve as a reminder that you don’t have to look far to find something remarkable in nature.
Download or read book The Moon that Wasn t written by Helge Kragh and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-11-06 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The planet Venus is the closest neighbour to the Earth and in several respects similar to our globe. It revolves around the Sun at an average distance of 0. 72 astronomical units, in an elliptical orbit of eccentricity 0. 007. The corresponding 3 numbers for the Earth are 1 and 0. 017. The mean density of Venus is 5. 2 g/cm , 3 that of the Earth 5. 5 g/cm . Venus’ acceleration of gravity at its equator is 8. 9 2 2 m/s , compared with 9. 8 m/s at the Earth. The escape velocity is 10. 4 km/s, while the corresponding ?gure of the Earth is 11. 2 km/s. Although the mass of Venus is somewhat smaller than that of the Earth – the ratio is M /M =0. 815 V E – the diameters of the two planets are almost the same. In other words, Venus is indeed a sister planet of the Earth. In earlier times, when almost nothing was known about the physical con- tions of Venus, the similarity appeared even stronger than today. Not only was Venus’ period of rotation thought to be close to that of the Earth, it was also p- sible (and indeed common) to imagine intelligent life on Venus.
