Meteor Showers and their Parent Comets (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521853491)

Meteor Showers and their Parent Comets is a unique handbook for astronomers interested in observing meteor storms and outbursts. Spectacular displays of 'shooting stars' are created when the Earth's orbit crosses a meteoroid stream, as each meteoroid causes a bright light when it enters our atmosphere at high speed. Jenniskens, an active meteor storm chaser, explains how meteoroid streams originate from the decay of meteoroids, comets and asteroids, and how they cause meteor showers on Earth. He includes the findings of recent space missions to comets and asteroids, the risk of meteor impacts on Earth, and how meteor showers may have seeded the Earth with ingredients that made life possible. All known meteor showers are identified, accompanied by fascinating details on the most important showers and their parent comets. The book predicts when exceptional meteor showers will occur over the next fifty years, making it a valuable resource for both amateur and professional astronomers.

Author: Peter Jenniskens
ISBN-10: 0521853494
ISBN-13: 9780521853491
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 09/14/2006
Pages: 804
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 3.81lbs
Size: 9.84h x 7.10w x 1.60d