Earths Astronomy

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 listeners to the science of near-Earth objects - its history, applications, and ongoing quest to find near-Earth objects before they find us.

In this intriguing recording, Professor Emeritus Timothy Ferris—one of the world's most respected science writers—explores man's search for life elsewhere in the universe. Ferris combines new discoveries about the origins of life as we know it on Earth with recent revelations about the sun's planets and their moons. Ferris explains why many scientists are convinced that life is abundant throughout the cosmos, and he considers how one day radio telescopes may be used to connect us to an intergalactic Internet and link us to alien civilizations in the far reaches of the universe.

In The Earth's Imagination, cosmologist Brian Thomas Swimme places the human psyche within the 15 billion-year cosmic process in order to highlight the directions in which human consciousness is evolving today and into the future. With a remarkable ability to make contemporary scientific findings accessible and engaging, Dr. Brian Thomas Swimme relates the history of the universe to the modern human.

Every minute, several huge “snowballs” break up as they approach the Earth and deposit a large cloud of water vapor in Earth’s upper atmosphere. That’s the startling finding that world-renowned physicist Louis A. Frank came to after studying the images from the Dynamics Explorer 1 spacecraft. His conclusion, based on data acquired at the limits of detection, created a storm of controversy among scientists. This is the story that was told in The Big Splash, published in 1990. But, the story does not end there.

Aerospace journalist Joe Pappalardo has witnessed space rocket launches around the world, from the jungle of French Guiana to the coastline of California. In his comprehensive work Spaceport Earth, Pappalardo describes the rise of private companies in the United States and how they are reshaping the way the world is using space for industry and science. Spaceport Earth is a travelogue through modern space history as it is being made.

Mars, the red planet, is ingrained in our culture, from David Bowie's extra-terrestrial spiders to Captain Scarlet to War of the Worlds. It has inspired hundreds of authors, scientists and science-fiction writers - but why? What is it about this particular planet that makes it so intriguing? Ancient mythologies defined Mars as a violent harbinger of war, star-gazers puzzled over its peculiar motion, and astrologers defined human personalities by its position and bizarre dance through the sky.

Los Angeles, 1930s: Everyone knows that rockets are just toys, the stuff of cranks and pulp magazines. Nevertheless, an earnest engineering student named Frank Malina sets out to prove the doubters wrong. With the help of his friend Jack Parsons, a grandiose and occult-obsessed explosives enthusiast, Malina embarks on a journey that takes him from junk yards and desert lots to the heights of the military-industrial complex.

Today, Elon Musk's SpaceX is building one human-rated reusable spacecraft every week designed to send 100 colonists to Mars on each voyage. With this brilliant plan, SpaceX aims to colonize the Red Planet. This is not science fiction. These ships are in construction every day at a startling pace in order to make humanity a multiplanetary species, beginning this decade. Departing Earth Forever is the first manual written to and for Martian colonists—and for humankind back on the home planet witnessing this single most historic and momentous event in human history.

Nuestra existencia está amenazada: las glaciaciones, los impactos de asteroides, la capacidad finita de la Tierra e incluso la lejana pero inevitable muerte del Sol son riesgos de tal magnitud que, si no abandonamos la Tierra, deberemos asumir la idea de nuestra extinción. Por eso, para Michio Kaku nuestro destino yace en las estrellas, no por la curiosidad o la pasión aventurera que los humanos llevamos dentro, sino por una simple cuestión de supervivencia.

This “accessible and always entertaining” (Booklist) combination of history, pop science, and in-depth reporting offers a fascinating account of the asteroids that hit Earth long ago and those streaming toward us now, as well as how prepared we are against asteroid-caused catastrophe.

An extraterrestrial colony, in some form, may already exist, just awaiting discovery. But the greatest impediment to such an important scientific discovery may not be technological, but political. No scientific endeavor can be launched without a budget, and matters of money are within the arena of politicians. Dr. Ben Bova explores some of the key players and the arguments waged in a debate of both scientific and cultural priorities.

We have long fantasized about finding life on planets other than our own. Yet even as we become aware of the vast expanses beyond our solar system, it remains clear that Earth is exceptional. The question is: Why? In Lucky Planet, astrobiologist David Waltham argues that Earth’s climate stability is what makes it uniquely able to support life, and it is nothing short of luck that made such conditions possible. The four-billion-year stretch of good weather that our planet has experienced is statistically so unlikely that chances are slim that we will ever encounter intelligent extraterrestrial others.

Em outubro de 2017, cientistas de um dos maiores observatórios espaciais do mundo — localizado no topo de um vulcão dormente no Havaí — detectaram um objeto transitando por nosso sistema solar. A primeira hipótese foi a de que se tratava de um mero asteroide, como tantos outros que cruzaram e seguem cruzando nossa galáxia. Mas os dados coletados pelo telescópio Pan-STARRS1 revelaram detalhes curiosos, e bem anômalos, no comportamento desse visitante.

Stay curious with Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel to space and participate in NASA’s space program.

This is Issue 98 of Cosmos, a quarterly science magazine. Produced by The Royal Institution of Australia, Cosmos aims to inspire curiosity in "The Science of Everything" and make the world of science accessible to everyone.

The secrets of science meet the drama of the high seas. Amir D. Aczel - the distinguished science writer behind God's Equation and Mystery of the Aleph - turns detective as he uncovers the fascinating story of the invention of the compass.

Wissensvermittlung mit Witz und Charme von Erfolgsautor Bill Bryson. Wie war das eigentlich mit dem Urknall? Warum starben die Dinosaurier aus? Was wiegt die Erde? Und wie ist das überhaupt möglich - die Erde zu wiegen? Erfolgsautor Bill Bryson nimmt mit auf eine atemberaubende Reise durch Zeit und Raum, berichtet über die Wunder des Universums, über die Erde und die Entstehungsgeschichte des Menschen. Dieser faszinierende Streifzug durch die Naturwissenschaften ist wie gemacht für alle, die endlich mehr über die Welt wissen wollen.

Naturwissenschaft leicht erzählt. Die Schwerkraft kann man mit einer Pfannkuchentorte erklären und die Relativitätstheorie mit dem Bauch einer dicken Katze. Klingt irre? Ist es auch! Vor allem, weil es funktioniert. Mit Begeisterung erzählt Johan Olsen vom Urknall über die Entstehung des Lebens bis zum Menschen. Er erklärt Atome, Relativitätstheorie, Moleküle und Proteine, also was man alles braucht um eine Welt zu erschaffen mittels humorvoller Veranschaulichungen - und warum der Mensch vielleicht doch nicht die Krone der Schöpfung ist.

Ancient people from many different cultures - Greek, Roman, Mezo-American, Arab - all looked up and imagined pictures in the sky by "drawing" a line from one star to another, like a connect-the-dots puzzle. These star pictures - constellations - represented myths and legends from the various cultures that still fascinate us today.

Earth is truly amazing! It has giant glaciers, gorgeous canyons, and it's the only planet we know of with intelligent life. Ian is exploring Earth with his tour guide, Dr. Sally. Join them as they study ocean animals, the African savanna, and the chilly South Pole. Find out more about the planet we call home.