Just in time for the appearance of the Perseid Meteor Shower on August 12, here is a list of resources about asteroids, meteors, and their contact with Earth. May your skies be clear so you can see them!
Books
Ancient Earth, ancient skies : the age of Earth and its cosmic surroundings / G. Brent Dalrymple. 525 D151a 2004
Astronomy demystified / Stan Gibilisco. 520 G446a 2003
The Audubon Society field guide to the night sky / Mark R. Chartrand ; astronomical charts by Wil Tirion. 523 C486a 1991
The big splat, or, How our moon came to be / Dana Mackenzie. 523.3 M156b 2003
Essentials of the dynamic universe : an introduction to astronomy / Theodore P. Snow. 520 S674e 1993
Norton’s 2000.0 : star atlas and reference handbook (epoch 2000.0) / edited by Arthur P. Norton. 523 N882n 1989
Origins : our place in Hubble’s universe / John Gribbin & Simon Goodwin. 520 G846o 1998
Pathways to the universe / Francis Graham-Smith, Bernard Lovell. 520 G742p
A photographic tour of the universe / Gabriele Vanin ; with a foreword by Richard M. West. 522.63 V258p
Rogue asteroids and doomsday comets : the search for the million megaton menace that threatens life on Earth / Duncan Steel ; foreword by Arthur C. Clarke. 523.44 S814r
The sky : a user’s guide / David H. Levy. 523 L668s
Sky phenomena : a guide to naked-eye observation of the stars : with sections on poetry in astronomy, constellation mythology, and the southern hemisphere sky / Norman Davidson. 523.8 D253s
The threat of near-earth asteroids : hearing before the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Committee on Science, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, second session, October 3, 2002. Gov Docs Y 4.SCI 2:107-89
Time and the white tigress / Mary Barnard ; illustrated by Anita Bigelow. 811.52 B259t 1986
Whitney’s Star finder : a field guide to the heavens / Charles A. Whitney. [Star finder]. 523 W617w
E-Books
Advances in astronomy [electronic resource] : from the big bang to the solar system / editor, J.M.T. Thompson.
Astronomy [electronic resource]
The bigger bang [electronic resource] / James E. Lidsey.
Impact! [electronic resource] : the threat of comets and asteroids / Gerrit L. Verschuur.
The mystery of the Tunguska fireball [electronic resource] / Surendra Verma. [Tunguska fireball]
Our universe [electronic resource] : the thrill of extragalactic exploration as told by leading experts / edited by S. Alan Stern.
Out of the blue [electronic resource] : a 24-hour skywatcher’s guide / John Naylor.
Movies (all from the Media Collection)
Cosmic catastrophes [videorecording] / produced by Terence Murtagh ; 520 W872c 1996 VHS
Deep impact [videorecording] / Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Pictures present ; produced by Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown ; written by Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin ; directed by Mimi Leder. 791.4372 D311 2004 DVD
The giant splat and the origin of the moon [videorecording] / Eric Baer. 523.3 S416g 2003 VHS
Heaven and hell [videorecording] / KCET-TV. 520 S129c VHS
Meteorites, asteroids, and comets [videorecording] / producer/director, Davis P. Stone. 523.1 U582 VHS
Once in a lifetime [videorecording] / produced by Terence Murtagh. 520 W872o 1996 VHS
Websites:
2008 Meteor Showers and Viewing Tips
From StarDate, the public education and outreach arm of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, here is a list of interesting sights in the sky for the rest of the year, along with excellent tips for meteor-watching.
Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s official site for current news and information about the possibility of asteroids and comets hitting the Earth.
ESA: Science & Technology: Rosetta
From the European Space Agency, here is information about a satellite launched “to study the origin of comets, the relationship between cometary and interstellar material and its implications with regard to the origin of the Solar System.”
From the leading hobbyist magazine on astronomy, an excellent summary of the Perseid meteor shower and a list of other links for more information.
Another NASA site with materials on individual planets, the moon, asteroids, and comets.
From a scientist at Washington University (St Louis), a site on the impact of lunar meteorites and what they can tell us about meteorites that strike the Earth.
From the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, here are photographs and other information from NASA’s efforts to track space objects near Earth.
From an experienced author for teenagers, an excellent, clearly written account of the Perseid meteor shower.
2 Comments
July 30, 2008 at 4:40 pm
interesting post!
July 30, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Thank you for all of the information about August. It is great to have it all in one place!!!