Heaven's Touch: From Killer Stars to the Seeds of Life, How We Are Connected to the Universe
264
Heaven's Touch: From Killer Stars to the Seeds of Life, How We Are Connected to the Universe
264eBook
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Overview
A breathtaking account of how the surrounding cosmos impacts life on Earth
Did you know that as you read these words showers of high-speed particles from exploding stars are raining down on you? As you gaze into the starry sky, you might feel isolated from the Universe around you—but you're not. This book reveals the startling ways life on Earth is touched by our cosmic environment, and demonstrates why without such contact, life itself wouldn't be possible.
Heaven's Touch embarks on an unforgettable journey across the cosmos, beginning in near space with a look at the gentle ebb and flow of lunar and solar tides. Acclaimed astronomer James Kaler describes their subtle effects on our world and also explores the Sun's more potent influences, such as solar storms that cause auroras, give comets their tails, and knock out power grids on Earth. He ventures across the Solar System to consider how the planets can act to produce climate change, even global disaster. Kaler shows how Jupiter's gravity can throw asteroids toward potentially devastating collision with Earth, and how even our whole Galaxy might hurl comet storms at us. He then takes us into deepest space to describe the cosmic rays launched at us from exploding stars, and considers not just how these exploders might harm us, but how they also join together in the creation of stars and how they serve to populate the Universe with the very building blocks of life.
Informative and entertaining, Heaven's Touch reveals how intimately connected we really are with the dynamic Universe in which we live.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781400833450 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Publication date: | 07/20/2009 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 264 |
| File size: | 23 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1: Reaching Out 1
Stars 2
Planets 4
Light 5
The Milky Way 8
Galaxies 11
The Universe 12
Darkness 14
Heaven's Touch 17
Chapter 2: Tides of Life 21
(1) Gravity 22
(2) Phases 25
Tidal Stretching 27
Tidal Lag 29
Tidal Clock 30
Now Add the Sun . . . 31
. . . And Elliptical Orbits 32
"Time and Tide . . ." 34
How High the Moon 37
It's Mutual 39
Chapter 3: Solar Storm 42
Neutrinos Going to Get You
(Even If You Do Watch Out) 44
(1) Oatmeal 48
(2) Spin 51
Magnetism 51
Windy Crown 52
eturn to Earth . . . 56
. . . And Get Hit 57
Vanishing Act, Part I 60
Solar Cycle 61
Effects 62
Vanishing Act, Part II 64
Vibes 65
Chapter 4: Frozen Earth 67
Seasons 68
Wobbles 72
Planets 75
In Motion 77
The Celestial Mechanic 79
Planets Perturbed 81
God of the Sea 82
Changing Earth 85
Message from Mercury 86
Tip and Bend 87
Mister Milankovitch 90
Chapter 5: The Accidental
Asteroid 93
Numerology 94
Origins 96
Child on a Swing 100
Resonating Asteroids 102
Kick on Goal 103
A Shocking Story 104
Heaven's Rocks 107
Interpretation 108
A Steady Rain 110
And Then the Hailstorm 111
Wipeout 113
And Now? 116
Pitch and Catch 117
Chapter 6: Crashing Comets 120
Tale of the Chainsaw 120
A Tale of Two Tails 121
A Scary Tail Tale 123
Structure 125
Getting Back (Twice) 127
Breaking Up (Is Not
That Hard to Do) 128
"Passing Showers" 130
Twilight of the Dust 132
Pathways 133
Kuiper 134
So What's Pluto? 135
O ort 137
There and Back 137
Collision 139
Strikes and More Showers 141
Water 143
Spacefarers 144
Chapter 7: Atomic Rain 145
Radiation 145
Stumbling in the Dark 146
"Energy, People, Energy!" 149
Kinds 150
Composition 152
Long-Lost Origins 152
Star Lives 154
Boom 158
That Pesky High End 162
(1, 2) Star Formation 163
(3) Laundry 165
(4) From Lost Times 166 But 168
(5) Donner and Blitzen 169
(6) Bound for Space 171
Chapter 8: Super Star 173
Yesteryear 174
1054, 1572, 1885, and A' That 178
I and II 180
Chandra's Limit 181
March of the Supernovae 185
Closer Yet? 187
A Bad Tan and Other Disasters 189
Penguins, Soybeans, and Ants 192
Catch a Falling Neutrino 194
Shocks and Fields 195
Chapter 9: Hyperstars 199
In the Navy 199
Identification 202
Long Bursts 204
Hypernovae 205
Sliding into the Pit 207
Into a Black Hole 209
And What Does All
This Mean? 212
And in the Future? 213
Afterglow 216
Safety Zone 218
Quick Time 218
Magnetar: The Future Is Here 219
Chapter 10: Coming Home 223
In the Beginning 223
Ancient Stars and Forming Galaxies 225
At the Table 228
Neutrons 232
Rapid Capture 234
A Story from Other Worlds 236
Heaven's Touch 238
Index 241
What People are Saying About This
Jim Kaler, who has passionately and expertly described the stars and their vagaries, now brings the whole Universe—from the tides through hypernovae and gamma-ray bursts—to general readers. His writing is not only clear and straightforward but also correct and up to date, addressing both standard topics and the latest astronomical goodies.
— Jay M. Pasachoff, Williams College
Heaven's Touch presents the diverse ways that astronomical objects affect the Earth and humans, beyond their visual appearance in the sky. Kaler is a senior astronomer with an excellent reputation as a researcher, educator, and author. There is a lot of good material here that has not featured in very many popular astronomy books.
— Chris Impey, author of "The Living Cosmos"
Heaven's Touch examines the physical effects of gravity, radiation, solar storms, asteroid and comet impacts, cosmic rays, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts on our home planet. Its conclusions are significant: our planet does not exist in isolation but rather is part of a complex planetary, stellar, and galactic system whose influences are profound. I found myself propelled along in the reading.
— J. Michael Shull, University of Colorado at Boulder
Heaven's Touch contains much of interest that should be informative and engaging to readers.
— Donald Brownlee, coauthor of "Rare Earth"
"Jim Kaler, who has passionately and expertly described the stars and their vagaries, now brings the whole Universe—from the tides through hypernovae and gamma-ray bursts—to general readers. His writing is not only clear and straightforward but also correct and up to date, addressing both standard topics and the latest astronomical goodies."—Jay M. Pasachoff, Williams College"Heaven's Touch examines the physical effects of gravity, radiation, solar storms, asteroid and comet impacts, cosmic rays, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts on our home planet. Its conclusions are significant: our planet does not exist in isolation but rather is part of a complex planetary, stellar, and galactic system whose influences are profound. I found myself propelled along in the reading."—J. Michael Shull, University of Colorado at Boulder"Heaven's Touch presents the diverse ways that astronomical objects affect the Earth and humans, beyond their visual appearance in the sky. Kaler is a senior astronomer with an excellent reputation as a researcher, educator, and author. There is a lot of good material here that has not featured in very many popular astronomy books."—Chris Impey, author of The Living Cosmos"Heaven's Touch contains much of interest that should be informative and engaging to readers."—Donald Brownlee, coauthor of Rare Earth