Comets: A Chronological History of Observation, Science, Myth, and Folklore. This item is unavailable.Comets: A Chronological History of Observation, Science, Myth, and Folklore

The diminutive size of cometary bodies is in no way proportional to their scientific importance. Theorists suggest that comets played a major role in the development of the Earth and subsequent collosions of comets may have wiped out various life forms, allowing only the most adaptable to develop further. In short, the study of comets is important from a historical perspective, scientifically compelling and, at the same time, entertaining. In this authoritative book, the development of cometary ideas is traced from antiquity through the actual fly-by of Halley by international spacecraft in 1986. The focus is on the cometary theories that were evident in each era. Included are many colorful anecdotes and information about culture and important personalities throughout history. Also contains an exhaustive catalog of all comet apparitions through the year 1700.

Although they are the smallest bodies in the solar system, comets historically command more public interest than any other astronomic event; in the 17th and 18th centuries in particular, comet study drew together a galaxy of brilliant mathematicians, astronomers, physicists--Newton, Kepler, La Place--and a cast of gifted amateurs. Yeomans, deftly combining that era's science with information from the recent Vega comet probes and often equally intriguing folklore (the comet of 1680 was reputedly predicted by patterns on a chicken egg), achieves a rare balance between rigor and humanity in a science history. Sidebars, diagrams, photos and short biographies propel the reader through 2500 years of the history of astronomy, making this a blazing science book that is lively to look at as well as to read. Yeomans is a staff manager at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Astronomy Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.