Small Bodies of the Solar System: A Guided Tour for Non-Scientists

Amongst the famous planetary inhabitants of our solar system there is an entire ecosystem of smaller, less recognised bodies in the form of comets and "minor" planets. These native residents, derived from the building blocks of planets, contain valuable information. By studying them in detail, we may learn about the processes that occurred from the Sun's birth to the emergence of the solar system as we know it today. Small Bodies of the Solar System paints a detailed picture of the space missions, laboratory experiments and computer experiments behind our current understanding of the comets, minor planets, meteors and meteorites. With a rich selection of pictures, this book combines personal reflection and poetic imagery with a mathematical and physical overview to introduce the reader to these small wonders of our universe.

Hans Rickman is a Professor at the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Science and Professor Emeritus of Uppsala University, Sweden. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science and the International Academy of Astronautics. He has previously held positions as General Secretary of the International Astronomical Union (2000–2003), President of the Swedish Astronomical Society (1996–2000), and Associate Editor of Earth, Moon & Planets (1993–2014). In recognition of his contribution to planetary and solar system sciences, Rickman was awarded the David Bates Medal of the European Geosciences Union in 2012. Rickman has had an asteroid named after him (Asteroid 3692) and is the author of Origin and Evolution of Comets (World Scientific, 2017).