Category: Astronomy
< Software
< Hardware
< Books
< Audio CDs
< Home Video
< Food - Drinks
< Fashion & Beauty
< Gifts
< Special Offers
< Search
< VeriMall Entrance
Get Science Audiobooks for Download at Audible.com. Choose any science audiobook for only $1.95.
< Legal Disclaimer
< Contact VeriMall
 Impact Jupiter: The Crash of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 by David H. Levy Da Capo Press, Incorporated; ISBN: 0306450887 Hardcover (Sep 1995); 290 pp Ships in: 24 hours |
|---|
Synopsis
This account "by amateur astronomer-comet discoverer Levy takes us from the codiscovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 through its . . . 21-component plunge through Jupiter's atmosphere to the scientific aftermath, when astronomersworldwide tried to deduce the scientific details of the week-long impact of those cometary fragments on Jupiter."
Experts Commentary
From the Publisher
On July 16, 1994 a world-shattering event occurred that would rivet our attention for six explosive days and go on to make history as the single most important celestial event of the century. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter, changing forever our understanding of comets and cosmic cataclysms. Our own sense of security would never be the same as the world witnessed fragment after fragment of the comet bash into Jupiter with the collective equivalent force of a 50-million-megaton bomb. David Levy, co-discoverer of periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, shares his once-in-several-lifetimes' story from the time of the discovery, with Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker, of this unusual "squashed" comet to the later shocking revelation of hearing that "their" comet was destined to collide with Jupiter. Never in recorded history has a comet created such a catastrophic event as smashing into a planet. Impact Jupiter takes off where David Levy's earlier acclaimed book, The Quest for Comets, left us. Magnificent photos of the impacts, including superb color pictures, accompany David's poetic words, vividly bringing to life his thrilling story. Savor the words of one of the world's most celebrated amateur astronomers as he humbly and eloquently opens the beauty of the heavens to all who are curious.
From the Critics
From Donna Seaman - BookList
On a cloudy winter night in 1993, Levy and his friends and fellow skywatchers Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker discovered the oddly shaped comet that, just six months later, crashed into Jupiter and provided earthlings with a spectacular and sobering demonstration of nature's might. As Levy, popular author of numerous books, including "The Quest for Comets" (1994), chronicles the entire fascinating Shoemaker-Levy 9 saga, we're struck by how radically science has been changed by computer technology. We're now capable of the instantaneous transmission of information and images not only from anywhere on earth, but, with the advent of mobile robotic observers such as the Hubble Space Telescope, from far out in the galaxy. Hubble captured one astonishing picture after another of the comet fragments hurtling toward Jupiter, the plumes their impacts sent spraying up into space, and the "wounds" sustained by the gas giant. Millions of people watched the glorious demise of Shoemaker-Levy 9 both on television and on the Internet, and Levy's delight in the technology that made this media hype possible, and in his own moments in the spotlight, is palpable in his fast-paced, informatively descriptive account.
From W.E. Howard - Choice
The author gives a personal history of his actions and those of the codiscoverers, Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker, as the kilometer-sized pieces of comet slammed into Jupiter with an energy of a quarter-million megatons and at speedsof 60 kilometers per second, causing dark splotches on the planetary surface that persisted for days to weeks and which could be seen through telescopes with apertures as small as two inches. The extensive use of the Internet to coordinate observations by passing text, images, and descriptive information among astronomers throughout the world is vividly described and punctuated by entertaining anecdotes and historical information. Small but adequate pictures with a color section; ten pages of references, by chapter; six-page index. Recommended for all scientifically curious readers.
From Booknews
Levy, an amateur astronomer who has discovered 21 comets, including Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, shares his story of the discovery of the comet and its collision with Jupiter on July 16, 1994, a significant and unprecedented event in astronomy. Includes b&w photos and color illustrations. For general readers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
From Tim Hilchey - The New York Times Book Review
Comet hunters most often toil in anonymity, their names known only to professional astrophysicists and amateur stargazers. For much of his career, such was the case for David H. Levy, one of the world's foremost amateur astronomers. That all changed on March 25, 1993, when he and his longtime colleagues,Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker, discovered Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, whose fiery collisions with the planet Jupiter captured the world's attention for six dayslast summer. In his readable account, . . . Mr. Levy captures the personal thrill of discovery while recounting the efforts of scientists around the globeto record and understand the cataclysmic events.
From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly
The encounter of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (S-L9) with Jupiter in July 1994 furnished the first modern scientific observations of a spectacular planetary collision. Astronomer Levy (The Quest for Comets), codiscoverer of S-L9, gives a blow-by-blow description of the discovery of the comet, its orbit and fragmentation, observations of its impacts and current understanding of the data. Along the way, distributing credits broadly, he furnishes general background and copious down-to- earth anecdotes of the daily practice of astronomical research. A sidelight is the revolutionary development of rapid sharing of science work via the Internet. The story, illustrated with color and black-and-white photos, is impressively documented, and the details are presented in clear language, with an enthusiastic yet lighthearted tone that sustains reader interest when the chatty narrative hops around. Levy's account is a definitive memoir of the unfolding of the S-L9 episode, potentially engrossing for anyone at all interested in astronomy.
Still haven't found what you're looking for? Use our search engine below:
Missing frames?
This Way!
Site by:
