Meteor showers and their parent comets / by Peter Jenniskens.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jenniskens, Petrus Matheus Marie, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Meteors.

Comets.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 790 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Other Title:

Meteor Showers & their Parent Comets

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Meteor Showers and their Parent Comets is a unique handbook for astronomers interested in observing meteor storms and outbursts. Spectacular displays of 'shooting stars' are created when the Earth's orbit crosses a meteoroid stream, as each meteoroid causes a bright light when it enters our atmosphere at high speed. Jenniskens, an active meteor storm chaser, explains how meteoroid streams originate from the decay of meteoroids, comets and asteroids, and how they cause meteor showers on Earth. He includes the findings of recent space missions to comets and asteroids, the risk of meteor impacts on Earth, and how meteor showers may have seeded the Earth with ingredients that made life possible. All known meteor showers are identified, accompanied by fascinating details on the most important showers and their parent comets. The book predicts when exceptional meteor showers will occur over the next fifty years, making it a valuable resource for both amateur and professional astronomers.

Contents:

PART I: INTRODUCTION: How meteor showers were linked to comets

What is the core of comets?

The formation of meteoroid streams

Meteors from meteoroid impacts on Earth

Comet and meteoroid orbits

PART II: PARENT BODIES: Long-period comets

Halley-type comets

Jupiter-family comets

Fading comets of the inner Solar System

Asteroids as parent bodies of meteoroid streams

PART III: YOUNG STREAMS FROM WATER VAPOR DRAG: Forecasting meteor storms from what planets do to dust trails

Meteor storm chasing

Meteor outbursts from long-period comets

Trapped: the Leonid Filament

The Leonid storms

The Ursids

The Perseids

Other Halley-type comets

Dust trails of Jupiter-family comets

PART IV: YOUNG STREAMS FROM COMET FRAGMENTATION: Quadrantids

Broken comets

Geminids

The sunskirting Arietids and -Aquariids

x-Capricornids and k-Cygnids

The Taurid complex

PART V: OLD STREAMS AND SPORADIC METEOROIDS: Annual showers

Dispersion from gradually evolving parent body orbits

The ecliptic streams

Toroidal streams

Meteor showers from asteroids

Sporatic meteors and the zodiacal cloud

PART VI: IMPACT AND RELEVANCE OF METEOR SHOWERS: Impact!

Meteor showers on other planets

Meteors and the origin of life.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-316-34517-3

1-316-34741-9

0-521-07635-8

1-316-34628-5

1-316-34726-5

1-316-34574-2

1-316-25710-X

1-316-34854-7