What If the Moon Didn't Exist?: Voyages to Earths That Might Have Been

A look at how life on Earth could be different if the moon did not exist analyzes how the location of the moon in relation to the Earth affects human, animal, and plant life

Science & Math

COMINS, NEIL F.

Astronomy & Space Science

Harpercollins

Perennial

One of the great paradoxes of modern times is that the more scientists understand the natural world, the more we discover that our everyday beliefs about it are wrong. Astronomy, in particular, is one of the most misunderstood scientific disciplines. With the participation of thousands of undergraduate students, Neil F. Comins has identified and classified, by origin and topic, over 1,700 commonly held misconceptions. Heavenly Errors provides access to all of them and explores many, including: Black holes suck in everything around them. The Sun shines by burning gas. Comets have tails trailing behind them. The Moon alone causes tides. Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is the hottest planet. In the course of correcting these errors, he explains that some occur through the prevalence of pseudosciences such as astrology and UFO-logy and some enter the public conscience through the "bad astronomy" of Star Trek, Star Wars, and other science-fiction movies.. Perhaps most important, Professor Comins presents the reader with the methods for identifying and replacing incorrect ideas―tools with which to probe erroneous notions so that we can begin to question for ourselves... and to think more like scientists.

Heavenly Errors

Columbia University Press

“What if?” questions stimulate people to think in new ways, to refresh old ideas, and to make new discoveries. In What If the Earth Had Two Moons, Neil Comins leads us on a fascinating ten-world journey as we explore what our planet would be like under alternative astronomical conditions. In each case, the Earth would be different, often in surprising ways. 
The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but that won’t last forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one extra-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth sports a Saturn-like ring.
This and nine and other speculative essays provide us with insights into the Earth as it exists today, while shedding new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars. 
Appealing to adult and young adult readers alike, this book follows on the author’s previous bestseller, What If the Moon Didn’t Exist?, with completely new scenarios backed by the latest astronomical research.

What If the Earth Had Two Moons?: And Nine Other Thought-Provoking Speculations on the Solar System

St.Martin's Press

"What if?" questions have always stimulated people to think in new ways. What if the Earth Had Two Moons leads us on a fascinating 10 world journey exploring what the Earth would be like if conditions in the universe were slightly different. The answer: Earth would be different, often in ways that would surprise us. The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but not forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one more-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth has a Saturn-like ring. The scenarios also shed new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars. Appealing to adult and young adult alike, this book is a fascinating journey through physics and astronomy, and follows on the author's previous bestseller, What if the Moon Didn't Exist?, with completely new scenarios backed by the latest astronomical research.

St. Martin's: Griffin

Discovering the Essential Universe & Astronomy Online

Slater, Timothy F.

W.H.Freeman

Discovering the Universe & CD-Rom & Reader

Krause, Thomas

Dtu 7th + Cd, Ebook, Observing Projects

KAUFMANN, WILLIAM J.

W.H.Freeman & Co.

The third edition has been updated to include the latest information on: the difficulties and successes of the Hubble Space Telescope; the status of AXAF, SIRTIF, Keck and other new observatories; the solar neutrino problem and the growing importance of solar seismology; the Magellan and Galileo missions, including remarkable photographs of Venus and Gaspra; the supernova SN1987A, with a new prediction of its brightening around the year 2000; the existence of black holes, including new observational evidence, plus descriptions of the supermassive-black hole model of the "central engine" in quasars and active galactic nuclei; galactic collisions and mergers, with new the radio maps and super computer simulations of galaxy-galaxy interactions.

Discovering the Universe

Kaufmann, William J., Iii

This edition of this brief text has been thoroughly updated. The accompanying CD-ROM features a special student version of the award-winning virtual planetarium software "Starry Night" plus software animations and videos, all illustrations from the text, interactive Q&amp;A and exercises, and supplementary resources. Material can be updated periodically from the Freeman Web site. There is an online study guide offering a CD-Web guide, chapter objectives, key terms, review questions, "Starry Night" observations exercises and online tutorials.

Discovering the Universe [Jul 01, 1999] Neil F. Comins and William J. Kaufmann

W. H. Freeman, New York

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Books by COMINS, NEIL F.