Shoemaker by Levy: The Man Who Made an ImpactPrinceton University Press, 9.2.2021 - 319 sivua It was a lucky twist of fate when in the early1980s David Levy, a writer and amateur astronomer, joined up with the famous scientist Eugene Shoemaker and his wife, Carolyn, to search for comets from an observation post on Palomar Mountain in Southern California. Their collaboration would lead to the 1993 discovery of the most remarkable comet ever recorded, Shoemaker-Levy 9, with its several nuclei, five tails, and two sheets of debris spread out in its orbit plane. A year later, Levy would be by the Shoemakers' side again when their comet ended its four-billion-year-long journey through the solar system and collided with Jupiter in the most stunning astronomical display of the century. Not only did this collision revolutionize our understanding of the history of the solar system, but it also offered a spectacular confirmation of one scientist's life work. As a close friend and colleague of Shoemaker (who died in 1997 at the age of 69), Levy offers a uniquely insightful account of his life and the way it has shaped our thinking about the universe. |
Kirjan sisältä
Tulokset 1 - 5 kokonaismäärästä 30
... appeared to be the leading edge of another storm . I thought about last night's damaged films , and of Gene's financial argument , and had an idea . “ Gene , do we have any damaged films left over from last night ? ” “ Yes , I saved ...
... appeared to be a small hole in the clouds , moving eastward . With a little luck , I thought , it would pass the Jupiter area and stay clear long enough for me to just get in the second exposure . Gene and I ran up the stairs , loaded ...
... appearance of a distant galaxy . Was it floating ? She backed up , increased the magnification , sat straight in her chair , and peered intently into the eyepieces . After a few seconds she looked at us . “ I don't know what I've got ...
... appearing dark of course , since we were using the original negative films . Stretching to the north of the bar were ... appeared . We told him what had happened and he , too , looked at this unique object . I prepared an e - mail ...
... appearance . The comet is close to Jupiter in the sky . Suppose the comet was physically near it in space , close enough to have been tidally disrupted by the planet ? Maybe the comet's elongated appearance indicated that it had split ...
Sisältö
14 | |
1948 | 27 |
A Revolution in Earth | 44 |
Impact | 58 |
19531960 | 69 |
19661968 | 101 |
19681969 | 113 |
19691970 | 126 |
19801995 | 184 |
19841995 | 197 |
1993 | 213 |
1994 | 225 |
19951997 | 241 |
1997 | 251 |
Epilogue | 262 |
Notes | 269 |