Catching Stardust

Comets, Asteroids and the Birth of the Solar System

By: Natalie Starkey

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Hardcover | 8 January 2018

At a Glance

Hardcover
256 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.6 x 13.5 x 2.4

Hardcover

$43.75

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Icy, rocky, sometimes dusty, always mysterious – comets and asteroids are among the Solar System's very oldest inhabitants, formed within a swirling cloud of gas and dust in the area of space that eventually hosted the Sun and its planets. Locked within each of these extra-terrestrial objects is the 4.6-billion-year wisdom of Solar System events, and by studying them at close quarters using spacecraft we can coerce them into revealing their closely-guarded secrets. This offers us the chance to answer some fundamental questions about our planet and its inhabitants.

Exploring comets and asteroids also allows us to shape the story of Earth's future, enabling us to protect our precious planet from the threat of a catastrophic impact from space, and maybe to even recover valuable raw materials from them. This cosmic bounty could be as useful in space as it is on Earth, providing the necessary fuel and supplies for humans as they voyage into deep space to explore more distant locations within the Solar System.

Catching Stardust tells the story of these enigmatic celestial objects, revealing how scientists are using them to help understand a crucial time in our history – the birth of the Solar System, and everything contained within it.

About the Author

Natalie Starkey is a geologist and cosmochemist. Following a PhD at Edinburgh University studying the geochemistry of Arctic volcanoes, Natalie's post-doctoral work at The Open University shifted her research focus to comet and asteroid samples. It was at this time she got the chance to analyse samples returned by the NASA Stardust and JAXA Hayabusa space missions.

Natalie's passion for her research makes her a keen science communicator. She received a British Science Association Media Fellowship in 2013, and regularly appears on television and radio internationally, as well as being a science host on Neil deGrasse Tyson's popular StarTalk Radio. Her writing includes numerous articles for the Guardian, and she is a regular contributor to The Conversation website.

Industry Reviews

Well presented and bridges many gaps between different observational methods. * Science *
Astonishing...a promising debut * New Scientist *
Natalie Starkey has packed this book full of information on the minor bodies of our solar system, which are key to understanding how things got the way they are today - a must-have for anyone interested in where we came from. -- Matt Taylor, ESA Rosetta Project Scientist
Catching Stardust builds a strong case for why continuing to explore comets and asteroids is so important to understanding our past and in shaping our future. -- Jessica Sunshine, Professor of Astronomy, University of Maryland
An action-packed narrative that really draws in the reader to the thrills and challenged of exploring the true nature of our Solar System. -- Lucy McFadden, Emerita at NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre
A fast-paced journey through time and space under the enthusiastic guidance of space geologist Natalie Starkey. Highly recommended. -- Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary Sciences at The Open University

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