{"product_id":"target-earth-meteorites-asteroids-comets-and-other-cosmic-intruders-that-threaten-our-planet-9780262551342","title":"Target Earth: Meteorites, Asteroids, Comets, and Other Cosmic Intruders That Threaten Our Planet","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn acclaimed science writer tells the story of cosmic projectiles that may be on a collision course with our Earth.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe impact of an asteroid led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Could another giant cosmic missile soon be heading our way? In \u003ci\u003eTarget Earth, \u003c\/i\u003e acclaimed Dutch astronomy writer Govert Schilling provides a full account of what we know, and need to know, about all the extraterrestrial matter constantly bombarding our planet--from microscopic dust particles and space debris to massive meteorites, comets, and asteroids. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on the latest scientific discoveries, Schilling explores virtually every aspect of cosmic impacts--from small meteorites to devastating collisions, from the craters that mark our planet's surface to the impacts that left their mark on other celestial bodies, and from searches for near-miss lumps of rock to ways of protecting humanity from an assault from the cosmos. Along the way, he considers near misses in the past and the possibility of others in the future and ponders the positive side of these visitations from space: If our planet had not been the target of cosmic rubble from its very formation, life on Earth would likely never have gotten started.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGovert Schilling is the author of dozens of popular astronomy books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Elephant in the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRipples in Spacetime\u003c\/i\u003e. His writing has received numerous awards, including the David N. Schramm Award from the American Astronomical Society. In 2007 the International Astronomical Union named the asteroid 10986 Govert in his honor.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51201565753618,"sku":"9780262551342","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4500aa76-11a0-40ea-aba0-97ffd34d2ad5.jpg?v=1744915617","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/target-earth-meteorites-asteroids-comets-and-other-cosmic-intruders-that-threaten-our-planet-9780262551342","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}