Product Description
This reference work includes the 4000 named asteroids. Asteroids carry the vibrational energy of their names, and because asteroid names relate to most persons, places and objects on the Earth, such as Monica (number 833), Chicago (number 334), and Toyota (number 3533), they also relate to events in the lives of these persons, places or objects. Astrologically, asteroids represent the gate to the individual. Personally named asteroids can define an identity that is more intimate than any other cosmic symbol. While traditional horoscopes are helpful vehicles for understanding, placing asteroids in the chart explicitly for people and places by name adds a new dimension. This book answers such questions as: is there an asteroid with the reader's name on it? how do asteroids named for people in your life reflect actual experiences? and have persons with certain names usually been good for you, or bad for you? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have for astrologers
This is an excellent book.I was actually the person who got Jacob Schwartz interested in asteroids.His research on the subject is second to none.

It is with a sad heart that I report the passing of Dr. Jacob Schwartz on January 13, 2010.





Cheryl Faye Schwartz ... Read more

Product Description
Though individual asteroids or planetoids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter may be small, they are bound to exert influences in the horoscope. In light of this conclusion, they must also exert the same type of cross chart influence in the area of relationships. With this premise, Emma Belle Donath wrote Asteroids in Synastry. Using her vast store of mythological as well as astrological lore, she tells the myths of the four major asteroids, as well as giving keyword lists and rulerships for each. In the body of the book she gives delineation of the asteroids using the most accepted forms of synastry (person A's planets in person B's chart and vice versa). In addition, she gives some of the major aspect configurations between charts, and takes a brief look at composite charts and contact cosmograms. Several example charts are used to illustrate asteroid use in this manner. This is the definitive text for using asteroids in synastry. ... Read more

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"Asteroids Ultimate Strategy Guide" is being written with the full support of the development team, insuring the fastest, best quality book. Sybex takes the player through every level in full-color, graphic detail. Players will learn the best techniques and the secret codes. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes in simple terms the meteors, comets, and asteroids that are part of our solar system and discusses the various theories concerning their origin and their effect on life on Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Strong villain and focus on the main plot make a good story
In this adventure, Tom and his companions battle an organization called the Black Cobra, whose leader goes by the same name. The goal of the Black Cobra is to take control of the asteroid Nestria, which has been colonized by members of the Swift group. The evil organization is well funded and equipped, they create a field of anti-matter particles around the asteroid, effectively isolating it from being re-supplied. When the first supply rocket from the Swift group encounters the field, it explodes and the radiation surge poisons all the food on Nestoria.
Tom tries desperately to find a way to get food to his group and fails. However, his space friends come to his aid. They send a message explaining that food can be found in caverns inside Nestoria. Forces of the Black Cobra land on Nestoria and take control of the facilities, and Tom and a small group finally manage to get through the field and do battle with the evil forces. They emerge victorious and regain control of Nestoria.
I consider this one of the better stories in the series, because there is only one plot element. So many other stories introduce secondary elements that detract from the main theme. There is a strong and resourceful villain and the focus remains on the battle between the Swift forces for good and the evil forces of the Black Cobra.
... Read more

Product Description
Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth.Now the planet is spiralling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakesdestroying the lives of millions.Randolph knows the energy and natural resources of space can save Earth's economy, but the price may be the loss of the only thing he has left - the company he founded,Astro Manufacturing. Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir ofthe Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future.But unlike Randolph he does not care if Earth perishes in the process.And he knows that the perfect bait to ensnare Dan Randolph and take control of Astro is his revolutionary new fusion rocket propulsion system. As Randolph - accompanied by two beautiful women who are also brilliant astronauts - flies out to the Asteroid Belt aboard a fusion-propelled spacecraft , Humphries makes his move.The future of mankind lies in Randolph's hands. ... Read more

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Describes the origins, characteristics, and behavior of comets, meteors, and the largest of the space rocks, asteroids. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents the most recent research on the development of a reliable defense against objects that can potentially collide with the Earth. Large asteroids and comets can collide with the Earth causing severe consequences, and collisions are a random process that can occur at any time. To reduce the threat, it is necessary to understand these potentially hazardous objects. ... Read more

Product Description
s and the pollution of earth, uncountable dollars worth of metals, fuels, and life-sustaining substances await in nearby space. In this book, noted planetary scientist John S. Lewis reveals that vast amounts of these important substances are locked away--for now--in the asteroids, comets, and planets of our own solar system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Idea Book for Future Interplanetarians
This is not a cook book for serving up a turnkey interplanetary civilization, but its ideas will provide food for thought.

The book covers a broad range of subjects providing: historical perspectives; descriptions of the Moon, Mars, and the asteroids; technical processes for extracting/producing volatiles/metals; generating power; and spaceship propulsion schemes and flight trajectories.Of the ideas presented, two stand out as possible keys to the future ...

To ply the space between Earth, Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt, you will need a spaceship, versatile in the propellants it can use.Rockets normally burn their propellants, but there is another type which simply heats them.Nuclear energy is the favored heat source.This idea has been around for years.The most accessible propellant in space: water.

Perhaps the best place to look for water is in a group of asteroids known as Near Earth Objects (NEOs).Their paths periodically cross the Earth's orbit.Some of these NEOs are suspected of harboring ice beneath their dark coats.The NEOs in an orbit similar to Earth's are easiest to reach.

Scenario:Your spaceship departs an Earth-orbiting fuel-depot.Months later, you intercept a NEO, mine its ice, possibly melting/purifying it before storing it.At departure, you can tap into this water to feed your thermal rocket.After more months, you arrive back at the fuel-depot.The water you add to their stores can be used for flights to other destinations.

NEO mining could be dangerous.NEOs spin, have low/variable gravities, some may be a collection of loose rocks, some are two smaller bodies sitting on each other, some have small moons, and some are has-been comets. What will happen when you start boring, digging, or blasting them?

Book quality: page 79 follows page 82.

Non Fiction
Mining the Sky : Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets
by John S. Lewis takes a balance looked at the possibilities and/or necessities of space exploration and exploitation for economic reasons.

There are a lot of resources out there, and finite resources here, and he looks at both private and public involvement in the activity.

Now I see how it can be done
A short way into this book, I went to the back of the book to see if the author is a journalist or a real scientist. That's because it was so well written. He's a scientist alright. And, it wasn't long before I encountered the dense exposition I expected.

So, there's a dusting of light reading, especially the scifi scenes that serve as introductions to each chapter. The craftsmanship of those would make a professional scifi writer envious.

Then there's the info-packed core of each chapter. My chemistry and astrophysics is practically non-existent and I couldn't keep up, but I got the gist of it. I still appreciated the effort to explain things.Other authors would skip the explanation and merely state the conclusion. That would leave me wondering how trustworthy that statement was.

In the end, I felt I had a good overview of how the future might take shape.

I should warn you of that, at the start of the book, the author presents a version of 15th century Chinese explorations (he doesn't mention the name 'Zheng He') that is a little shakey historically. But blaming "the court eunuchs" makes too good a metaphor to let that get in the way. However, for a couple chapters at the end of the book he turns preachy -- essentially labelling dissenters from expansion into space as "court eunuchs", then disassociating himself from the political left and right by sloppily redefining their positions. I guess he couldn't trust us to make our own way thru political thickets. Fortunately, the just-the-facts bulk of the book make up for these few tantrums.

Amazing and important book, even 10 years later
This is a wonderful book.The author lays out, very plainly, how the vast resources of the solar system will enable a prosperous future for 10 quadrillion people within half a millenium, and at the same time save the Earth from the economic and ecological dangers it now faces.

Parts of the book are a bit dated now, including the "new afterword by the author" which was written in 1997 (only a year after the book was first published).I'd love to see a new edition that takes into account the developments (or lack thereof) of the last ten years.But the vast majority of the book still applies just fine.I highly recommend this book to anyone with any concern about humanity's future.

This needs to be required reading in schools
Mining the sky is an encouraging answer to those who worry about overpopulation, global warming, and environmental degradation.It challenges us to expand our limited perspective and seek solutions to the worlds problems in unconventional places.Lewis very logically and reasonably explores the potential wealth of our solar system, and lays out a very feasable framework to follow in order to utilize the seeminly unlimmited resources in our backyard. ... Read more

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A look at the creation and composition of asteroids and the frightening eventuality of a collision with the earth.Amazon.com Review
It would take an asteroid the size of Vermont crashing intothe Earth to wipe out all life on our planet. We can probably go tosleep tonight without worrying about this happening. Yet asignificantly smaller asteroid -- say, one that spans 10 footballfields -- could wreak enormous damage on life as we know it. Even ifit struck in the middle of an ocean, violent flooding could drownmillions of people. Asteroids this size pass between the Earth and themoon with disturbing frequency, writes Patricia Barnes-Svarney. Thisbook nicely combines history, science and engaging speculation. It's amust-read for doomsday aficionados. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very good, if you are interested in the subject
The first chapters are a little bit too technical. However, you will learn a lot about the scientific background on asteroids and impacts. The chapters on how Earth has been hit in the past, the summary of the theory about the dinosaur extinction, and how the Chicxulub crater was found, are really good. The book also has a good coverage on subjects such as near-Earth objects, actual near-misses, what if?, and the Spaceguard survey.

If you became interested on these subjects after the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter, or because you are a Sc-Fi fan who like the "hard stuff" and read Clark's "The Hammer of God", Benford's "Shiva Descending", or Niven's "Lucifr's Hammer", this book is for you. You can deepen your scientific knowledge and learn why these fiction novels seem so real, specially those written before the Alvarez paradigm. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Information is great
This book I was waiting for with great anticipation, after dog earing my Demetra George's book asteroid Goddess, I thought this was going to be a continuation of that one. Although a lot more practical than mythical it was brief at best. I was expecting more "meat" to this book and was disappointed in that aspect of the book.
However, this book is great if your are needing meanings on the major asteroids in houses and signs, it can give you a wider perspective and for that I liked the book. Be forewarned! If you are an avid researching like myself, you can find this information on the web!

... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not the Best
David "Lucky" Starr infiltrates pirate-infested asteroids in a desperate bid to prevent galactic war. Not one of the better Lucky Starr books, albeit the only one grounded on astrophysical science with which Asimov still felt entirely comfortable after 25 years of additional observations. Asimov's concept of pirates based in the practically ungovernable asteroid belt has a ring of accuracy in the light of colonial Caribbean history.

Bring them back!
I grew up reading the Lucky Starr series and though it's been twenty-five years or more since I've even seen one, I can remember practically every word. For me, Asimov never got better than this!

The second in the Starr series of sci-fi novels for youth.
This is the second volume in the Lucky Starr series, the sequel to "David Starr, Space Ranger" (1952). Asimov originally published it under the pseudonym Paul French. In this story, David Starr must locateand bring to justice pirates working out of the asteroid belt. In addition,he has to thwart a possible invasion. Asimov uses the book to help teachinteresting facts about asteroids. ... Read more

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Asteroids aren't just the stuff of science fiction movies, and this collection of amazing "true" information about asteroids is just as incredible as anything in fiction. Age 9-14. 4 3/16. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Cute book for anyone
I know this book is somewhere form 9 - 13 and such things, but if you are totally ignorant about asteroids and comets (much like I was), then this book can be for any age. Of course it reads like a young kids book with a mommy planet and such things, and is 80 pages, but you will learn things! Did you know that at one time we had over 3,000 asteroids coming into our atmosphere in the 90's? Neat stuff in this book!

Cool book
This book, which is mainly a fact book about asteroids, with a little about comets, was cool. It was easy to read and understand, but not so simple that you wouldn't learn anything from it. From this book, I learned a lot about asteroids, much more than one could learn at the local movie theater. If you are interested in learning about asteroids and are in middle school or upper elementary school, this is the book for you! ... Read more

Product Description
Rain of Iron and Ice shows us the unmistakable evidence-fromspace-probe flybys of the planets to the scars on our own Earth-ofcataclysmic comet and asteroid impacts.By comparing what we knowabout the earth's geology and paleontology with the ages of the otherplanets and moons in our solar system, Lewis makes the strongest caseyet of the sudden, dramatic extinction's and assesses the risks toplanet Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Dusted, But Obligatory Reading
If you are still debating, which of the two 1998 Hollywood flicks, "Deep Impact" or "Armageddon", is the better comet catastrophe movie, you will get delivered from this nagging question by reading this 1995 book: none of the above. I am amazed that Hollywood DIDN'T exploit the in reality much more gloomy scenarios of a comet impact's chain reactions leading to the effacement of the human habitat by multiple means.

The book starts out with the realization process of modern human society that comets are one of the biggest threats. Actually, the author thinks that comet awareness hasn't sharpened sufficiently yet and sets out to change that, successfully so for anyone who reads this book. From the discovery of solar system planetory impacts to the ongoing search for the remains of Earth' comet craters and the quest of mapping space in search for the villains of iron and ice, the author lets us know the high probability of global killers. In the process thwarting the current easy-going negligence, caused by what he terms 6-10,000 years of freak climate stability on Earth (equaling relatively comet-free times), responsible for the possibility of the emergence of human civilization and the population boom. Concluding with 10 random computer probability simulation scenarios of how the 20th century could have looked like in parallel universes. In between filling the book with the ugly comet consequences BEYOND cratering, shock wave, mega tsunami and dust-induced perennial nightly winter, I had never heard of before.

Some of my questions from reading other books got solved, most of all the so-called mystery of the Libyan desert glass (in Egypt), which is vitrified sand over a large circular area. The yellowpress book Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients mused about ancient nuclear warfare (I am not kidding), since this isn't a crater (yet mentioning nuclear cratering in another chapter). Whereas already half a decade before, this book had explained the effects of both nuclear and cometory explosions on the ground or in the air, causing either cratering or intense burning. (It is called a meteor, if it doesn't survive Earth' atmosphere and a meteorite, if it reaches the ground.)

The book may be dusted already, after all human knowledge currently doubles every five years. It becomes evident that it was written before September 11th, 2001 and the 2004 Christmas tsunami. Yet both deep impacts on the human psyche are explained in principle in this book: Unusual events eclipsing more deadly continuities. The average earth quake saving more lives by interrupting traffic (accidents) than killing others. More US-Americans killed in post-invasion Iraq than on September 11th. A neo-colonial induced economic tsunami sweeping Africa several times a year. So even on the level of reasoning about human perceptions, this book is worth the read and even some of the obviously dusted parts are translateable to an update of mind.

Actually, there has been an 1997 paperback update of three pages: More historic evidence found including a 580 A.D. match of one of the fictitious simulations about France's Orleans. The most scary part, I may say. Also the 1996 1st time confirmation of one of the theories extrapolated in the first edition of the book a year earlier: Earth "capturing" cometary debris, i.e. forcing it into temporary orbit.

In 1999, a more unorthodox book was first published - referencing this book - suggesting that human civilization had already lived through at least two such global killers - which merged into the flood stories. It suggests, megalithic structures on the Irish/British Isles were used to train people from far away places how to detect future comets and how to rebuild civilization after the strike - with Biblical Enoch and Noah being the ones in the position to apply that training. The book avers much higher tsunamis than "Rain of Iron and Ice", but it is fascinating reading: Uriel's Machine: Uncovering the Secrets of Stonehenge, Noah's Flood and the Dawn of Civilization. In Voyages of the Pyramid Builders: The True Origins of the Pyramids from Lost Egypt to Ancient America a similar historic scenario is described for Sundaland (once dry land of today's south-east Asian island nations world of Indonesia etc.).

Informative Yet Chilling Read
This book by John Lewis is very intriguing read. Roughly 220 pages with fifteen chapters, and easy to read. He explored the threats from space as well discussed the asteroid impacts from the past in our solar system, including that of Mars, Moon, Mercury, and even the impacts on asteroids themselves.

Out of all informative and fascinating chapters in this book, I felt the fourteenth chapter is most chilling to read because the author brings the reader to experience each scenario of impacts from A to J. Each is frightening as one begin to see, as the computer simulations show, what it would be like to be collided with the iron asteroid.

Overall, I felt this book is directed towards bringing the public awareness of the threats from space as it is likely. Not everyone ever believes that Earth will get hit by comets or asteroids, and that we are safe from such threats. This book can help one to understand the grace issue of such threats, and why we would need to look up and be aware of such cosmic events will happen, and it is just the matter of when. This book will surely be added to that awareness.

In my opinion, I really recommend this book.

Don't worry about my review -- just read the book
This fine book is designed primarily with one goal in mind. Aimed at a popular audience, it is written to counteract the unfortunately widespread myth that no one has ever been killed, or will ever be killed, by a falling asteroid or meteor. John Lewis reworks this statement, reminding us that the way it should be phrased is as follows: "no one as ever been killed or hurt by a meteor or asteroid in the presence of a Western, 20th/21st century journalist or meteoriticist."

This book demonstrates, through statistics and anecdotes,that it is more than just a question of occasional asteroids like the one that killed the dinosaurs, or like the ones in the asteroid movies from the summer of 1999. There is an extremely wide range of asteroids, meteors, and other random space-rocks, of all different shapes, sizes, and compositions. The ones large enough to do fairly serious damage land all over the planet, and substantially more often than many of us tend to believe.

Chapter 14 alone is worth the price of the book. In it, Dr. Lewis shows us computer simulations of several likely asteroid strikes. Let me clarify that -- he presents the results of computer simulations of 10 randomly computer-generated "centuries" on Earth, and what the statistical likelihood of pretty awful asteroid collisions are in each century. Many of the simulations are pretty terrifying. The one that opens the chapter, taking place in the Phillipines, is one of the most horrifying things you'll ever read.

Another valuable part of the book is the table in chapter 13, which lists dozens of damaging asteroid or meteor strikes throughout recorded history, all over the world. Stories like this crop up throughout the book, they aren't just in chapter 13.

The intent of this book is to raise public awareness. It succeeds dramatically. Please buy a copy, and get copies for some of your friends. Two thumbs up.

The best book for the lay reader
This book is a natural five-star.It clearly and eloquently discusses the threat from asteroids and comets.The scenario of a SMALL asteroid falling in the Philippine Sea should be eye-opening to even the most jaded.Also especially worth reading are the chapters on Mercury and on computer created scenarios of falls over a century's time.The book maintains a steady pace throughout, and is a must for anyone interested in meteoritics.

It "Rocks"
__________________

The need for radioastronomy to detect near Earth objects on the day-side is documented in this book. Amateur astronomers have a real opportunity to potentially save all life on Earth. Despite the efforts expended (mostly since 1994, after the impact of the fragments of Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter) the estimate is that 90 per cent of nearby asteroids are unknown. As David Morrison has warned, nothing can be told about the unknown majority, and the odds are that there will be no warning.

At least four large impacts occurred during the 20th century, the best known being the Tunguska object in 1908. I was a bit startled to learn of the small 1919 impact on Lake Michigan (p 159) having never heard anything about this from elderly folklore-prone relatives.

Perhaps most useful is Lewis' discussion of the various myths about our safety from such impacts.

See also "Night Comes to the Cretaceous" by James Lawrence Powell. ... Read more