Where do asteroids come from and what are they made of? What clues do they hold about the evolution of the Solar System? Scientists have catalogued hundreds of thousands of asteroids, and many are thought to contain water and amino acids, the building blocks of life. Michael K. Shepard tells the fascinating story of their discovery, and what they can tell us about the history of our own planet. He describes how we find and study asteroids, what they look like through the eyes of powerful telescopes and spacecraft, and plans for future sample return missions. This timely book interweaves accessible scientific explanations with historical background and personal narrative, providing an engaging read for anyone curious about asteroids and what they may mean for our future - both as threats and opportunities.
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'Asteroids is a timely, up-to-date and accurate account of a field of astronomy, one that is becoming ever more important to humankind. But more, it's a delight to read. [Shepard] tells the science by telling how people have done the science, and so he turns what could have been a dry assemblage of factoids into a delightful, page-turning story. I can think of no better book to bring the whole story together of what we know, what we hope to know and what we'll need to know about these bodies as we become a space-faring race.' Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, Vatican Observatory, Vatican City