Can You Catch a Falling Star

by Sidney Rosen, Dean Lindberg (Illustrator)

A question and answer format teach readers about meteors, discussing what happens when they hit the ground and the best time to look for meteor showers

40 pages, Library Binding

First published November 22, 1995

About the author

Sid Rosen, a UI professor emeritus of astronomy (1958-94), grew up Jewish in Boston’s West End, and his father worked in the garment industry.

Married to Dorothy Rosen they write the mystery series starring Belle Appleman, a Jewish immigrant who lives in Boston's West End during the 1930s.

Sidney Rosen wrote the popular children’s book "Galileo and the Magic Numbers," published in 1958 and which still remains in print and in libraries all over the country. Rosen also has a series of children’s science books.

Reviews

[一般 · Rating 4 out of 5]

捕捉流星。傅湘雯譯。
這個題材應該可以寫的更有系統。依據本書內容可知，彗星、流星體、流星、隕石、隕石微塵、流星塵等都是相關的東西。本書說流星有兩個來源，一個是來自火星和木星之間的太空垃圾區，叫小行星帶。小行星互撞後，可能脫離小行星帶成為流星體。流星體可能受到太陽引力吸引而撞向地球等其他星體。雙子座流星雨屬於這類。另一個是來自彗星，簡單說就是彗星的殘餘碎塊。英仙座流星雨屬於這類。
較大的太空碎塊叫流星體，飛入地球大氣層時摩擦燃燒，便是流星。流星殘存部份撞上地球，就是隕石。由此看來，隕石與流星體實在沒什麼分別！而降落地面的隕石又可能分解為與灰塵難辨的流星塵。小的太空碎塊叫隕石微塵，由於它們的飛行速度高，故太空船都要有抵擋隕石微塵的特殊設計。
《神秘彗星》中說，彗星撞地球的機率幾等於零。本書也說，現在隕石墜落地球的機率比古代少多了。但據報導，以古埃及神祇命名的「阿波非斯」隕石將在2029年4月13日接近地球，而它撞上地球的機率為1/450。據推算，正常的話，阿波非斯將會以3萬2500公里的距離與地球擦身而過，但如果2029年它撞上某個人造衛星，就會改變隕石的運行軌道，然後它會在2036年撞上地球。看來，是時候把人造衛星清一清了。