Publisher's Synopsis
The intriguing phenomena of the night sky are tempered by intimidation but meantime in the held of reverence of the apparitions observed. Current classification of meteorites suggests that there is a gap between and within different meteorite families. Taking into account meteoroid measurements by in situ experiments and oblique angle hypervelocity impact studies, it is found that the observed size distributions of lunar microcraters usually do not represent the interplanetary meteoroid flux for particles with the masses of minus 9 degree grams. With many more meteorites waiting to be found in deserts and strewn fields, it is likely that we shall uncover distinct new types, to the extent of tiny monocomponent interstellar grains composed of a few tens of atoms of carbon, nitrogen, iron, manganese, silicon, or radium. With predictive knowledge in meteor showers, regarding the 'senders, ' the ambassadors of coded messages, ' the patterns, the azimuth and timing, we would better understand the stability of our solar system, refine the chronology of its tricks and miracles, and develop more robust timescales for the accretion, or parent-body processes, like aqueous alteration, metamorphism, and differentiation. Of the books about meteorites are apparently no end, but this particular effort is an oddity with its design to entertain and persuade a junior reader. Through a tour with avid travelers - father jaguar and the cub, it lands us on colorful scenes of the annual meteor showers, accommodating us to the right lunar phase (so the moonlight would not steal the show), geographical location, and the month. Witnessing the fall of the 'shooting stars, ' we then find odd and conventional meteorites with the help of various quests and tests. The spatial density of the meteoroids is presently increasing with the time. With the wealth of knowledge in these 'messengers' we may define the reason our unique planet was created, the path it goes through, and the fate it complies.
