On the Trail of Stardust
The Guide to Finding Micrometeorites: Tools, Techniques, and Identification
by Jon Larsen
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Pub Date 16 Apr 2019 | Archive Date 30 May 2019
Quarto Publishing Group – Voyageur Press | Voyageur Press
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Description
Stardust—also known as micrometeorites—is the oldest matter anywhere. Nothing has traveled farther to reach Earth. For a century, scientists have searched everywhere for stardust, but only found it in remote areas like Antarctica and, more recently, outer space. Author and citizen scientist extraordinaire Jon Larsen was the first to find them in populated areas. With this book, you too can discover stardust as near as your own rooftop!
Following his successful debut, In Search of Stardust, Larsen turns his attention from explaining the formation and various kinds of stardust to revealing his methods and techniques for finding micrometeorites in a compact, durable guide. Larsen covers everything from the origins and formation of micrometeorites to assembling the simple array of gear needed to get out there and find stardust in your own neighborhood, rooftop, or rain gutters.
Larsen explains the best places to look and offers step-by-step photo sequences of the techniques he has developed to assemble his collection of 1,500-plus verified micrometeorites (and counting). And you don’t need a multi-million-dollar scanning electron microscope to document your collection; Jon shows how to assemble a serviceable photo setup from easily accessible equipment.
The book is capped off with a field guide of sorts that offers a taxonomy of the various types of micrometeorites, along with sample images, as well as the kinds of man-made and terrestrial spherules that stardust hunters are likely to encounter and how to identify them as imposters.
Once thought to exist only at the bottoms of oceans and atop polar ice, it turns out that stardust is everywhere…and On the Trail of Stardust is your indispensable tool to finding it for yourself.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780760364581 |
| PRICE | US$19.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 144 |
Featured Reviews
Adam D, Librarian
"On the Trail os Stardust" will be a great addition to our library. I"ll be recommending this one to our patrons. Also, just in time for our SRP.
Dona B, Educator
This book is fascinating to me. I hope every university library and public library will buy this book. It’s a fabulous reference book, and I’m happy that I know about it as a resource for my students who want to learn more and write about stardust. The photographs are beautiful, and I appreciate that a list of further reading and a good index are included in the book.
Audrey A, Reviewer
On The Trail of Stardust is an in the look off finding space matter in your own area. Jon Larsen teaches you to find stardust and micrometorites in your own backyard. I really enjoyed learning about the different kinds of substances. The pictures are beautiful.
While I am not interested in picking this up as a hobby, I enjoyed learning about the subject.
Claudio A, Reviewer
Finally we got it! Last year's book "In search for stardust" just demonstrated the world that micrometeorites hunting is for real, now we have all the information to join the hunt!
It is a very clear step-by-step guide. It is divided in 5 sections. In the first you can find an introduction to the micrometeorites world. In the second, all you need to collect your samples (a few things that you probably already have at home). In the third, how to manage your samples collection. In the fourth, how to find your cosmic jackpot needles in the dirt haystack.. The final section helps you to verify that your find is indeed a meteorite and not some weird industrial byproduct, to photograph your trophy, and make real science.
That is the real message: you can really do real science, finding cosmic material formed possibly billion of years ago around other stars, and it is easy. What else to say: well, me too I got hold of a couple of sieves and a microscope and I am collecting material. I hope to join the cosmic hunters' club very soon.
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