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The solar system has always been a messy place in which gravity wreaks havoc. Moons form, asteroids and comets crash into planets, ice ages commence, and dinosaurs disappear. By describing the dramatic consequences of such disturbances, this authoritative and entertaining book reveals the fundamental interconnectedness of the solar system--and what it means for life on Earth. After relating a brief history of the solar system, Alan Rubin describes how astronomers determined our location in the Milky Way. He provides succinct and up-to-date accounts of the energetic interactions among planetary bodies, the generation of the Earth's magnetic field, the effects of other solar-system objects on our climate, the moon's genesis, the heating of asteroids, and the origin of the mysterious tektites. Along the way, Rubin introduces us to the individual scientists--including the famous, the now obscure, and the newest generation of researchers--who have enhanced our understanding of the galactic neighborhood. He shows how scientific discoveries are made; he discusses the uncertainty that presides over the boundaries of knowledge as well as the occasional reluctance of scientists to change their minds even when confronted by compelling evidence. This fresh historical perspective reveals science as it is: an imperfect but self-correcting enterprise. Journeying to the frontiers of knowledge, Rubin concludes with the exciting realm of astrobiology. He chronicles the history of the search for life on Mars and describes cutting-edge lines of astrobiological inquiry, including panspermia (the possible transfer of life from planet to planet), the likelihood of technologically advanced alien civilizations in our galaxy, and our probable responses to alien contact. Authoritative and up-to-date but also entertaining and fluidly written, Disturbing the Solar System will appeal to any reader who has ever picked up a rock or gazed at the moon with a sense of wonder.

Life on other planets. --- Gravity. --- Catastrophes (Geology) --- Accretion (astrophysics). --- Antimatter. --- Aristarchus (crater). --- Astrobiology. --- Astronomer. --- Astronomy. --- Astrophysics. --- Binary star. --- Canyon Diablo (meteorite). --- Carbon dioxide. --- Carbonaceous chondrite. --- Chondrite. --- Chondrule. --- Comet. --- Cosmic Background Explorer. --- Cosmic dust. --- Cosmic ray. --- Crater chain. --- Debris disk. --- Discovery and exploration of the Solar System. --- Earth's magnetic field. --- Exoplanet. --- Extinction event. --- Extraterrestrial life. --- Formation and evolution of the Solar System. --- Galactic Center. --- Geologist. --- Giant planet. --- Giant-impact hypothesis. --- Gravity anomaly. --- Heliocentrism. --- Hubble Space Telescope. --- Impact crater. --- Impact event. --- Impact structure. --- Incompatible element. --- Iridium anomaly. --- Iron meteorite. --- Jupiter. --- Kara crater. --- Lunar eclipse. --- Lunar mare. --- Lunar meteorite. --- Magnetic anomaly. --- Magnetic field. --- Magnetosphere. --- Martian meteorite. --- Mesosiderite. --- Meteor Crater. --- Meteor shower. --- Meteorite. --- Meteoroid. --- Microorganism. --- Molecular cloud. --- Moon rock. --- Nebular hypothesis. --- Neutron star. --- Nuclear explosion. --- Nuclear fusion. --- Nuclear reaction. --- Occultation. --- Oort cloud. --- Orbit. --- Orbital eccentricity. --- Orbital period. --- Origin of the Moon. --- Orion Nebula. --- Panspermia. --- Planet. --- Planetary body. --- Planetary nebula. --- Planetary surface. --- Planetary system. --- Planetesimal. --- Polarity reversal (seismology). --- Projectile. --- Radiation damage. --- Radiation pressure. --- Radioactive decay. --- Radionuclide. --- Rings of Saturn. --- Rubble pile. --- Runaway greenhouse effect. --- Saturn. --- Sediment. --- Shock metamorphism. --- Silicate. --- Small Solar System body. --- Solar System. --- Solar eclipse. --- Solar flare. --- Solar mass. --- Spacecraft. --- Spiral galaxy. --- Supernova. --- Tektite. --- Uranus. --- Urey (crater). --- Van Allen radiation belt. --- Volcanism.