Comets in the 21st Century

Foreword

Preface

Author Biographies

1. Introduction

2. Roller Coaster Comets

2.1 The Paths of Comets

2.2 Two Kinds of Comets

2.3 Celestial Clockwork

2.4 A Universe in Motion

2.5 The Gravity of the Situation

2.6 Looping Comets

2.7 Orbits of Your Own

3. What Comets Are All About

3.1 Parts of a Comet

3.2 What is a Comet Made of?

3.3 More on the Comet Nucleus

3.4 Comet Scene Investigation (CSI) Using Chemical Fingerprints

3.5 The Demise of Comets

3.6 The Origin of Comets

3.7 A Visit to a Comet

4. Comet Crashes

4.1 What if?

4.2 The Comets Come to Earth

4.3 The Killer Comet

5. Observing Comets

5.1 Eye on a Comet

5.2 Where to Go?

5.3 When to Look?

5.4 Expectations

6. Hunting Comets

6.1 Who Discovers Comets?

6.2 Where is Our Comet?

6.3 How Bright a Light?

6.4 Eureka! I’ve Found a Comet!

6.5 Starting Your Comet Quest

6.6 Epilogue

Appendices

A. Recipes for Teachers

B. Approximate Dates for Some Famous Meteor Showers

C. Typical Comet Visibility Rates

D. The Brightest Comets Since 1935

E. Notable Comets in History

F. Books on Historical Comets

G. Intermediate and Advanced Books on Comets

Glossary