Meteoric astronomy: A treatise on shooting-stars, fire-balls, and aerolites

A vivid look at the science of shooting‑stars, fire‑balls and meteorites, this work traces how ideas about these fleeting lights have evolved from Aristotle’s atmospheric theories to the 19th‑century breakthroughs that placed them among the solar system’s moving bodies. It recounts the pivotal observations of Tycho Brahe, the prophetic return of Halley’s comet, and Olbers’s successful prediction of the great 1833 meteor shower, showing how each discovery sparked public fascination.

The book is organized into clear sections: early chapters describe the well‑known August and November showers, while later parts catalogue the most significant meteorite falls and the phenomena that accompany them. Subsequent chapters explore questions of meteoric frequency, the composition of meteoric streams, their role in solar heat, and even the possibility that Saturn’s rings are dense swarms of meteoric material. The final chapter offers an accessible overview of the nebular hypothesis, linking the origins of these celestial visitors to the broader formation of the solar system.