Earth-Shattering: Violent Supernovas, Galactic Explosions, Biological Mayhem, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Other Hazards to Life in Our Universe

by Bob Berman

Overview

A heart-pumping exploration of the biggest explosions in history, from the Big Bang to mysterious activity on Earth and everything in between

The overwhelming majority of celestial space is inactive and will remain forever unruffled. Similarly, more than 90 percent of the universe's 70 billion trillion suns had non-attention-getting births and are burning through their nuclear fuel in steady, predictable fashion. But when cosmic violence does unfold, it changes the very fabric of the universe, with mega-explosions and ripple effects that reach the near limits of human comprehension. From colliding galaxies to solar storms, and gamma ray bursts to space-and-time-warping upheavals, these moments are rare yet powerful, often unseen but consequentially felt.
Likewise, here on Earth, existence as we know it is fragile, always vulnerable to hazards both natural and manufactured. As we've learned from textbooks and witnessed in Hollywood blockbusters, existential threats such as biological disasters, asteroid impacts, and climate upheavals have the all-too-real power to instantaneously transform our routine-centered lives into total chaos, or much worse. While we might be helpless to stop these catastrophes-whether they originate on our own planet or in the farthest reaches of space-the science behind such cataclysmic forces is as fascinating as their results can be devastating.
In Earth-Shattering, astronomy writer Bob Berman guides us through an epic, all-inclusive investigation into these instances of violence both mammoth and microscopic. From the sudden creation of dazzling new stars to the furiously explosive birth of our moon, from the uncomfortable truth about ultra-high-energy cosmic rays bombarding us to the incredible ways in which humanity has harnessed cataclysmic energy for its gain, Berman masterfully synthesizes some of our worst fears into an astonishing portrait of the universe that promises to transform the way we look at the world(s) around us.
In the spirit of Neil deGrasse Tyson and Carlo Rovelli, what emerges is a rollicking, profound, and even humbling exploration of all the things that can go bump in the night.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316511353
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	02/19/2019
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	687,778
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Bob Berman, one of America's top astronomy writers, is the author of Zapped, Zoom, and The Sun's Heartbeat. He contributed the popular "Night Watchman" column for Discover for seventeen years and is currently a columnist for Astronomy, a host on Northeast Public Radio, and the science editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac. He lives in Willow, New York.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

Part I Cataclysms In The Heavens

Chapter 1 Cataclysms 101 3

Chapter 2 It Really Was a Big Bang 11

Chapter 3 The Death of Cousin Theia 20

Chapter 4 Spooky Things That Went Bang 29

Chapter 5 Blame It on the Supernova 41

Chapter 6 Armageddon Monument 53

Chapter 7 Tycho Versus Kepler: Dueling Detonations 65

Chapter 8 When Galaxies Collide 74

Chapter 9 Magnetic Violence 80

Chapter 10 The Lethal Antimatter Fountain 84

Chapter 11 Dangerous Bubbles 89

Chapter 12 The Exploding Galaxy Next Door 94

Chapter 13 Waiting for a Carrington Cataclysm 99

Chapter 14 Can We Trust Space Itself? 108

Chapter 15 The Final Supernova 123

Chapter 16 The 2017 Kilonova 129

Part II Cataclysms Of Earth

Chapter 17 The Oxygen Holocaust 137

Chapter 18 The Greatest Mass Extinction 141

Chapter 19 The Dino Saur Show Gets Canceled 147

Chapter 20 Snowball Earth 155

Chapter 21 The Plague 161

Chapter 22 Just the Flu 169

Chapter 23 The Second World War 175

Chapter 24 Nuclear Cataclysms 178

Chapter 25 A New State Capital? 188

Chapter 26 Secrets of Chernobyl 195

Chapter 27 The Hybrid Cataclysm 204

Chapter 28 That Thermonuclear Business 213

Chapter 29 Modern Meteors and Flipping Poles 228

Chapter 30 When It Sure Seemed Like the Apocalypse 236

Chapter 31 Invading Our Bodies Today 247

Part III Tomorrow's Cataclysms

Chapter 32 Collision with Andromeda 257

Chapter 33 Upcoming Cataclysms 265

Chapter 34 Holocene Extinction 271

Chapter 35 The Sun Has the Last Word 276

Acknowledgments 283

Notes 285

Index 297

Editorial Reviews

12/10/2018

From the Big Bang and colliding galaxies, to Earth-based mass extinctions and nuclear accidents, Astronomy magazine columnist Berman (The Sun’s Heartbeat) takes science buffs on a far-ranging and enthusiastic tour of cataclysms, local and remote. The author begins with the Big Bang that created the universe, examining the possible origins of dark matter and energy, as well as “newly minted” subatomic particles, stars, galaxies, and, finally, “piping hot worlds” like Earth. Lunar craters, visible and those less visible from Earth, reveal the violent collisions common in the early solar system, though less so now. Swinging far out into space, one finds supernovas and the creation of the elements in stellar furnaces. Berman, who also takes in starburst galaxies, dueling neutron stars, electronics-wrecking solar flares, and the chaotic quantum “foam” between galaxies, covers an exhaustive list of exotic and fascinating events, closing with a few disasters that weren’t, like the infamous “Y2K” problem, and the apocalypse supposedly predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar. This lively menagerie of astrophysical oddities will entertain any reader who’s ever wondered what the biggest, most dangerous “bangs” in the universe might be. Agent: Albert Zuckerman, Writers House. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Zapped

"An enthusiastic account of all the light we cannot see from a science popularizer with a knack for presenting hard facts clearly and stylishly.... A guide for laymen written with gusto and assurance."—Kirkus

"The narrative is briskly conversational: We're on the porch, shooting the breeze with a knowledgeable neighbor. Mr. Berman's avowed goal in writing this book, he says, was 'to open a window onto the enormous universe of omnipresent energies.' Once that window is thrown open, it is hard to look at the world the same way."—Wall Street Journal

"Nimbly busts common myths... Berman writes with enthusiasm and clarity, making this an informative and digestible read for the science-curious."—Booklist

"Captivating... fear not the long-winded scientific discourse: Berman zings through historical and scientific adventures."—American Scholar

"Astronomy writer Berman runs through a fascinating history of the rainbow's invisible bands in this breezy, accessible read.... In the style of a favorite professor, Berman injects bits of odd humor and captivating tangents into this complex but familiar topics."—Publishers Weekly

"Berman writes with verve and vigor ...Berman's book is a pleasing excursion into the hows and whys of how the universe-our universe, anyway-took shape and how it works-except when it doesn't. Just the book for a bright teenager interested in astronomy and geosciences."—Kirkus

From the Publisher

Berman’s audiobook is filled with details of past cataclysms, present- day near-cataclysms, and possible future cataclysms. Narrator Peter Ganim navigates listeners through colliding galaxies, solar storms, and gamma-ray bombardments on earth with ease and confidence as he details scientific findings about the Big Bang theory and its present-day consequences. Berman’s one-liners break up the mostly disastrous events recounted and display Ganim’s wonderful comedic timing. When discussing the man-made cataclysms Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Daiichi in Japan, Ganim appropriately reflects the seriousness of these catastrophes in his performance. Listeners will be fascinated by scientists’ knowledge of space today but will also wonder if they need to consider building a fallout shelter for the future. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MAY 2019 - AudioFile

Berman’s audiobook is filled with details of past cataclysms, present- day near-cataclysms, and possible future cataclysms. Narrator Peter Ganim navigates listeners through colliding galaxies, solar storms, and gamma-ray bombardments on earth with ease and confidence as he details scientific findings about the Big Bang theory and its present-day consequences. Berman’s one-liners break up the mostly disastrous events recounted and display Ganim’s wonderful comedic timing. When discussing the man-made cataclysms Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Daiichi in Japan, Ganim appropriately reflects the seriousness of these catastrophes in his performance. Listeners will be fascinated by scientists’ knowledge of space today but will also wonder if they need to consider building a fallout shelter for the future. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MAY 2019 - AudioFile