What If the Earth Had Two Moons? : And Nine Other Thought-Provoking Speculations on the Solar System

What if the Earth had two moons? : Dimaan, Lluna, and Kuu -- What if the Earth were a moon? : Mynoa and Tyran -- What if the moon orbited backwards? : Anillo -- What if the Earth's crust were thicker? : Dichron -- What if the Earth formed fifteen billion years from now? : Futura -- What if there were a counter-earth, a planet in Earth's orbit on the other side of the Sun? : Dopple I, II, and III -- What if the Earth had formed elsewhere in the galaxy? : Kern I and II -- What if the Sun were less massive : Dimune I and II -- What if the Earth had two suns? : Zweisonne I, II, and III -- What if another galaxy collided with the Milky Way? : Earth.;An astronomer and author explores ten examples of what Earth would be like if conditions in the universe were slightly altered, in a fascinating journey into scientific scenarios.

"What if?" questions stimulate people to think in new ways, to refresh old ideas, and to make new discoveries. In What If the Earth Had Two Moons, Neil Comins leads us on a fascinating ten-world journey as we explore what our planet would be like under alternative astronomical conditions. In each case, the Earth would be different, often in surprising ways.

The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but that won't last forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one extra-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth sports a Saturn-like ring.

This and nine and other speculative essays provide us with insights into the Earth as it exists today, while shedding new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars.

Appealing to adult and young adult alike, this book is a fascinating journey through physics and astronomy, and follows on the author's previous bestseller, What if the Moon Didn't Exist?, with completely new scenarios backed by the latest astronomical research.

"What if?" questions stimulate people to think in new ways, to refresh old ideas, and to make new discoveries. In What If the Earth Had Two Moons, Neil Comins leads us on a fascinating ten-world journey as we explore what our planet would be like under alternative astronomical conditions. In each case, the Earth would be different, often in surprising ways. The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but that won't last forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one extra-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth sports a Saturn-like ring. This and nine and other speculative essays provide us with insights into the Earth as it exists today, while shedding new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars. Appealing to adult and young adult alike, this book is a fascinating journey through physics and astronomy, and follows on the author's previous bestseller, What if the Moon Didn't Exist?, with completely new scenarios backed by the latest astronomical research.