The Fallen Sky by Christopher Cokinos. New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, c2009
Reviewed by Ryder W. Miller
The Fallen Sky is a fascinating diatribe exploring the history of the global search for Meteors and how it has effected the author personally and psychologically.
The history of meteors and shooting stars is explored here in detail with stories of the historical actors described. The story is a long one dating back to antiquity, but Cokinos is mostly interested in the history of The West's search.
Not until halfway through, though, does one find the pertinent statistics to answer the question of how vulnerable we are globally.
Recently we have found out that many geologic features on the planet turned out to be the results of major meteor hits. Under the vegetation there are actual craters caused by asteroid hits, and some have found the meteors that have created the topography.
It turns out there is a one in 5000 chance of a "civilization killer" hitting the planet, but over the years there have been 900 "potentially hazardous asteroids".
We like to think of space as empty and clean, it is often depicted so, but we attract a lot of dust and rocks over the length of a year. Cokinos notes that 274 tons of rock and dust land on the earth each day, amounting to 40,000 tons of space dust each year. But most of this has not been a problem because "...weather and geology, rain deposition, lava, shifting landforms-all conspire to hide what falls."
Our concerns about the wilds of space have also been directed elsewhere. Since there is no known immediate threat from asteroids, Steven Hawkings has instead been quoted in the press in 2010 about the concerns of alien invaders from space. No such big movie blockbuster to remind of this this summer though.
Our understanding of our place in Nature has changed. Bill McKibben has alerted us to acknowledge that we can change nature in The End of Nature, ie. that the idea of nature as an "Other" has now changed. An understanding of astronomy calls for a larger definition of Nature, one with dangers from possible approaching meteors, solar storms, and alien invaders. Protecting the Earth should be priority for both astronomers and environmentalists.
Here again is a larger Nature that is beyond our control, something Environmentalists should not ignore. Space exploration and satellites have also taught us a great deal about our spaceship Earth in the process.
This book will serve those with an interest in facts about Shooting Stars. There is a wide canvas of subjects here with history, data, and reflections. There happens to be a thriving meteor market with collectors who can categorize what has landed here. Owning a piece of a meteor, a great gift, is not beyond reason. The exploration follows the path of Western Explorers with quality time for the reader spent in Antarctica. Since 1970 the US and Japan has collected 25,000 meteorites, some 85% from Antarctica.
The Fallen Sky also is a reaction to those who would argue that astronomy is escapism. The work ends off being personal with Cokinos finding home again in his new wife's arms. He learns "The marvels of adventure are nothing besides the clarities of home". The book serves as a personal travelogue.
This turns out to be lovely but long story, but we have also learned a lot about Nature from his global and historical travels. One will think about Nature differently because we have tagged along on this quest.
Ryder W. Miller is an ecocritic and science reporter who lives in San Francisco. He has been published in Mercury, New Mars, Ad Astra, The Bloomsbury Review, and Rain Taxi.
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