Description: Meteorite research is fundamental to our understanding of the origin and early history of the Solar System. This book considers the mechanism and timing of core formation and basaltic volcanism on asteroids, and the effects of heating water-rich bodies. Results from meteorite research are placed in a galactic setting, and a theory is proposed for the origin of the planets of our Solar System. This advanced yet succinct introduction classifies meteorites in the context of their ages and origin.
Brief description: Robert Hutchison was a retired research scientist and curator of meteorites at the Natural History Museum, London, prior to his death in 2007.
Review Quotes: "Hutchison's work is certainly the best up-to-date scholarly work available on meteorites. The seventeen-page "Introduction" is an excellent primer to meteorites in general and would more than satisfy members of the public curious about rocks from space." Planetarian, Richard Dreiser and Paul J Krupinski