”What are the best books about Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors?” We looked at 156 of the top books about different kinds of space rocks, ice, and debris to answer that very question!

First off, the difference between Comets, Asteroids, and Meteorites.

Comets – Rock and ice ball originating from the outskirts of the solar system or beyond. Usually accompanied by an ice tail (Think Halley’s Comet)

Asteroid – Rock that orbits around, often in a belt, that can become loose and occasionally plummet towards planets on the hunt to end a species or decorate the surface of a non-atmosphere having planet or moon. (Think of the unrealistically dense clusters that space adventurers have to avoid in movies)

Meteorite – Comes after Meteors, which are the streak of light one sees when space rocks fall into the atmosphere (shooting stars). If a meteor doesn’t burn up in the atmosphere it becomes a meteorite, and something you should try and avoid if possible.

Below are over 150 of the best books featuring one, or all, of the listed space balls. The 13 books that appeared on multiple lists are below with images, summaries, and links to learn more/buy. The additional books, all appearing on 1 list, as well as the sources we used, can be found at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!

Top 13 Books About Comets, Asteroids, & Meteorites

13 .) Eon by Greg Bear

Lists It Appears On:

• SF Encyclopedia
• TOR

“The 21st century was on the brink of nuclear confrontation when the 300 kilometer-long stone flashed out of nothingness and into Earth’s orbit. NASA, NATO, and the UN sent explorers to the asteroid’s surface…and discovered marvels and mysteries to drive researchers mad.

For the Stone was from space–but perhaps not our space; it came from the future-but perhaps not our future; and within the hollowed asteroid was Thistledown. The remains of a vanished civilization. A human-English, Russian, and Chinese-speaking-civilization. Seven vast chambers containing forests, lakes, rivers, hanging cities…

And museums describing the Death; the catastrophic war that was about to occur; the horror and the long winter that would follow. But while scientists and politicians bickered about how to use the information to stop the Death, the Stone yielded a secret that made even Earth’s survival pale into insignificance.”

Learn More About Book

12 .) Falling Stars by Mike D. Reynolds

Lists It Appears On:

• Cutting Rocks
• Very Well

Month-by-month information on meteor showers and how to make the most of watching them. Advice on starting and building a meteorite collection plus the scientific explanation of what meteors are and where they come from. Includes new information about recent space exploration and studies of meteors.

Learn More About Book

11 .) Footfall by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven

Lists It Appears On:

• Kirkus
• SF Encyclopedia

“They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star.

The world’s frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is hostile: the invaders blast a Soviet space station, seize the survivors, and then destroy every dam and installation on Earth with a hail of asteriods.

Now the conquerors are descending on the American heartland, demanding servile surrender–or death for all humans.”

Learn More About Book

10 .) Meteorites – Messengers from Space by F. Heide and F. Wlotzka

Lists It Appears On:

• Meteor Lab
• Frontier Trails

“Meteorites – as well as shooting stars and meteors – result from a collision of a solid body from space with our Earth, but only meteorites are able to penetrate the Earth’s protective shield, the atmosphere, and fall to the Earth’s surface. Apart from lunar samples, they are the only materials from beyond the Earth which we can probe and study.
This book gives a concise and up-to-date description of meteorites – fall phenomena, chemical and mineral composition, classification – as well as a discussion of their formation and origin, which also tells us the story of the formation of our planetary system. The text is understandable for laymen and students, but can also be used as an introduction to the field for students and scientists.”

Learn More About Book

9 .) Rocks from Space by O. Richard Norton

Lists It Appears On:

• Cutting Rocks
• Meteor Lab

This popular guide to cosmic debris introduces the fascinating world of meteorites, asteroids, comets, and impact craters. With more than 50 new photographs and updated illustrations, new and expanded appendixes, and some fun cosmic humor, Rocks from Space

Learn More About Book

8 .) Rogue Asteroids and Doomsday Comets by Duncan Steel

Lists It Appears On:

• About
• Legendary Pharma

Could a giant asteroid or comet crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it? Many astronomers who once discredited the risks are now convinced. You will be too after reading Duncan Steel’s critically acclaimed examination of the evidence of Earth’s encounters with killer comets and asteroids.

Learn More About Book

7 .) Shiva Descending by Gregory Benford

Lists It Appears On:

• Astrosociety
• Kirkus

“The first strikes destroyed Cleveland, Tunis, and parts of Alaska, Canada, and Australia. That was barely the beginning.

The swarm– a cloud of meteors and asteroids 50,000 miles across–was coming. Hundred of missiles put Earth under siege forcing the world in a panicked hell of anarchy and catastrophe. Riots and orgies rampaged in the rubble. And worse waited.

Because at the swarm’s heart was Shiva–a 30 billion-ton comet set to hit earth with the force of 250,000 H-bombs. The impact would turn seas into vapor and mountains into dust. pray, scream, get drunk, or run amok–but no one could escape it. No one could survive it.

And no one could stop it.”

Learn More About Book

6 .) The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Lists It Appears On:

• Astronomy Cast
• TOR

A visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry, The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end.

Learn More About Book

5 .) What if an Asteroid Hit Earth? by Holly Cefrey

Lists It Appears On:

• About
• Barnes & Noble

This series will make readers wonder what might happen if particular events occurred. Grounded in fact, each book assesses the possibility or threat of an event, from melting ice caps to a fuel shortage. Each book also offers suggestions on how to respond to these environmental and ecological challenges before it’s too late.

Learn More About Book

4 .) The Hammer of God by Arthur Clarke

Lists It Appears On:

• Astrosociety
• Kirkus
• Legendary Pharma

In the year 2110 technology has cured most of our worries. But even as humankind enters a new golden age, an amateur astronomer points his telescope at just the right corner of the night sky and sees disaster hurtling toward Earth: a chunk of rock that could annihilate civilization. While a few fanatics welcome the apocalyptic destruction as a sign from God, the greatest scientific minds of Earth desperately search for a way to avoid the inevitable. On board the starship Goliath Captain Robert Singh and his crew must race against time to redirect the meteor form its deadly collision course. Suddenly they find themselves on the most important mission in human history–a mission whose success may require the ultimate sacrifice.

Learn More About Book

3 .) Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Lists It Appears On:

• Astrosociety
• Kirkus
• Legendary Pharma

The gigantic comet had slammed into Earth, forging earthquakes a thousand times too powerful to measure on the Richter scale, tidal waves thousands of feet high. Cities were turned into oceans; oceans turned into steam. It was the beginning of a new Ice Age and the end of civilization. But for the terrified men and women chance had saved, it was also the dawn of a new struggle for survival–a struggle more dangerous and challenging than any they had ever known…

Learn More About Book

2 .) Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids by Seymour Simon

Lists It Appears On:

• Very Well
• About
• Meteor Lab

Whether they appear as distant specks in an astronomer’s telescope or shoot brilliantly across the evening sky, comets, meteors, and asteroids have fascinated sky gazers throughout history. But where do these racing celestial bodies come from, and what can they teach us about our universe? Join Seymour Simon for a look at the fiery mystery and wild wonder of these luminous bodies of night.

Learn More About Book

1 .) 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson

Lists It Appears On:

• Astronomy Cast
• SF Encyclopedia
• TOR

“The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity’s only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them.”

Learn More About Book

143 Additional Meteor, Meteorite, Asteroid, and Comet Books

15 Best Space Rock Book Sources