Simone Marchi, Staff Scientist, Southwest Research Institute

Signs of ancient collisions are widespread in the solar system, from the barren, once-habitable Mars to rugged asteroids. In this talk, physicist Simone Marchi, discussing his recent book, Colliding Worlds (Oxford University Press, 2021), will explore the key role that collisions in space have played in the formation and evolution of our solar system, the development of planets, and possibly even the origin of life on Earth. Analyzing our current understanding of the surfaces of Mars, the Moon, and asteroids—drawn from recent space missions—Marchi will present the dramatic story of cosmic collisions and how we have come to understand them.

Visit the Oxford University Press website to purchase Colliding Worlds

Presented by Harvard Museum of Natural History and Harvard Museums of Science & Culture