In the 1950s, Immanuel Velikovsky propounded catastrophism in several popular books including the bestselling Worlds in Collision. He speculated that the ‘planet’ Venus was in fact a former comet which had been ejected from Jupiter. Subsequently, 3,500 years ago, it made two catastrophically close passes by Earth 52 years apart. It later interacted with Mars, which had a series of near collisions with Earth ending in 687 BCE, before finally settling into its current orbit.Was Velikovsky correct, did Venus appear as a gigantic comet in ancient times? Comet Venus is the second book in the God King Scenario Series. The first book, An Ancient World in Chaos, presented a fascinating model whereby Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Moon played havoc with Earth for an incredible 3,000 years, coming so close they loomed larger than the Sun. In support of such incredible claims, Gilligan calls upon the most fascinating civilisation of ancient times – the Ancient Egyptians. He proposes that the divine god-kings of Pharaonic Egypt were first and foremost guises of planetary bodies as they appeared to move back and forth to Earth. He further proposes that these heavenly monarchs were represented by human ‘doubles’ – mortal Pharaohs who were believed to be earthly manifestations of god-king planets.The primary objective of Comet Venus is to vindicate Velikovsky and conclusively demonstrate that the comet images on the front and back covers of this book have nothing whatsoever to do with the Sun! They are exact physical representations of the planet Venus as it took on the attributes of a comet in the skies above Earth only a few thousand years ago.

With this book Immanuel Velikovsky first presented the revolutionary results of his 10-year-long interdisciplinary research to the public, founded modern catastrophism - based on eyewitness reports by our ancestors - shook the doctrine of uniformity of geology as well as Darwin's theory of evolution, put our view of the history of our solar system, of the Earth and of humanity on a completely new basis - and caused an uproar that is still going on today. Worlds in Collision - written in a brilliant, easily understandable and entertaining style and full to the brim with precise information - can be considered one of the most important and most challenging books in the history of science. Not without reason was this book found open on Einstein's desk after his death. For all those who have ever wondered about the evolution of the earth, the history of mankind, traditions, religions, mythology or just the world as it is today, Worlds in Collision is an absolute MUST-READ!

What are these graceful visitors to our skies? We now know that they bring both life and death and teach us about our origins. Comet begins with a breathtaking journey through space astride a comet. Pulitzer Prize-winning astronomer Carl Sagan, author of Cosmos and Contact, and writer Ann Druyan explore the origin, nature, and future of comets, and the exotic myths and portents attached to them. The authors show how comets have spurred some of the great discoveries in the history of science and raise intriguing questions about these brilliant visitors from the interstellar dark. Were the fates of the dinosaurs and the origins of humans tied to the wanderings of a comet? Are comets the building blocks from which worlds are formed? Lavishly illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned full-color paintings, Comet is an enthralling adventure, indispensable for anyone who has ever gazed up at the heavens and wondered why. Praise for Comet "Simply the best." —The Times of London "Fascinating, evocative, inspiring." —The Washington Post "Comet humanizes science. A beautiful, interesting book." —United Press International "Masterful . . . science, poetry, and imagination." —The Atlanta Journal & Constitution

The Finnish mathematician and astronomer Anders Johan Lexell (1740–1784) was a long-time close collaborator as well as the academic successor of Leonhard Euler at the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg. Lexell was initially invited by Euler from his native town of Abo (Turku) in Finland to Saint Petersburg to assist in the mathematical processing of the astronomical data of the forthcoming transit of Venus of 1769. A few years later he became an ordinary member of the Academy. This is the first-ever full-length biography devoted to Lexell and his prolific scientific output. His rich correspondence especially from his grand tour to Germany, France and England reveals him as a lucid observer of the intellectual landscape of enlightened Europe. In the skies, a comet, a minor planet and a crater on the Moon named after Lexell also perpetuate his memory.