An asteroid crashes through the Earth's atmosphere, hurtling toward the Russian town of Chelyabinsk, its blast injuring more than 1,500 people. This scene isn't from the latest sf movie but the opening of this volume in the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series. With approximately 350 asteroids scattering meteorites across the Earth's surface each year, scientists study asteroids and the dangers they pose. Each chapter looks at a related topic through the lens of a scientist and his or her work, such as Marc Fries, a meteorite hunter and curator of space rocks for NASA. Other chapters focus on how geologists deduced that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of dinosaurs and how astronomers search for asteroids from Earth and in space. The final and perhaps most riveting chapter looks at proposed approaches to stopping a potentially hazardous asteroid. Accompanied by photographs of scientists in action and requisite space shots, the book concludes with citizen science connections and resources and is sure to have an impact on young astronomers.