Emma Chapman reviews Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean: How the Solar System Shaped Human History – And May Help Save Our Planet by Dagomar Degroot

In our neighbourhood According to Dagomar Degroot, Venus is “not only hotter than an oven, but hot enough to melt an oven”. This image maps data from the Magellan, Pioneer and Venera missions onto a computer-simulated globe. (Courtesy: NASA/JPL)"> In our neighbourhood According to Dagomar Degroot, Venus is “not only hotter than an oven, but hot enough to melt an oven”. This image maps data from the Magellan, Pioneer and Venera missions onto a computer-simulated globe. (Courtesy: NASA/JPL)

We rarely think of outer space as an environment of concern for Earth, despite very real threats such as asteroid strikes and solar storms.…