Discover places where a day is longer than a year, where hailstones are made of diamonds, and where a mountain looms twice the size of Everest.
These and more are all to be found in The Planets.
The Sun's gravity holds in thrall eight planets, each with an entourage of moons, as well as dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets. The Planets takes you on a dazzling visual tour. From the Solar System's fiery heart, travel to rocky worlds such as tiny Mercury scorched by the Sun. Then witness Venus swathed in a sulfurous haze, and go to the outer reaches to visit planets such as gas giant Jupiter, which is 120 times the size of Earth.
Using 3-D models and photography from NASA and the European Space Agency, The Planets describes each one, as well as the extraordinary endeavors of space exploration.
Edited by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, this book is enthralling reading for everyone interested in astronomy and space exploration.
Author(s): DK
Publisher: DK
Year: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 255
CONTENTS
Foreword
FAMILY OF THE SUN
Our place in space
Around the Sun
Birth of the solar system
Formation of the planets
Size and scale
Our solar system
OUR STAR
The Sun
Sun structure
Storms on the Sun
Sun rays
The solar cycle
Solar eclipses
Story of the Sun
Missions to the Sun
ROCKY WORLDS
Neighboring worlds
Mercury
Mercury structure
Mercury up close
Mercury mapped
Destination Carnegie Rupes
The winged messenger
Missions to Mercury
Venus
Venus structure
Venus up close
Venus mapped
Destination Maxwell Montes
The planet of love
Missions to Venus
Earth
Earth structure
Tectonic Earth
Earth’s changing surface
Water and ice
Life on Earth
Earth from above
Our planet
The Moon
Moon structure
Earth’s companion
Moon mapped
Destination Hadley Rille
Earthrise
Lunar craters
Highlands and plains
Story of the Moon
Missions to the Moon
Apollo project
Mars
Mars structure
Mars mapped
Water on Mars
Destination Valles Marineris
Martian volcanoes
Destination Olympus Mons
Dunes of Mars
Polar caps
The moons of Mars
The Red Planet
Missions to Mars
Roving on Mars
Exploring Mars
Asteroids
The asteroid belt
Near-Earth asteroids
Missions to asteroids
GAS GIANTS
Realm of giants
Jupiter
Jupiter structure
Jupiter up close
The Jupiter system
Io
Europa
Galilean moons
Ganymede
Callisto
Destination Enki Catena
King of the planets
Missions to Jupiter
Saturn
Saturn structure
Saturn’s rings
Destination Saturn’s rings
Saturn up close
Saturn in the spotlight
The Saturn system
Saturn’s major moons
Destination Ligeia Mare
Cassini’s view
Destination Enceladus
Lord of the rings
Missions to Saturn
Uranus
Uranus structure
The Uranus system
Destination Verona Rupes
Neptune
Neptune structure
The Neptune system
Destination Triton
The blue planets
Voyagers’ grand tour
OUTER LIMITS
The Kuiper belt
Dwarf planets
Comets
Comet orbits
Missions to comets
Cosmic snowballs
Prophets of doom
Worlds beyond
REFERENCE
Solar system data
Glossary
Index
Acknowledgments
