Description
Book SynopsisBonnie J. Buratti, a senior planetary astronomer, leads a personal tour of NASA's latest Solar System discoveries. She gives vivid descriptions of landforms and processes, similar to but more fantastic than those found on Earth. This engaging account of modern space exploration is written for non-specialist readers of high-school age and beyond.
Trade Review'This book is a delight … The narrative is, throughout, engaging. We, her readers, can be grateful.' G. T. Dempsey, GeoLounge (www.geolounge.com)
'This engaging account of modern space exploration is written for non-specialist readers, from students in high school to enthusiasts of all ages.' Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin
'As befits a scientist who grew up under the tutelage of Carl Sagan, the author's devotion to educational outreach is made clear throughout, as she endeavours to communicate to the next generation of students the wonder and joy of science and the enterprise of discovery. … The text is clearly written and accessible to anyone with a modicum of scientific education. There are numerous black-and-white illustrations, some of which are also reproduced in a separate colour section. This enjoyable account achieves its objective of informing the lay reader about 'the final frontier', and it may well encourage some up-and-coming scientists to delve deeper into the secrets of distant worlds.' Peter Bond, The Observatory
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Mercury: the hottest little place; 2. Venus: an even hotter place; 3. Mars: the abode of life?; 4. Asteroids and comets: sweat the small stuff; 5. Galileo's treasures: worlds of fire and ice; 6. Enceladus: an active iceball in space; 7. Titan: an Earth in deep freeze?; 8. Iapetus and its friends: the weirdest 'planets' in the Solar System; 9. Pluto: the first view of the 'third zone'; 10. Earths above: the search for exoplanets and life in the universe; Epilogue; Glossary; Acknowledgements; Index.
