The Distant Planets (Planetary Exploration) - Hardcover

Yeomans, Donald K.; Davis, Don

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816020507 ISBN 13: 9780816020508

Publisher: Facts on File, 1989

Synopsis

Discusses what is known of the occupants of the "deep freeze regions" of the solar system, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, based on current NASA data

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- A new formula series on topics astronomical, combining large, bright color paintings leavened with photos, cutaway views and charts, with a hasty but specific and up-to-date survey of the solar system. The authors, all scientists, describe the origin, inner and outer structures of the sun, and each planetary body, often with special emphasis on some intriguing special feature: the Valles Marineris on Mars, Saturn's complex rings, the moon's huge Mare Imbrium. Major moons get the same treatment; like the planets, each has a unique look and history. A number of space probe missions and findings are also summarized. The slant is occasionally unusual--our moon, for instance, gets a whole volume, the Earth only ten pages, and the asteroid belt is not discussed. Long captions and sidebar fact boxes supplement the text. Davis' paintings extend it considerably, with dramatic views of Jupiter's cloudscapes or various planetary surfaces, reconstructions of past cataclysms, a few (thankfully few) futuristic scenes, and artist's interpretations of recent photos, all done with an eye to accuracy and sometimes deceptive realism. Although books such as Lauber's Journey to the Planets (Crown, 1982) and Simon's splendid Jupiter and Saturn (both Morrow, 1985) are still the stars of the astronomy shelf, these will shed some light on the subject for researchers and browsers as well. --John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Facts on File
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0816020507
• ISBN 13: 9780816020508
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 48