The Planet Venus (The Planetary Exploration Series)

Shrouded by the thick clouds of a hot, dense atmosphere, the planet Venus - Earth's close neighbor in space - remained mysterious until recent decades. Today, with new data from sophisticated contemporary observatories and from Russian and American spacecraft, Venus has moved into sharper focus. This comprehensive book provides the most up-to-date and detailed analysis available of the nature of Venus. The authors, distinguished experts in planetary science from Russia and the United States, examine all the principal aspects of Venus, with particular attention paid to the planet's formation, the development of a runaway greenhouse effect, and Venus' evolution into a planet completely different from the others in our solar system.

Both authors are experts in the study of planetary science: Marov was the chief scientist for the Soviet Union's Venera missions, and Grinspoon was funded by NASA to study Venus. Their book is a comprehensive study of that planet, beginning with the ancient astronomers and continuing through the Galileo, Magellan, Pioneer-Venus, Venera, and other space missions. Included are 226 excellent illustrations, some of which are from the Soviet Venera missions and have not previously been available to English readers. With an extensive bibliography and documentation, the book's intended readership is specialists; however, educated lay readers can learn much from the readable text. For larger science and academic libraries and space research collections.?Dale Ebersole Jr., Univ. of Toledo Lib., OH
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