Solar System

Even though no little men have been found on Mars (or goddesses on Venus), our celestial neighborhood is stranger than anyone ever imagined. New information from robot probes and telescopes has exploded ideas taken for granted for years. Recently verified facts are now illustrated in amazing photos: rainfalls of diamonds on Neptune; dust storms stirred by 6000-mph winds on Jupiter; Saturn's 30 moons, including 12 discovered since 2000. Also shown: everyday occurrences on Venus that would be life-ending catastrophes on earth, and close-ups of long-ago river systems on Mars. Each planet appears in paintings based on you-are-there realism, backed by new introductions by leading scientists explaining how the solar system began and what it teaches us about our own planet.

The urge to map the solar system -- and the cosmos beyond -- lies deep in the roots of humankind. Our early ancestors kept time by observing the positions of the Sun and Moon, planted their crops in accordance with the Sun's position in the sky, synchronized religious ceremonies with celestial events, and navigated by the stars.

The invention of the telescope brought us closer to the heavens, but only in the last 50 years have new technologies allowed us to properly explore our solar system. And we have discovered that our immediate neighborhood is stranger than we ever imagined. On Neptune, when it rains, it rains diamonds. On Jupiter winds reach speeds of over 6,000 mph and storms rage for centuries. Venus has been viewed as a 'planet-wide catastrophe.' Saturn, in addition to its rings, has at least 30 moons, 12 of them discovered only recently. In addition to these peculiarities it now appears that the solar system may harbor life not only on Earth, but also on Mars as well as on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

As our exploration of the solar system gathers momentum this book explores what we have discovered already, what we might discover next, and explains the technologies, from telescopes to robot probes, which gather the information.