Solar System Books

Explains the importance of hydrothermal systems with respect to the origins of life, and then explores the possibility of similar systems being present on Mars, as well as practical issues about detecting them.

Review-type papers on relevant topics are written by leading scientists in the field, including: hydrothermal systems as sites for emerging life (E.L. Shock), water on Mars (M. Carr), and evidence for hydrothermal systems on Mars (J. Farmer).

The papers were presented as part of a conference, and the book also includes transcripts of discussions between the authors/attendees. There are short question-and-answer sections following each paper, as well as several longer discussion sessions on specific topics. I found that to be a unique approach, and very interesting.

I have used this book as a reference many times -- but then, I do research on this subject!

The book is well written and is easy reading. It is good about stating theory as just that theory. The pictures and diagrams are beautiful and understandable for even a high school level. The math is explaned clearly.

Review of properties of different planets. Also reviews the influence of comets and asteroids in forming Earth's history.

Outstanding pictures from decades of space research are the main feature of this book. The lively text avoids numbers and math, sometimes using factoids rather than numerical values. The illustrations include actual pictures and computer enhanced or artist conceptions of various space missions. The text is dotted with interesting historical tidbits about those missions and the people involved. But the real reason to get this book is for the wonderful illustrations. The printing quality and color reproductions are outstanding.

This is an outstanding volume by a superb historian of science. Is is the third volume in a trilogy entitled, "A History of Modern Planetary Physics." While there is considerably more in "Fruitful Encounters: The Origins of the Solar System and of the Moon from Chamberlin to Apollo" than the science accruing from Project Apollo, that was my major interest in reading the book. In "Fruitful Encounters" Stephen G. Brush of the University of Maryland spends considerable effort discussing the scientific return from Apollo during the 1960s and 1970s. Placing the history of lunar science into a broad continuum from the eighteenth to the twentieth century he explores the evolution of scientific thinking about the origins of the solar system and the evolution of its bodies. As historian Ronald E. Doel commented, "one of Brush's pursuits over the years has been to employ the history of nineteenth and twentieth century physical science to assess the adequacy of Kuhnian, Popperian, Lakatosian theories of science to evaluate the production of scientific knowledge, and Brush turns to these issues again here. He is particularly effective in pointing to historical example that refute Lakatos's claims that scientists never falsify a theory before the emergence of a better theoretical alternative" (Ronald E. Doel, "Theories and Origins of Planetary Physics," Isis 90 (September 1999): 563-68).

Brush's arguments focus on the longterm development of theory and its interaction with scientific inquiry. As such, it is a model of how such issues as lunar science accomplished with Apollo missions might be incorporated into larger history of science.

This is an outstanding work for anyone seeking to understand the evolution of scientific understanding about the Solar System, and the place of the Moon landing program in the larger research setting. Highly recommended.

As a lay person, I thoroughly enjoyed this volume which offers a nice balance between readable narrative and in-depth geology information. I've always enjoyed reading Dr. Spudis's papers and volumes, and this is one of my personal favorites sitting on my space science and technology shelf.

Hats off to John Rogers. This book is like a textbook on the planet Jupiter. You could take a semester course on the planet and still not get everything that this book has to offer. Starting with early observations of the planet (17th century and following), we explore the planet's bands and belts (each one getting its own chapter!), the forjmation of spots and storms, chemistry, atmospheric speeds and dynamics, theories about what's beneath the clouds, Jupiter's ring system (discovered by Voyager), the moons (several of them getting whole chapters), on and on and on... The tone is decidedly scientific, but often in a conversational, friendly way, a tone that encourages exploring its knowledge.

My sole complaint about this tome (it's not just a book, but a tome) is its paucity of color illustrations. For as much discussion as the book offers about chemistry and color-sources in the belts, more color would be useful. All the color photos (and there a fair number, I suppose) appear in a sort of color plate appendix at the end of the book, and they're excellent, but few. Anyway, that sums up my reservations.

Besides, the book is otherwise lavishly--and I mean lavishly--illustrated, and with a huge variety of (all black-and-white) material, an important matter for a book about this subject. We get charts, grahps, photos taken in the visible spectrum, under various color filters and also various radiation filters (but reduced to two colors, as I said). Fascinating are the photo sequences which show us spots emerging and developing, merging, evolving. It's mostly in black and white, but the wonderfully fine paper stock provides for great reproduction quality. I don't think there is asingle concept or heading that goe unillustrated. Rogers (the author) employs a great wealth of astronmer's detailed (you'll be surprised) sketches of the planet, in little strip maps that sort of unroll the planet before you. And by collecting these sketches from over the centuries, he offers a longterm history of how the planet has been behaving.

Published in 1995, the book can only mention that the comet (I've forgotten its name) will hit it; the book doesn;t cover that actual event, but I can't imagine a fuller account of the planet--or of many dngle subject s period, as this book offers. A great book to poke around in, too, when you have an extra few minutes here and there.

I have an extensive collection of eclipse books, and this one really stands out in the crowd. For one thing, it's easily the largest-format eclipse book I've seen; I'd call it a coffee-table book. But what is really striking are the beautiful photographs. The reproduction is outstanding, and the large size makes the photos particularly vivid.

I haven't read the text yet, and so I can't comment on it, but the overall impression is that this book is a must-have for anybody interested in the beauty of total solar eclipses.

Being written by two science fiction writers (Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens) and a scientist (Brian Muirhead, who worked and still works with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory), this book is both unconventional and highly entertaining. Not only the technical dimension of space exploration is highlighted, but also the human aspect. What makes people want to explore space? How is an idea translated into an actual mission? How are the new BFC-missions (Better, Faster, Cheaper) managed? Etc. etc.

This book gives a lot of information on past, present and future missions to Mars, information that is often not covered in other books.

As Brian Muirhead was flight system manager of the team that developed the Mars Pathfinder, the first rover that landed on Mars in 1997, a substantial portion of the book is dedicated to this mission.

The book contains many black-and-white photographs of (only) reasonable quality. In the middle of the book are 32 pages with really very high quality photographs and artwork.

All in all to me this book deserves a full five stars. I really enjoyed reading it.

For me as a novice to the subject of solar physics "A guide to the sun" by K.J.H. Phillips provided me with an excellent, concise, and easy to read introduction into this fascinating topic. And with basic knowledge acquired I realized that it covers a lot of topics of current discussion about solar physics like the SOHO mission. This book is an asset which once read will serve you as a reference and long time companion.