Search -
The Solar System: The Sun, Planets and Life
The Solar System The Sun Planets and Life Author:Roman Smoluchowski We belong to the first generations to know the Earth as an astronomical object; standing on the moon, men have seen the Earth in a unique new perspective. Ever since man first walked on the lunar surface, the fascination with the universe, the planets, and the origin of life has intensified. Concepts underlying the Copernican Revolution, Newton'... more »s laws of motion, and even the general theory of relativity have become integrated into the popular imagination.
Our generations are also the first to see the planets -at least the five visible to the unaided eye- not merely as bright objects in the night sky but in the three-dimensional round. The close satellite views of Jupiter and Saturn have shown the atmospheres of the giant, gaseous planets responding to the same forces of rotation and solar heating that control the weather in our own atmosphere. For astronomers, the big surprises have been supplied by the moons of the planets visited thus far. Now numbering nearly 50, these moons come in all shapes and sizes and vary enormously in composition, some virtually nothing but ice, others almost entirely rock.
In 'The Solar System', Roman Smoluchowski assembles the latest images from satellites and earthbound telescopes to give us a magnificent picture of the Earth and its cosmic neighborhood. He shows us our solar system's evolution over time as well as space, and, in a stimulating afterword, offers a concise discussion of the origins of life and fascinating speculations on its existence elsewhere.
In the breathtaking images of the Sun and the planets, the swarming asteroids and the cometary messengers from the frontiers of space, we comprehend the origin, history, and fated future of our Sun and its planets.« less