Lives of the Planets: A Natural History of the Solar System.LIVES OF THE PLANETS: A Natural History of the Solar System solar system, the sun and the surrounding planets, natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that are bound by its gravity. The sun is by far the most massive part of the solar system, containing almost 99.9% of the system's total mass. RICHARD CORFIELD Within the past 20 years, astronomical as·tro·nom·i·cal also as·tro·nom·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to astronomy. 2. Of enormous magnitude; immense: an astronomical increase in the deficit. exploration has vastly increased the understanding of Earth's planetary plan·e·tar·y adj. 1. Of, relating to, or resembling the physical or orbital characteristics of a planet or the planets. 2. a. neighbors. In an effort to capture and distill dis·till v. 1. To subject a substance to distillation. 2. To separate a distillate by distillation. 3. To increase the concentration of, separate, or purify a substance by distillation. this new knowledge, Corfield tours the solar system planet by planet, explaining what is known about these foreign worlds--from the solar observations of Stonehenge's creators to present-day robotic missions. He details the major contributors to planetary science planetary science or planetology, study of planets and planetary systems as a whole. Planetary science applies the theories and methods of traditional disciplines such as astronomy, geology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics to the study of and the satellite missions sent to planets such as Mercury, Venus, and Mars. These missions have helped dispel ancient myths about the planets and have revealed new information about the existence of subterranean water and atmospheric conditions as well as about the planets' surface features, corfield concludes by outlining efforts to explore the very edges of the solar system and the ongoing search for other planets within and beyond it. Basic Books, 2007, 268 p., color plates, hardcover, $27.50. |
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