Planets: A Smithsonian Guide

by Thomas R. Watters

From Babylonian cosmology to todays high-tech data gathering, Planets will provide countless hours of enjoyment for anyone wanting to understand our celestial neighbors. The easy-to-follow text is divided into six beautifully-illustrated sections, beginning with early beliefs and origins and continuing on to a full visual treatment of Mercury and Venus to Pluto and the mysterious Planet X, and even planets beyond the solar system. Special full-color features compare the planets and explore such subjects as life on other planets, meteorites, and the Shoemaker-Levy comet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Space

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1995

Reviews

[Samantha Mulholland · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book you could ever check out for a book about space

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though a bit dated (Pluto hadn't been demoted to its current Dwarf Planet status at the time of publishing), it is chock-full of still-valid scientific data regarding all the planets within our solar system. This information includes basic astronomical measurements of unit for reference, geological surveys of the planets' respective surfaces, photographs rendered from satellites and fairly recent space exploration programs, and much more.

Definitely a solid resource with no patronizing analogies one might expect from a "layman's guide."