Empire of the Sun: Planets and Moons of the Solar System Book

Fifty colour images, most from NASA and most obtained over the last decade or so, provide a stunning introduction to the wonders of the Solar System for the uninitiated in this recent offering from the busy word processors of science writer John Gribbin and Simon Goodwin, who is an academic astronomer at the University of Sussex. From views of the cratered south pole of our Moon to the equally cratered surface of Phobos (one of Mars' small moons); close-ups of Europa's fractured icefloes; the curious geology of Miranda (the smallest of Uranus' five moons) and a solar flare caught by Skylab, much of this book is a visual feast. However, there are some much more familiar images, like the 1969 photo of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon and a 1971 Apollo 15 picture of the Earth, which looks a bit redundant now. Some of the images are over-enlarged just to fill the page, such as the 1986 Giotto picture of the nucleus of Halley's Comet and the 1997 Mars rover vehicle. The accompanying text is often frustratingly brief--merely a paragraph or two--but there is a useful 24-page introduction. Clearly designed as a picture book, there are some wonderful images that still capture the imagination, never mind how often they are viewed. The text is well written, accurate, informative and has some useful appendices covering the chronology of planetary missions since 1973, as well as Internet addresses for obtaining more information and an index. --Douglas PalmerRead More