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

By Simon Goodwin and John Gribbin

Over the past few years, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided us with images of astonishing clarity and detail, images that have revolutionized how scientists and incidental stargazers alike perceive our universe. Other space probes, such as Galileo and the recent Mars Surveyor, have similarly dazzled the world with photographic detail once unimaginable. Empire of the Sun features a gallery of some of the most breathtaking space imagery ever assembled between two covers. Focusing on our solar system, the book offers dozens of dramatic, full page, full color images of crater farms on Venus, the spectacular rings of Saturn, Jupiter and its many moons, the swirling tail of the Hale-Bopp comet, spectacular sunflares, Mars, Neptune, icy cosmic debris, and more. Detailed text accompanies each image, providing background information and a roadmap to orient the reader. John Gribbin and Simon Goodwin have collaborated on two previous illustrated volumes featuring Hubble images, both of which have been international bestsellers and have been translated into several languages.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814731171
• ISBN13: 9780814731178
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.6" x 11.4"

Customer Reviews

Good for pictures and background information.

I bought this book for 8 dollars, knowing exactly what I would get in it. Great pictures (even though some are a bit archaic, but that's okay because they're full color and full page photos of some of the most wonderful things man has ever seen) and additional background information covering the pictures. There really isn't much else to describe in the book. If you want to know about our Solar System and see some wonderful pictures, this is the book for you. It has a nice introduction as well, part of it telling a proposed (and very plausible) way of our Solar System forming. The only thing I did not like about this book is the fact that the authors kept repeatedly saying that Pluto is not a real planet. I wish they would've just left it to accepted ideals of the time and leave it be. But other than that, this book contains great imagery and information on our space backyard.

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

Excellent pictures and a good reference book to add to your collection.