Moons and Planets

By William K. Hartmann

Book Overview

Written by a well-known author, scientist, and painter, Moon and Planets remains a unique classic in the field through its organization by physical subjects, such as planetary surfaces, planetary... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0534546307
• ISBN13: 9780534546304
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Brooks Cole
• Length: 428 Pages
• Weight: 2.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.8" x 11.2"

Customer Reviews

A Solar System Reference Book for the Rest of Us!

The first time I read this book was when one of my graduate teachers asked me to review it. While he thought it to basic for graduate-level work, I have used this book ever since, for students of all ages. Well written and illustrated with black- & -white pictures as well as the author's own well-respected artwork, it covers so much in such a small book it's hard to believe. The appendix of plantary data is up-to-date & comprehensive, lacking only some of the more esoteric elements (like the moment of inertia factor and J2 moment - if you don't know what those are, you won't miss them). Best at an undergraduate level, no math is required; all the math is set aside in boxes from the text, ready to use when the reader is ready but not required for a firm understanding of the subject at hand. And while it's clearly written as a textbook, it's far better reading than your average college text on the subject. While there are many "overview" books on the market, this is one of the best in my opinion; while I like and use more flashy texts like "The New Solar System", this is the one that I go back to again & again to review the basics or perform a simple calculation.