Bedford Public Library

The secret lives of planets, order, chaos, and uniqueness in the solar system, Paul Murdin

eng

platesphotographs

index present

non fiction

The secret lives of planets

Paul Murdin

order, chaos, and uniqueness in the solar system

"We have the impression that the solar system is perfectly regular like a clock, or a planetarium instrument. On a short timescale it is. But, seen in a longer perspective, the planets, and their satellites, have exciting lives, full of events - for example, did you know that Saturn's moon, Titan, boasts lakes which contain liquid methane surrounded by soaring hills and valleys, exactly as the earth did before life evolved on our fragile planet? Or that Mercury is the shyest planet? Or, that Mars' biggest volcano is 100 times the size of Earth's, or that its biggest canyon is 10 times the depth of the Grand Canyon, or that it wasn't always red, but blue? The culmination of a lifetime of astronomy and wonder, Paul Murdin's enchanting new book reveals everything you ever wanted to know about the planets, their satellites, and our place in the solar system."--Publisher's description

Order, chaos and uniqueness in the solar system -- Mercury : bashed, bashful and eccentric -- Venus : an ugly face behind a pretty veil -- Earth : balanced equanimity -- The Moon : almost dead -- Mars : the warlike planet -- Martian meteorites : chips off the old block -- Ceres : the planet that never grew up -- Jupiter : hard hearted -- The Galilean satellites : siblings of fire, water, ice and stone -- Saturn : lord of the rings -- Titan : animation suspended -- Enceladus : warm hearted -- Uranus : bowled over -- Neptune : the misfit -- Pluto : the outsider who came in from the cold