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Compiled
by Andrew Fraknoi
(Foothill College & the Astronomical Society of the Pacific)
©2000
by Andrew Fraknoi. Permission to reproduce for any non-profit educational
purpose is hereby granted. All other uses require written permission
from the author; e-mail him at: fraknoiandrew {at} fhda.edu.
In
the last few decades, the planets and moons with which we share
our cosmic neighborhood have stopped being mere points of light
in the sky and have been revealed as worlds that we (or at least
our robot representatives) can explore up close and in detail. Images
and data from the surface of Mars or from orbit around the moons
of Jupiter have profoundly transformed our understanding of the
solar system. As a result, the number of books and articles being
written about the exploration of the solar system has become - well
- astronomical. Below, we list a very small selection of our favorite
solar system readings and web sites to get armchair explorers, teachers,
and students started.
Table
of Contents
1.
General Books on the Solar System
2.
General Articles on the Solar System
3.
Books or Articles about Mercury
4.
Books or Articles about Venus
5.
Books or Articles about the Moon
6.
Observing the Moon Yourself
7.
Books or Articles about Mars
8.
Books or Articles about Jupiter
9.
Books or Articles about Saturn
10.
Books or Articles about Uranus or Neptune
11.
Books or Articles about the Satellites
of the Outer Planets
12.
Books or Articles about Pluto
13.
Books and Articles on Meteors and Meteorites
14.
Books or Articles about Asteroids
15.
Books or Articles about Comets
16.
Books or Articles about Cosmic Impacts
17.
Books and Articles about the Search
for Life in the Solar System
18.
A Few Especially Useful Web Sites
General
Books on the Solar System
Beatty, J. Kelly, et al., eds. The New Solar System, 4th
ed. 1999, Sky Publishing/Cambridge U.Press. The definitive introduction
to our current knowledge, with articles by top planetary scientists.
Can be a bit technical in places.
Fraknoi,
Andrew; Morrison, David; and Wolff, Sidney. Voyages To the
Planets. 2000, Saunders College Publishing/ Harcourt Brace.
A non-technical introductory textbook, with analogies and background
material, about our solar system and planets around other stars.
Kluger,
Jeffrey Journey Beyond Selene. 1999, Simon & Schuster.
A journalist chronicles several lunar and planetary exploration
missions, including Galileo.
Lewis,
John Worlds Without End: The Exploration of Planets Known and
Unknown. 1998, Perseus. A noted astronomer discusses how planets
form and how the current appearance of the solar system (and other
planetary systems) reflects their origins.
McNab,
David & Younger, James The Planets. 1999, Yale U. Press.
Overview of the solar system; accompanies a TV program.
Miller,
Ron and Hartmann, William The Grand Tour: A Traveler' s Guide
to the Solar System, 2nd ed. 1993, Workman. Lavishly illustrated
beginners' primer.
Morrison,
David Exploring Planetary Worlds. 1993, Scientific American
Library/W. H. Freeman. Clear, up-to-date, non-technical survey.
Sagan,
Carl Pale Blue Dot. 1994, Random House. An eloquent and
impressive introduction to planetary exploration.
Taylor,
Stuart Destiny or Chance: Our Solar System and Its Place in
the Cosmos. 1998, Cambridge U. Press. A modern overview of
how our system formed.
table
of contents
General
Articles on the Solar System
Hartmann, W. "The Great Solar System Revision" in Astronomy,
Aug. 1998, p. 40. How our views have changed in the last 25 years.
Kross,
J. "What' s in a Name" in Sky & Telescope, May 1995, p.
28. How worlds are named.
Wood,
J. "Forging the Planets: The Origin of Our Solar System"
in Sky & Telescope, Jan. 1999, p. 36. Good overview.
Yulsman,
T. "From Pebbles to Planets" in Astronomy, Feb. 1998, p.
56. Comparing the origin of our system to others.
table
of contents
Books
or Articles about Mercury
Chapman, C. "Mercury's Heart of Iron" in Astronomy, Nov.
1988, p. 22. Good introduction.
Gingerich,
O. "How Astronomers Finally Captured Mercury" in Sky &
Telescope, Sep. 1983, p. 203. A history of early observations.
Nelson,
R. "Mercury: The Forgotten Planet" in Scientific American,
Nov. 1997, p. 56.
Strom,
R. "Mercury: The Forgotten Planet" in Sky & Telescope,
Sep. 1990, p. 256.
Strom,
Robert Mercury: The Elusive Planet. 1987, Smithsonian Institution
Press. Best book on the inner planet.
table
of contents
Books
or Articles about Venus
Cooper, Henry The Evening Star: Venus Observed. 1993, Farrar,
Straus, and Giroux. Good primer on Venus exploration, with a focus
on the Magellan mission.
Grinspoon,
D. "Venus Unveiled" in Astronomy, May 1997, p. 44.
Grinspoon,
David. Venus Unveiled. 1997, Addison-Wesley. Well-written
introduction.
Kargel,
J. "Rivers of Venus" in Sky & Telescope, Aug. 1997, p.
32. On lava channels.
Robinson,
C. "Magellan Reveals Venus" in Astronomy, Feb. 1995, p.
32.
Stofan,
E. "The New Face of Venus" in Sky & Telescope, Aug. 1993,
p. 22.
table
of contents
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