SOLAR SYSTEM, THE

From earliest times, humans have gazed at the heavens trying to understand what is out there. Our understanding of the Solar System is the result of these thousands of years star-gazing, and while still incomplete, we know much about it. We're pretty sure that it consists of the Sun and the other celestial objects gravitationally bound to it: eight planets (not including the three dwarves Ceres, Eris, and recently demoted Pluto), 165 moons, and billions of asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, comets, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust. We know what most of these objects are made of, thanks to observations, visits, and other scientific means--but the romance of space still beckons. We still marvel at images of the Earth and its companions - and as this huge book records, there's a lot to marvel at. Nigel Paul's enthusiasm for the subject, allied to carefully chosen photographs, is a treat.