An Exciting and Authoritative Account of the Second Golden Age of Solar System Exploration Award-winning author Peter Bond provides an up-to-date, in-depth account of the sun and its family in the 2nd edition of Exploring the Solar System. This new edition brings together the discoveries and advances in scientific understanding made during the last 60 years of solar and planetary exploration, using research conducted by the world's leading geoscientists, astronomers, and physicists.Exploring the Solar System, 2nd Edition is an ideal introduction for non-science undergraduates and anyone interested in learning about our small corner of the Milky Way galaxy.

PETER BOND is an expert on astronomy, space exploration, and planet Earth. A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society, he has written hundreds of articles and over 10 books on exploration of the solar system. He served as a press officer for the Royal Astronomical Society from 1995-2007 and as a consultant and writer for the European Space Agency.

Introduction to the First Edition ix

Introduction to the Second Edition xi

About the Companion Website xii

1 Beginnings 1

2 Sun 25

3 Earth 57

4 The Moon 92

5 Mercury 121

6 Venus 146

7 Mars 173

8 Jupiter 231

9 Saturn 269

10 Uranus 314

11 Neptune 336

12 Pluto and the Kuiper Belt 354

13 Comets, Asteroids, and Meteorites 384

14 Exoplanets 438

Appendices 475

Glossary 500

Further Reading 506

Index 521