HOW TO READ THE SOLAR SYSTEM: A Guide to the Stars & Planets

The hosts of 'The Sky at Night' have teamed up with Queen guitarist Dr Brian May to produce the most illuminating guide to understanding and interpreting the wonders of our solar system. We may have learned the basics at school, but do we really understand what we are seeing in the night sky? The expert astronomers look at all the major players - the Sun, the planets and their moons as well as the occasional visitors to our planet - asteroids, meteors and comets, in addition to distant stars and what might lie beyond our solar system, including the mysterious Earth Mark II. It goes without saying that any book associated to the TV programme owes a huge debt of gratitude to Patrick Moore who died at the age of 89 in December 2012. This superb introduction is organised with the following 14 chapters - What is the Solar System?, Ancient Stargazers, Celestial Mechanics, The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, Asteroids and Dwarf Planets, Comets and One Among Many. With glossary of useful terms, drawings and mono images. 320 page softback.