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The Moons Of The Solar System
From the familiar, cratered face of our own Moon to the distant, frozen frontiers of the Kuiper Belt, our solar system is home to a staggering collection of natural satellites. Once thought to be simple, inert balls of rock and ice, these moons have been revealed as some of the most dynamic, complex, and bizarre worlds imaginable. This book is your guide on a grand tour of these incredible objects, exploring the breathtaking diversity of landscapes, geologies, and histories that populate our cosmic neighborhood. Each chapter offers a detailed portrait of a specific moon, bringing these distant worlds to life with the latest scientific discoveries.
Journey to worlds of fire and ice, from Jupiter’s volcanically wracked moon Io to the smooth, frozen shell of Europa, which hides a vast subsurface ocean and the tantalizing possibility of life. Explore Saturn's geyser-spewing moon Enceladus, which actively blasts its hidden sea into space, and visit Titan, the only other world in our solar system with a thick atmosphere and stable liquid on its surface—seas not of water, but of liquid methane. Encounter the truly the "Death Star" moon Mimas with its colossal impact crater, the starkly two-toned Iapetus, and the fractured, reassembled surface of Uranus's moon Miranda.
Delve into the powerful science that shapes these celestial bodies. Understand the immense gravitational forces that power Io's volcanoes through tidal heating, and learn how this same process may sustain hidden oceans on multiple worlds. The book explores the violent origins of these satellites, from captured Kuiper Belt objects like Neptune’s retrograde moon Triton to the remnants of cataclysmic giant impacts that are thought to have formed our own Moon and the Pluto-Charon binary system. Discover how these moons interact with their parent planets, sculpting magnificent ring systems and creating powerful magnetic phenomena.
Relive the epic history of discovery, from Galileo’s first revolutionary glimpses of Jupiter’s companions to the groundbreaking robotic missions of the Space Age. Follow the voyages of the Voyager probes as they provided our first tantalizing close-ups, and the dedicated Cassini orbiter as it unveiled the secrets of Titan and the icy plumes of Enceladus. This comprehensive guide not only covers what we know but also looks to the future of exploration, including missions that will return to our Moon and venture forth to search for life in the hidden oceans of the outer solar system, making it an essential volume for anyone captivated by the boundless wonders of our cosmos.
Journey to worlds of fire and ice, from Jupiter’s volcanically wracked moon Io to the smooth, frozen shell of Europa, which hides a vast subsurface ocean and the tantalizing possibility of life. Explore Saturn's geyser-spewing moon Enceladus, which actively blasts its hidden sea into space, and visit Titan, the only other world in our solar system with a thick atmosphere and stable liquid on its surface—seas not of water, but of liquid methane. Encounter the truly the "Death Star" moon Mimas with its colossal impact crater, the starkly two-toned Iapetus, and the fractured, reassembled surface of Uranus's moon Miranda.
Delve into the powerful science that shapes these celestial bodies. Understand the immense gravitational forces that power Io's volcanoes through tidal heating, and learn how this same process may sustain hidden oceans on multiple worlds. The book explores the violent origins of these satellites, from captured Kuiper Belt objects like Neptune’s retrograde moon Triton to the remnants of cataclysmic giant impacts that are thought to have formed our own Moon and the Pluto-Charon binary system. Discover how these moons interact with their parent planets, sculpting magnificent ring systems and creating powerful magnetic phenomena.
Relive the epic history of discovery, from Galileo’s first revolutionary glimpses of Jupiter’s companions to the groundbreaking robotic missions of the Space Age. Follow the voyages of the Voyager probes as they provided our first tantalizing close-ups, and the dedicated Cassini orbiter as it unveiled the secrets of Titan and the icy plumes of Enceladus. This comprehensive guide not only covers what we know but also looks to the future of exploration, including missions that will return to our Moon and venture forth to search for life in the hidden oceans of the outer solar system, making it an essential volume for anyone captivated by the boundless wonders of our cosmos.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2025
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