Planets of Rock and Ice: From Mercury to the Moons of Saturn

by Clark R. Chapman

A timely, informative survey of recent discoveries about the solar system--its planets and their satellites--and its evolution addresses significant aspects of the field of planetology in terms of their relationship with Earth

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Nadienne Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very outdated, and yet still delightfully entertaining read about the inner Solar System (plus some bits here and there on Jupiter and Saturn). Written and published sometime between the Voyagers' visitations to the ringed giants, the author laments that they will undoubtedly cease functioning soon, as they are nearing their design life, and thus we shall never get glimpses of Uranus or Neptune.

I'm happy to report 39+ years after this book was published that both space probes have ridiculously exceeded their design lives and are still happily beaming information back to Earth. They are just crossing the edge of the Solar System now (where the Sun's solar wind can no longer push back against the Galaxy's own current). NASA can design equipment, let that never be unstated.

It's interesting reading science from earlier eras...where plate tectonics was just becoming an accepted idea and they still had yet to form the collision theory for the formation of the Moon. Honestly, I love reading these older scientific texts because I think it helps one to understand the scientific process to see where we came from and the logic that they used at the time. They weren't just coming up with this stuff in a vacuum (pun intended).

[Valerie]

We tend to think that the most important distinction in our Solar System is between planets and 'other stuff'. Actually, the distinction between gas giants and 'planets of rock and ice', (including several bodies we consider moons) is more basic.

This book could've been better written, and it would repay the effort; as well, of course, as adding updates based on the findings of such probes as Cassini and Galileo. Oh, well--one more item for my already overlong 'to-do' list.