Amazon.com Review
Night falls over the equator and Phoebus rises from the west. It takes only 4 1/4 hours for this nearest moon to cross the sky--more than enough time for it to wax from new to full.
This is the enduring charm of Mars: the more you learn about it, the stranger it seems. Moore's sober, commonsense tale of discovery cannot help but be as much about the garish Mars of the imagination as it is about the physical planet--and the changes wrought upon that imaginary twin have been truly cataclysmic. Lowell's charming canals lie shattered beneath the gargantuan volcanic sierras of Olympus, Ascraeus, and Pavonis. The frozen carbon dioxide and thin hoarfrost of Mars's meager poles have vanished beneath huge quantities of water ice, bringing with it the nagging possibility of subterranean oceans and, every few tens of millions of years, an intermittent period of fertility.
Moore is better placed than most to give earlier observations and imaginations their due. When he wrote Guide to Mars in 1955, it was commonly believed that the dark areas of the planet's surface were due to vegetation. And, given all the advances in our understanding in the mere 40 years since, it seems perfectly natural for Moore to conclude his account by writing seriously about the likely shape of future colonies there.
A home astronomer's guide, a memoir, a history that ably demonstrates the interplay between scientific data and interpretation--however you read it, Patrick Moore on Mars is more poetic and inspiring than it knows. --Simon Ings, Amazon.co.uk
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Moore, a former president of the British Astronomical Association, has written numerous popular books on planetary science and astronomy (Atlas of the Universe, LJ 2/15/99). He has been a presenter of the BBC television program The Sky at Night for over 40 years. In addition, he has been observing and mapping Mars for over half a century. This work replaces his Guide to Mars, first published in 1955 and last updated over 20 years ago. Only the historical material has been retained from the earlier edition. The results of the Mariner, Viking, Pathfinder, Global Surveyor, and other recent missions to the Red Planet are a significant portion of this work. Included are 90 illustrations, 40 in color. This volume will be a very useful source of information about the next focus of manned exploration in space. Anyone with an interest in Mars can learn much from Moore's readable presentation. Recommended for all astronomy collections.ADale Ebersole Jr., Univ. of Toledo, Carlson Lib., OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
