The Giant Planet Jupiter (Practical Astronomy Handbooks) [Hardcover]

John H. Rogers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521410088 | ISBN-13: 978-0521410083 | Publication Date: August 25, 1995

Jupiter is an extraordinarily colourful and dynamic planet. Over minutes, one can watch tiny shadows cast by its moons slide over its surface; over days and weeks parades of diverse, giant swirling storms can be seen to move and evolve. It is because of this richness of visual and physical properties that Jupiter has intrigued amateur and professional astronomers and has been the goal of several space missions. This highly illustrated volume provides a comprehensive and accessible account of Jupiter and its satellites. It reviews systematic telescopic observations that have stretched over more than a hundred years, in addition to modern observations and theories, and the wealth of data from the Pioneer, Voyager and Ulysses space missions. As well as a thorough survey of the planet's atmosphere, this volume presents an up-to-date account of our present knowledge of Jupiter's satellites and magnetosphere, at a level accessible to the non-specialist. This volume provides the definitive account of Jupiter for advanced amateur astronomers, professional astronomers and planetary scientists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...remarkable...It combines a scholarly account of Jupiter science with a magnificently illustrated guide for observers...This ia a comrehensive book that will be a standard source for a long time...This is also a beautiful book that will be admired by anyone interested in the solar system." Conway B. Leovy, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society "A complete and highly detailed guide for serious amateurs, students, and professionals." K. Larsen, Choice "...an opus that encapsulates our understanding of Jupiter...a remarkable synthesis of nearly four centuries of scientific effort...Without question, this is the most thoroughly researched popular work on the subject...Roger's efforts are exhausting, and the reader will certainly reap the benefits. He dissects Jupiter with the skill of a surgeon, paying careful attention to the tiniest of details." Stephen James O'Meara, Sky & Telescope "...the first full account of Jupiter for nearly 40 years..." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society "The book is loaded with fine drawings in addition to the startling photographs. It is inspiring in its detail. This is more than a coffee table book. It is a serious scientific work which should spark the interest of many. Although it is unusual to review a book on astronomy for TLE, I am sure that many geoscientists will find this book as fascinating as I did." Christopher Kendall, The Leading Edge

Book Description

This highly illustrated volume provides a comprehensive and accessible account of the extraordinarily colourful and dynamic planet Jupiter. It provides a unique synthesis of data from amateur and professional astronomers, and the Pioneer, Voyager and Ulysses space missions. This is the definitive review for advanced amateur astronomers, professional astronomers and planetary scientists.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521410088
• ISBN-13: 978-0521410083
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,271,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jovian Trove! A Ticket to Jupiter!, April 15, 2004

By 

christopher wren "christopher_wren" (Denver, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Giant Planet Jupiter (Practical Astronomy Handbooks) (Hardcover)

Hats off to John Rogers. This book is like a textbook on the planet Jupiter. You could take a semester course on the planet and still not get everything that this book has to offer. Starting with early observations of the planet (17th century and following), we explore the planet's bands and belts (each one getting its own chapter!), the forjmation of spots and storms, chemistry, atmospheric speeds and dynamics, theories about what's beneath the clouds, Jupiter's ring system (discovered by Voyager), the moons (several of them getting whole chapters), on and on and on... The tone is decidedly scientific, but often in a conversational, friendly way, a tone that encourages exploring its knowledge.

My sole complaint about this tome (it's not just a book, but a tome) is its paucity of color illustrations. For as much discussion as the book offers about chemistry and color-sources in the belts, more color would be useful. All the color photos (and there a fair number, I suppose) appear in a sort of color plate appendix at the end of the book, and they're excellent, but few. Anyway, that sums up my reservations.

Besides, the book is otherwise lavishly--and I mean lavishly--illustrated, and with a huge variety of (all black-and-white) material, an important matter for a book about this subject. We get charts, grahps, photos taken in the visible spectrum, under various color filters and also various radiation filters (but reduced to two colors, as I said). Fascinating are the photo sequences which show us spots emerging and developing, merging, evolving. It's mostly in black and white, but the wonderfully fine paper stock provides for great reproduction quality. I don't think there is asingle concept or heading that goe unillustrated. Rogers (the author) employs a great wealth of astronmer's detailed (you'll be surprised) sketches of the planet, in little strip maps that sort of unroll the planet before you. And by collecting these sketches from over the centuries, he offers a longterm history of how the planet has been behaving.

Published in 1995, the book can only mention that the comet (I've forgotten its name) will hit it; the book doesn;t cover that actual event, but I can't imagine a fuller account of the planet--or of many dngle subject s period, as this book offers. A great book to poke around in, too, when you have an extra few minutes here and there.