Planetfall: New Solar System Visions [Hardcover]

Michael Benson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2012

Thanks to the photographic output of a small squadron of interplanetary spacecraft, we have awakened to the beauty and splendor of the solar system. Since Michael Benson’s masterful book Beyond: Visions of the Interplanetary Probes, new, more powerful cameras in probes with greatly improved maneuverability have traversed the wheeling satellites of Jupiter; roamed the boulder-strewn red deserts of Mars; studied Saturn’s immaculate rings; and shown us our own ravishing Earth, a blue-white orb with a disturbingly thin atmosphere, as it plunges deeper into ecological crisis. These new images are the subject of Benson’s Planetfall, a truly revelatory book that uses its large page size to reproduce the greatest achievements in contemporary planetary photography as never before.

Praise for Planetfall:

“All retrospectives, art and otherwise, should shock us awake the way this one does . . . Planetfall is a book of science through and through, but it also deepens our sense of the miracle and the mystery of the universe, of our eye-blink lives.” —The New York Times

“This is the way I like to tour the solar system. Find a chair. Sit. Turn some pages. Gaze. Wonder.” —NPR.com

“Beautiful interplanetary images.” —MSNBC.com

“Beautiful visions of what’s out there.” —The Huffington Post

“To encounter a Benson landscape is to be in awe of not only how he sees the universe, but also the ways in which he composes the never-ending celestial ballet.” —Time.com

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Benson, a writer, filmmaker, and photographer, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on astronomical imagery. His book Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle was heralded in the New York Times as an extraordinary achievement: “If you don’t have your own Hubble Space Telescope, this book is the next best thing.” He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Abrams (October 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419704222
• ISBN-13: 978-1419704222
• Product Dimensions: 15 x 1 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Aerial

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Another "Must-Buy" Michael Benson Masterpiece November 13, 2012

By Douglas

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Michael Benson's new photo-essay book about our Solar System is of the same high quality as his two previous masterworks, "Beyond" and "Far Out."

His previous work, "Far Out," covered the enormous size and timescape of the entire universe, as it is perceived by us.

This time, in "Planetfall," Benson returns home to our own cosmic backyard. He reveals the Solar System to us using the latest images from the most recent generation of planetary explorers, most notably the Cassini Spacecraft's stunning images of Jupiter and Saturn. There are also magnificent images of the Sun (which are the best I have ever seen published in any book), of Mars, and of our own planet Earth and its moon, taken from other space probes.

This book concentrates on those newer, deep-space images of the planets (and some of their moons) that many Americans may not have seen yet in other books, and also adds some of the best images from the surface of Mars taken recently by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. He skips Mercury and Venus, but that did not bother me because there is not much to see there, and this left more room for the stunning images of Jupiter and Saturn, Mars, and the Earth, which are the cornerstone of the book.

The book is light on text and heavy on imagery, and I found it just the right balance for this type of "coffee table book." Benson allows us to see our Solar System as we would if we were space voyagers on an interstellar mission, arriving at our solar system without ever having seen it before. The book is first and foremost a visual feast.

But the relatively brief essays are still insightful, even poetic, and relate the images in the book to our modern imaginations, fueled by our popular culture and how we were raised on science fiction....

"Planetfall" is an extremely large format book, larger in size and much wider than even Benson's previous works, "Far Out" and "Beyond." The extra large size of the color plates helps the reader appreciate the majesty of the images. You can mentally immerse yourself in its pages.

If you don't have this book and you are a lover of astronomy books, get it. If you already own it, buy it for someone as a Holiday gift, and open their eyes to the stunning beauty of our own solar system. Your sense of wonder will be refreshed and renewed by this wondrous photo essay depicting ourselves, and our immediate neighbors in the cosmos. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very cool December 12, 2012

By Bob LAzar

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Unbelievably wonderful pictures. Most big glossy books of space photos pass right by our solar system so it was pretty amazing to see how much beauty is right here in our neighborhood.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of Being In Your Collection of Astronomical Photography Books November 12, 2012

By John Lawton Jeffcoat III

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is worthy of being in your collection of astronomical photography books, because it offers so many super-high-resolution photographs of the planets and the sun. There are no photos of stars (other than our own sun), no nebula or constellations or galaxies... just our own neighboring planets - that is the focus of this particular book. This book offers us the best available collection of the photos that have been taken within the past ten years only. One should bear in mind that some of the greatest astronomic photographs are more than ten years old, and so by definition, they will not be part of this book that covers just the past decade of astronomical planetary photography.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars because I am a bit disappointed that the majority of the pictures are ultra-close-ups on parts of a planet or ring system showing just a very limited range of colors (for example: just black and white and blue.... or just black and white and amber). Also, many of the photos actually don't seem to be extremely high resolution. (Though many others, such as the surface of the sun, or the surface of mars, are strikingly high-resoloution and spectacular). This is not the fault of the author / publisher / compiler... that's just the way it is, and this book catalogs and showcases the past ten years of planetary photography as well as one could possible realistically hope that it would.
If you are looking for a book that shows the colorful awesomeness and jaw-dropping beauty of the universe... a book that focusses more on parts of the universe far more distant (star clusters and nebulae) has more "wow" factor than this book. But if you would like a compendium of the best of planetary photography over just the past ten years...... you cannot do better than this very well-done volume. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars great gift April 15, 2013

By pace122004

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought it for my girlfriend, she loves space and this book has incredible photos, some of which span across two pages. really stunning book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing pictures March 1, 2013

By virgiemoore

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

What can you say about these pictures of orbs in space, including ours? Everyone should see these, over and over. A real gift to the imagination.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful January 22, 2013

By Marshall Holzer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've spent hours with this book, and with my 5 yr old son, letting the fantastically detailed photos take us on a short interplanetary trip!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book January 18, 2013

By Saleem

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bought it for my 5 year old grandson. He and I are having great time exploring our solar system. Good to focus on the immeditate neighborhood. My grandson loves it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Photography January 15, 2013

By Nick

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Many of the pictures in this book are breathtakingly beautiful. Totally worth it. My very minor gripes are: First, I wish it was more comprehensive in its coverage of the solar system. There isn't really any coverage of Mercury, Venus, Uranus, or Neptune (or the demoted Pluto), but not many nice pictures of those exist at anywhere on Earth anyway. Also, it sounds like Benson almost intended this book as an addendum to his other solar system book, "Beyond". Maybe there's more comprehensive coverage there. Second, the captions are all in the very back of the book. It's a little frustrating trying to flip through the pictures and read the captions at the same time. Third, many of the Earth photos are of smoke from burning forests. Benson pessimistically focuses on that a little more than I would like.

Overall, though, my complaints are very minor. This book is full of stunning photos of the celestial bodies of our solar system. Enjoy them.