Customer Reviews

Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System (Wiley Science Edition)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This excellent book on the outer solar system is written for laypeople who want more than a short introduction to the subject. The writing style is informal but very informative.

The book was published in 1988, as Voyager 2 neared Neptune. A 1990 paperback edition describes the actual flyby.

There are chapters on Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, their discoveries, the related discovery of the first asteroids, the Voyagers' Grand Tour, the search for a tenth planet, and more.

The author also remembers the human touch. There is ample discussion of planet discoverers William Herschel, John Adams, Urban Le Verrier, and Clyde Tombaugh. We also learn about the memorable people they worked with, and sometimes against (!)

The author likes sidebars, which are quite interesting and keep the main text from bogging down. There you will find:

* A short biography of Caroline Herschel (William's sister), the first woman professional astronomer;
* Clyde Tombaugh on some of his experiences;
* Gary Flando on his discovery of the Grand Tour;
* James Christy on his discovery of Pluto's moon Charon;
* Galileo's unsuspecting observation of Neptune in 1613;
* The planned Galileo and Cassini missions;
* Much more.

One sidebar strongly supports Pluto's planetary status, but it concedes that if Pluto turns out to be a typical member of a hypothetical asteroid belt beyond Neptune, it might make sense to redesignate Pluto. Four years later, the Kuiper Belt was discovered...

Hopefully Littmann will revise the book again to include the Kuiper Belt, the Hubble Telescope, the latest speculation on Planet X, and more.

Highly recommended.

*****
January 28, 2006: I have just acquired the 1990 paperback edition.

A new 30-page chapter thoroughly covers Voyager 2's 1989 Neptune flyby. The rest of the book is almost unchanged, so the reader can compare speculation and reality.

The book suggests that a proposed 2000-2014 Pluto mission be named Tombaugh. New Horizons is now on the way to a 2015 flyby. It doesn't carry Clyde Tombaugh's name, but it does carry some of his ashes.

Much has happened since Littman's 1990 revision, and indeed since my initial 2000 review. Galileo was crashed into Jupiter after completing its mission. Cassini is at Saturn. Two new moons of Pluto were discovered. Pluto is no longer the largest known object beyond Neptune. There is no consensus whether eight, nine, or ten objects deserve the term planet. If Littman revises the book again, he has a lot of new material to discuss.

Still highly recommended.

Mark Littmann's Planets Beyond republishes the updated, revised 1990 edition to survey the outer planets; from the history of their discovery to modern scientific findings about the planets including Voyageur results. An excellent, narrowed focus which probes the outer solar system alone.

Mark Littmann's Planets Beyond republishes the updated, revised 1990 edition to survey the outer planets; from the history of their discovery to modern scientific findings about the planets including Voyageur results. An excellent, narrowed focus which probes the outer solar system alone.

This is a really nice, and cheap, history of the outer solar system. Until recently Saturn was the last known planet. This all changed with the discovery of Uranus by William Herschel in 1781. Since then we have struggled to reveal information about the outer planets. The book covers both the personal lives of the main characters involved in the discoveries as well as the science involved without going into too much technical detail. At the same time it does not tend to oversimplify the significance of the science by using flowery language.

As it was written around 1990 the book is slightly out of date, missing some of the latest discoveries. However, this is forgivable given the books price. I give the book 4 stars because it is not outstanding. It is however very readable and interesting. It would be worth reading for anyone who has a general interest astronomy/space etc.