The NASA Atlas of the Solar System

Book Description

The exploration of our solar system by spacecraft has been one of the greatest scientific achievements of the twentieth century. The mapping of other worlds has resulted from numerous space missions by NASA, extending over many years. The data from these planetary missions have been synthesised by the US Geological Survey to produce detailed maps. Every planet, moon, or small body investigated in NASA missions is discussed and where appropriate mapped. Geological maps, reference maps, shaded relief maps, synthetic aperture radar mosaics and colour photomosaics marvellously present the features of planets and their satellites. This is truly a ‘road map’ of our solar system. All maps are fully indexed. The gazetteer lists the names of all features officially approved by the International Astronomical Union. The NASA Atlas of the Solar System is the definitive reference atlas for planetary science.

Customer Reviews:

Wait for the next edition.......2000-07-18

Although published in '97, this book is already quite dated - the Mars and Jupiter system maps are based on Viking and Voyager data. Given the cost of this book, I'd wait until an edition came out which integrated the Mars Global Surveyopr and Gallileo data. Also, the detail of some of the maps leaves something to be desired - most of the locations listed in the Gazeeter are not marked on the maps. Finally, too much expository text is included (in a large type with generous spacing). I would have prefered these pages to be filled with more maps, rather than text I could have found elsewhere.

Wait for the next edition.......2000-07-18

A wonderful book with captivating pictures........1999-06-08

This atlas gives good information on all aspects of the solar system wether you are a layman or a planetary scientist. The pictures and maps are all-encompassing and beautifully composed. This is a wonderful addition to anyone's library

The most complete cartographical Solar System reference avai.......1999-02-26

I can remember being a child poring over maps of foriegn countries and wondering what life was like in those far away places. I was fortunate in that my grandmother had quite a collection of antique reference books, from the 19th century but in excellent shape, that she would allow me to examine.

I remember being impressed by the many beautiful, detailed illustrations and maps, artwork that could entice a young reader to dream. The heavy, well constructed tomes imparted a sense of respect to the reader, for here was True Knowledge, presented with an unmistakeable high quality and with meticulous detail.

Over the years my appreciation for quality reference books has increased. Growing up during the early years of space exploration naturally made me interested in books about the Moon and planets. I have many such books, but there is a lot of variance in the amount of meaningful content, print quality, size, and many other factors.

There are things that will bring on happy memories from childhood, and one thing that brought such a happy memory to me was when I received my NASA Atlas of the Solar System. It is a large, heavy, high quality and very serious book that deserves to be in every reference library. Here you will find, in incredible detail, the sum of mankind's cartographical knowledge of the entire Solar System as of 1997. Would-be space explorers will have a field day with maps of all the planets and their satellites, including many in-depth explanations about the many varied geological and geographical features found on the various worlds.

The maps are not simple composited photos, but are meticulously constructed using various techniques from image processing to airbrushing. Color is used extensively to convey information in many ways such as elevation and geologic age. The scaling and image quality is consistent throughout, and for the first time I've been able to compare a feature on the side of the Moon visible in telescopes and compare it directly to features seen on other worlds. Throughout there is related text that complements the maps.

One thing about this volume that impresses me over and over again is the realization of the sheer amount of information we have concerning our planetary neighbors in the Solar System. There is a lot of real estate out there!

Book Description

Without sacrificing any of the detail or breadth of the full-size edition, the essential reference source for maps of every planet, moon, or small body investigated by NASA missions is now available in a convenient, portable format. Featuring over 150 maps, 214 color illustrations and a gazetteer that lists the names of all features officially approved by the International Astronomical Union, The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System includes the full range of information gathered from NASA missions throughout the Solar System. Compiled by the US Geological Survey, this atlas includes: -Geological maps -Reference maps -Shaded relief maps -Synthetic aperture radar mosaics -Color photo-mosaics that present the features of planets and their satellites This 'road map' of the solar system is the definitive guide for planetary science and should be part of every cartographers and astonomer's collection. Ronald Greeley is a Regent Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at Arizona State University. He is a team member of the Galileo mission to Jupiter and of the Mars Pathfinder lander. Greeley is currently a co-investigator for the European Mars Express mission. Raymond Batson spent his 35-year career with the United States Geological Survey. He has worked in terrestrial mapping and in lunar and planetary mapping. Batson served as co-investigator or team member on most NASA planetary missions, including the Apollo lunar lander missions, the Mariner Mars and Venus/Mercury mapping missions, the Viking 1 and 2 Mars mapping missions, the Voyager missions to the outer planets, and the Magellan Venus radar mapping mission.

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully done, good to excellent coverage.......2002-10-29

As an amateur astronomer, my interest tends more to deep-sky objects rather than planetary astronomy, but I spent some time looking at this atlas, and it really is a striking catalog of our current knowledge of the solar system. The atlas contains beautiful closeups of every planet except Pluto, although the coverage for Venus isn't that extensive, but then since Venus is mostly clouds, I don't know how much would be served by that, unlike the cloud-cover of Jupiter, which shows many stable bands and also the pink and red spots. There are also maps of a number of the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, allowing you to see their heavily marred and cratered surfaces, which are very reminiscent of Mercury or our moon.

The atlas only contains maps for the large Galileian satellites of Jupiter and the same for the larger, closer moons of Saturn, but I don't know if this is because of limitations in the spacecraft that took the photos or the distances involved from the spacecraft to the moons. The maps of Mars are perhaps the most interesting in terms of surface details, and features like the enormous, 17-mile high and 400-mile across volcano, Nix Olympica, and the great gorge on Mars, really stand out. Another thing that was interesting was the discovery of the first asteroid with its own small planet. The atlas features over 150 maps, 214 color illustrations and a gazetteer. Overall, this is a stunning and beautifully done atlas of the solar system, which, despite its not being cheap, should still be of interest to amateurs and professionals alike.

Very good reference but a few glaring flaws.......2002-07-11

The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System is a very good reference for those working with spacecraft. Spacecraft images don't come with names already on them and it is often difficult when looking at some MGS images which crater is which and what they are called. When it comes to most of the inner planets, and Saturnian, Uranian, and Neptunian moons, the coverage is quite good and very useful. However, I can't say the same for Venus and Jupiter's moons. While there is excellent coverage for Mars as far as number of sections, Venus is not covered as well even though we have similar scale maps. I agree with the authors that if the same scale was used for both, the Venus maps would take up a large number of pages. However, the same number of quadrants would have been nice. Secondly, the coverage of the Jovian moons is lacking. The maps are from the Voyager era and while that may not be as big of a problem for Ganymede or Callisto, it is a problem for Io and Europa. The coverage of Europa from Galileo has greatly improved over Voyager's coverage and an updated map would have been nice. Io's map is also from Voyager. The fact that much of the anti-jovian side has been covered in great detail by Galileo but it was not included in the atlas save a small image of that mosaic not incorporated into the map. in addition, surface changes in the 20 years between Voyager and Galileo have made the included map quite out of date.

Save those two flaws, it is a pretty good reference for those interested in the solar system.

Average customer rating:

Excellent book.

Best reference book on the solar system I've seen

Fabulous layman's reference work that should be updated

Atlas of the Solar System
Patrick Moore
Manufacturer: Crescent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0517001926
Release Date: 1990-06-02

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book........1998-06-01

This is one of the best books ever written on the solar system. I am the Assistant Curator of a planetarium, and I use this book constantly when I am writing programs. It is an excellent reference for the layman as well as the professional. I would love to see this book in a revised edition, especially in light of the data returned from spacecraft since it was first published (e.g., Magellan, Galileo, NEAR, Clementine, Ulysses, etc.) This is the only drawback that I can see to this book: the information is starting to get dated.

Best reference book on the solar system I've seen.......1998-05-22

This was the first reference book on the solar system I ever purchased and although I keep looking for a more up to date reference, nothing else compares to this one in scope and depth of content while remaining an excellent book for laypersons with a keen interest in astronomy.

This book has wonderful photographs as they all do but also explains the workings of the solar system in much greater detail. The section on the sun is over 50 pages long with explanations of black body radiation, absorption lines, doppler shift and multiple sections on the chromosphere, sunspots, flares, the corona, etc. Coverage of the planets is no less detailed.

I sincerely hope that this reference is updated soon, although even the out of print editions will remain excellent references for years to come.

Fabulous layman's reference work that should be updated.......1997-10-21

This is one of the best layman-type reference works I've ever been able to find on our solar system. It contains something for everybody: lots of text, images, illustrations, and facts and figures.

The book begins with a synopsis of the universe, and then moves onto detailed chapters on each of the bodies which exist in the solar system:
- The Sun;
- The 9 planets;
- Known satellites;
- The asteroid belt;
- and finally the oort cloud and comets.

Customer Reviews:

Great Exploration!.......2004-01-27

The Children's Space Atlas takes children on a voyage of Discovery from the creation of the stars and planets to the latest findings from probes and Satellites, states Robbin Kerrod on the top cover of this black bg book. Easy to follow star charts showing major constellation, story of the creation of the stars and planets told in words and pictures and exploring the whole universe is so much fun and interesting while kids learn the mystery of nature. The IMAX movies on space are sure thrilling to watch but the book is indepth knowledge and exploring page to page! It's divided into 5 sections:

Section 1: Introduction on Earth and space and boundless universe
Section 2: The solar system - The sun, moon, planets, Asteroids and meteoroids, comets, etc
Section 3: The night sky i.e. the heavens, constellations
Section 4: Stars and Galaxies
Section 5: Exploring space, Telescopes, space satellites, space flights, exploring moon and so on.

Now that its so interesting, I remember me registering mine and my family's name to go to Mars through the nasa website and the names would be included in a DVD that went to Mars with Rover Opportunity - Its so thrilling to explore the Space Atlas by many kids with hopes to book a flat on Mars some day! A good Pick and dreamy explorations too!

I liked this book.......1998-04-05

I am in the 3rd grade and I got this book from our school library (Plains Ele.) in Timberville, VA. I like the part where it shows all the missions on the moon. I like the real life pictures and graphics. I want to be a scientist when I grow up and would like to observe the planets and stars. I picked this book up because of the pictures I saw on the cover. I thought it would give me information on planets, stars, galaxies and the universe, and it did. That's about all I would like to say. Please tell the author he did a great job. Your pal, Weston Marcus

The Hatfield SCT Lunar Atlas: Photographic Atlas for Meade, Celestron and other SCT Telescopes

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The Hatfield SCT Lunar Atlas: Photographic Atlas for Meade, Celestron and other SCT Telescopes
Jeremy Cook
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1852337494

Book Description

SCT and Maksutov telescopes - which of course includes the best-selling models from Meade, Celestron, and other important manufacturers - reverse the visual image left for right. It is extremely difficult to identify lunar features at the eyepiece of one of these instruments using a conventional atlas. The human brain just doesn’t cope well with trying to compare the real thing with a map that is a mirror-image of it. This new SCT version of Hatfield’s famous lunar atlas solves the problem. Photographs and key maps in The Hatfield SCT Lunar Atlas are mirror-images, to show the Moon exactly as it appears through the eyepiece of an SCT or Maksutov telescope. Identification of lunar features is made quick and easy. The Moon’s surface is shown for various sun angles, and there are inset keys that show the effects of optical libration - all mirror-imaged for SCT users. Smaller IAU-standard reference images are included, to make it simple to compare the mirrored SCT photographs and maps with those that appear in other atlases. This edition still uses the superb original photographs taken by Commander Henry Hatfield using his 12-inch reflector. The key maps, on which lunar features can be readily identified, have been reversed and updated, but retain the style and clarity that made the original justly famous.

Atlas of Historical Eclipse Maps: East Asia 1500 BC-AD 1900

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Atlas of Historical Eclipse Maps: East Asia 1500 BC-AD 1900
M A Houlden , and F. R. Stephenson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This book presents a series of computer-drawn maps and tables for all eclipses of the Sun calculated to have been observable in East Asia in the 3400 years from 1500 BC to AD 1900. The study of past eclipses is a useful tool in determining the long-term behaviour of astronomical phenomena, such as the Earth’s rate of rotation and the size of the Sun. The eclipses of the Sun that occurred in East Asia - notably in China, Korea and Japan - are particularly useful because written records of them exist. An introduction explains the methods used to calculate the parameters and determine the trajectories of each eclipse. Then follow the maps themselves, 862 in all, which plot the path of the umbral region over East Asia and tabulate the longitude, limits of latitude, local time and mean altitude for each event.

Average customer rating:

This book inspired me
great book for children

The Space Atlas
Heather Couper , and Nigel Heubest
Manufacturer: Gulliver Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0152005986

Customer Reviews:

This book inspired me.......2007-10-02

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by astronomy, and this was my favorite book to check out from our local library. I loved staring at all the big, colorful pictures and reading all the facts about stars, moons, planets, and galaxies. Now, I'm in college, and I'm majoring in astrophysics. I'm certain that this book was one of the things that pushed me in the direction of wanting to be an astronomer. It's a wonderful, comprehensive introduction to the subject, with pages dealing with all of the planets, the sun, stars and their life-cycles, galaxies, space travel, and life in the universe. I'd highly recommend it to any budding astronomers.

great book for children.......2002-12-14

I gave this book as a gift for my son when he was 4 years old and he loved it from the very first moment... It features great ilustrations and simple yet interesting text for all ages... It is a great book for any parent whose child is beginning to ask questions about the universe...

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Atlas of Venus
Peter Cattermole , and Patrick Moore
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521496527

Amazon.com

Amateur astronomers will enjoy Atlas of Venus, the most up-to-date book available on the geography and geology of Earth's non-identical twin planet. This colorful compendium of maps and pictures draws heavily from the Magellan spacecraft's radar imaging, some of it published here for the first time. As the authors point out, we have learned more about Venus in the last few decades--perhaps even in the last few years--than throughout the whole of human history. It's hardly the tropical paradise of 1950s science fiction, but a harsh world that may never witness human exploration due to the severity of its environment. In a way, its truly alien qualities make Venus all the more enticing.

Book Description

A combination of striking photos and lucid prose, this volume brings this mysterious planet to life. Well-known astronomers Peter Cattermole and Patrick Moore place Venus in the solar system and explain what information telescope observation has yielded. They then take us on a space-age trip to Venus exhibiting observations from orbiting space craft and probes, and, most significantly, the data-laden Magellan mission. An abundance of colorful illustrations showcase Venus' fascinating topography, including impact craters, highland massifs, and plains. The text is rounded out by a history of this intriguing planet and a gazetteer of Venusian place names. Several useful appendices of data complement the atlas. This book will delight amateur astonomers and will also serve as a helpful reference to professional astronomers and planetary scientists.

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The authoritative guide to Neptune

Atlas of Neptune
Garry E. Hunt , and Patrick Moore
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521374782

Book Description

Giant as it is, Neptune is so remote that it is below naked-eye visibility and so was not discovered until the development of the telescope. As the most distant major planet in the solar system, Neptune was the last to be visited by a spacecraft from Earth. The encounter of NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft with Neptune in August 1989 has provided a wealth of new information about the planet, its ghostly rings, remarkable satellites and environment, and has led to some amazing discoveries. This book gives the fascinating historical background to the discovery of Neptune, its satellites and rings and goes on to describe the Voyager mission in detail. This allows the reader to appreciate the dramatic leap in the knowledge and understanding of the Neptunian environment that planetary scientists found from the Voyager flyby. All the latest information is given, illustrated with the definitive pictures from the NASA mission. No more visits by space-probes to the outer planets are likely for several decades; this book therefore represents a timely summary of our knowledge of Neptune of lasting value and enjoyment to professionals and amateurs alike.

Customer Reviews:

The authoritative guide to Neptune.......2000-10-16

After their superb atlases of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, Hunt and Moore delight us once again with an "everything we know about" book, this time on the farthest of the four gas giants, Neptune.

Even more so than its predecessors, this work is primarily based on the data returned by Voyager 2 in its August, 1989 flyby, which resulted in the discovery of the "Great Dark Spot", of new minor satellites, and gave us spectacular close-ups of the surface of Neptune's sole giant moon, Triton, and its strange "cantalope terrain". All of these marvels are reproduced in full color, making this book as visually appealing as it is intellectually stimulating. Sadly, since no further missions to Neptune are planned, this will probably be the state-of-the-art of our knowledge of Neptune for some years to come, making this book a worthy investment.

A historical overview of the discovery and telescopic exploration of Neptune and a brief technical discussion of Voyager 2's mission and the unique technical challenges it faced during the Neptune encounter complete this work. A wonderful book that should not be missing in any astronomical library.

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Atlas of the Planets
Paul Doherty , and Patrick Moore
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0070173419

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