The Solar System (3 Vol Set) (Magill's Choice)

THE SOLAR SYSTEM gathers 131 of the best & most essential essays on the solar system & deep-space astronomy, arranging them alphabetically from "Antimatter" & "Asteroids" through "White Dwarf Stars" & "X-ray Astronomy." Nine entirely new essays bring it up to date: "Brown Dwarf Stars," "Eclipses," "Europa (the moon of Jupiter)," "Extra-Solar Planets" (approximately a dozen have been detected so far), "Extraterrestrial Life" (exobiology), "Gravitational Lensing & Einstein Rings," "Nemesis & Planet X," "Quantum Cosmology" & "Telescopes: Space Based" (with emphasis on the Hubble Space Telescope). Articles follow the familiar Magill format, dividing the discussion into sections. Top matter lists the topic & its primary field(s) of study; an "Overview" defines the topic & its importance; following this primary information is a section identifying "Applications," "Methods of Study," or "Knowledge Gained." The final section, "Context," places the topic in historical & scientific perspective. Black & white photographs, line art, tables, & graphs supplement the text & illustrate scientific concepts.