Mapping the Planets. Discovering The Worlds Beyond Our Own

This account of the planets and other mysterious objects in our solar system tells the story of planetary exploration, from observations by the ancients to investigation by today's pioneering spaceships. Our neighbours in space lay hidden until the invention of the telescope, but since Galileo made his first sketches we have sought to uncover the secrets of the planets and their companions, marshalling telescopes, spacecraft, landers, and rovers to help. The beautiful photographs and illustrations in this book are accompanied by author Anne Rooney's informative text, which describes both the history of astronomy and the extraordinary observations and discoveries of recent decades.