Planetary Vistas - The Landscapes of Other Worlds

The word "landscape" can mean picture as well as natural scenery. Recent advances in space exploration imaging have allowed us to now have landscapes never before possible, and this book collects some of the greatest views and vistas of Mars, Venus's Titan, Io and more in their full glory, with background information to put into context the foreign landforms of our Solar System. Here, literally, are 'other-worldly' visions of strange new scenes, all captured by the latest technology by landing and roving vehicles or by very low-flying spacecraft.

There is more than scientific interest in these views. They are also aesthetically beautiful and intriguing, and Dr. Murdin in a final chapter compares them to terrestrial landscapes in fine art.

Planetary Vistas is a science book and a travel book across the planets and moons of the Solar System for armchair space explorers who want to be amazed and informed. This book shows what future space explorers will experience, because these are the landscapes that astronauts and space tourists will see.

List of contents

Chapter 1: Landscapes on Other Worlds.- Chapter 2: The Lakes of Titan.- Chapter 3: The Craters of the Lunar Landscape.- Chapter 4: Ice and Dust Fountains, Rock Piles.- Chapter 5: Dusty Plains, Steep Hills and Rugged Lunar Mountains.- Chapter 6: The Rocky Landscapes of Mars.- Chapter 7: The Vulcanic Scenery of Venus and Io.- Chapter 8: Frost, Ice and Snow.- Chapter 9: Cosmic Skyscapes.- Chapter 10: Representing Alien Landscapes.- Appendix 1: Down to Earth.- Appendix 2: Space Exploration Missions.- Bibliography.- Index.

About the author

Paul Murdin ist Professor am Institute of Astronomy der Cambridge University und ehemaliger Präsident der European Astronomical Society. Als Direktor für Wissenschaft des British National Space Centre war er zehn Jahre lang maßgeblich an der Planung und Durchführung britischer Raumfahrt- und Astronomieprojekte beteiligt. Er zählte als Forschungsastronom zu den ersten wissenschaftlichen Mitgliedern des Anglo-Australian Observatory und hat auch in den USA sowie auf den Kanarischen Inseln gelebt und gearbeitet, wo er am Aufbau des englisch-holländischen Observatoriums in La Palma mitwirkte. Er ist Mitglied der britischen Royal Astronomical Society und erhielt 1988 für seine Verdienste um die Astronomie den OBE (Order of the British Empire). Zu seinen Entdeckungen gehören das schwarze Loch im Stern Cygnus X-1, die Lichtblitze des Vela-Pulsars und die Natur des ungewöhnlichen Sterns SS433. Murdin ist außerdem ein bekannter Wissenschaftsvermittler, der in Büchern, Artikeln, Fernseh- und Radiosendungen (etwa für die BBC und für CNN) astronomische Themen aufbereitet.

Summary

The word “landscape” can mean picture as well as natural scenery. Recent advances in space exploration imaging have allowed us to now have landscapes never before possible, and this book collects some of the greatest views and vistas of Mars, Venus’s Titan, Io and more in their full glory, with background information to put into context the foreign landforms of our Solar System. Here, literally, are 'other-worldly' visions of strange new scenes, all captured by the latest technology by landing and roving vehicles or by very low-flying spacecraft.
 
There is more than scientific interest in these views. They are also aesthetically beautiful and intriguing, and Dr. Murdin in a final chapter compares them to terrestrial landscapes in fine art.
 
Planetary Vistas is a science book and a travel book across the planets and moons of the Solar System for armchair space explorers who want to be amazed and informed. This book shows what future space explorers will experience, because these are the landscapes that astronauts and space tourists will see.

Additional text

“I enjoyed how you get a different perspective on
the planets and the moon by reading this book and looking at the pictures and
focusing more on the details in the images because the authors points out
things you might not notice otherwise. … It’s a great book that is a pleasure
to go through just as a bit of light reading in quite a short time, but you
find out more about our Solar System while doing so.” (Kadri Tinn, AstroMadness.com,
January, 2016)

Report

"I enjoyed how you get a different perspective on the planets and the moon by reading this book and looking at the pictures and focusing more on the details in the images because the authors points out things you might not notice otherwise. ... It's a great book that is a pleasure to go through just as a bit of light reading in quite a short time, but you find out more about our Solar System while doing so." (Kadri Tinn, AstroMadness.com, January, 2016)

Product details

• Authors: Paul Murdin
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2015
• EAN: 9783319152417
• ISBN: 978-3-31-915241-7
• No. of pages: 185
• Dimensions: 212 mm x 280 mm x 13 mm
• Weight: 536 g
• Illustrations: XI, 185 p. 157 illus., 124 illus. in color.
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Physics, astronomy > Astronomy; Non-fiction book > Nature, technology > Astronomy: general, reference works