The Solar System: Exploring the Sun, Planets and their Moons by Robert Harvey is a nonfiction book featuring more than 200 intriguing images taken by space probes travelling billions of kilometers from Earth, The Solar System is an exhilarating exploration of the mysteries of our local planetary space. Within the span of a human lifetime, our spacecraft have visited all eight planets of the Solar System, together with several dwarf planets, asteroids and comets. We have mapped the surface of Mercury and Venus in exquisite detail, landed rovers on Mars, placed orbiters around Jupiter and Saturn, and parachuted to the surface of Titan. Our emissaries have visited icy worlds five billion kilometers from home and continued onwards to reach interstellar space. The pictures and science returned by these intrepid travelers have transformed our understanding of the Solar System in which we live.
The Solar System: Exploring the Sun, Planets and their Moons is an accessible and visually stunning look at our solar system, what we have learned, and our place in it. I thought the text was well written and pairs well with each of the chosen images. The images are absolutely stunning and the star of this book. I like that there were some artist renditions as well, which were also of great quality. I thought the text was understandable and added context to the images making them more impactful. without getting too technical or overwhelming. I think middle grade and older readers could get just as much out of the book (particularly if they are interested in the subject matter). This is a lovely coffee table book that will stand up to rereading and flipping through when the mood strikes.
