The Planets: Photographs from the Archives of NASA

Nataraj (Earth and Space) returns with another gorgeous photographic tour of space, this time featuring 200 sharp photos of planets, moons, and comets in our solar system, collected from over 40 years worth of material housed in NASA’s archives. The intricately detailed color and black-and-white photos include panoramas, ultraviolet and infrared images, and close-ups. False color in some images enhances the view of mineral deposits or storm systems. A brief caption with each photo describes notable features, geological or meteorological discoveries made from the image, and the spacecraft or telescope that took it. Particularly noteworthy are the photos of multicolored jet streams forming Saturn’s enigmatic hexagon, a humbling photo of the transit of Venus across the turbulent sun, and a shot of Pluto’s enormous heart-shaped plain. The collection is a remarkable reminder of how much has been learned about the planets over the past few decades, solving many mysteries yet introducing many more. Color photos. [em](Nov.) [/em]