The Planets

About the Book

After the huge national and international success of ‘Longitude’ and ‘Gallileo’s Daughter’, Dava Sobel tells the human story of the nine planets of our solar system.

This groundbreaking new work traces the ‘lives’ of each member of our solar family, from myth and history, astrology and science fiction, to the latest data from the modern era's robotic space probes.

Whether revealing what hides behind Venus's cocoon of acid clouds, describing Neptune's complex beauty, or capturing first-hand the excitement at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the first pictures from Cassini at Saturn were recently beamed to earth, Dava Sobel's unique tour of the solar system is filled with fascination and beauty. In lyrical prose interspersed with poems by Tennyson, Blake and others, ‘The Planets’ gives a breathtaking, intimate view of those heavenly bodies that have captured the imagination since humanity’s first glimpse of the glittering night skies.

Timely and timeless, ‘The Planets’ will engage and delight as it unravels the mysteries of the cosmos. It is of infinite relevance to this age in which new planets are being discovered elsewhere in our galaxy.

About the Author :
Dava Sobel is the author of the international bestseller, Longitude, the bestselling Pulitzer Prize finalist Galileo's Daughter, The Planets, A More Perfect Heaven, And the Sun Stood Still, and The Glass Universe, and co-author of The Illustrated Longitude. She is the recipient of the Individual Public Service Award from the National Science Board, the Bradford Washburn Award, the Kumpke-Roberts Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. A former New York Times science reporter and current editor of the "Meter" poetry column in Scientific American, she lives on Long Island.

Review :
'An enchanting book. In prose that is by turns lyrical and wry, and always filled with an infectious sense of wonder, she moves engagingly through our solar system ! Sobel's enthusiasm for her subject is absolute and she succeeds in transmitting it to the reader, quite a feat when the subject matter can be so tricky to grasp. Much of the passion feeds directly from the astronomers themselves, their great discoveries and their endless yearning for understanding.' Sunday Telegraph 'In this enthralling, accessible book, bestselling author Dava Sobel provides a detailed portrait of each heavenly body. Drawing on myth and history, astrology and science fact as well as science fiction, she tells a story that will have you gazing up at the night skies with renewed fascination.' Daily Mail 'If you like your science lyrical Dava Sobel is the author for you.' Independent 'It is science that excites Sobel. There's a real gee-whizzery about her treatment of telescopes and space probes and their many astonishing discoveries in recent years. It is hard to imagine a better picture of the dangerous and inhospitable nature of our solar system, where the existence of any form of life, let alone one capable of travelling to other worlds, is nothing less than a miracle. The book is also a timely reminder of the fragility of the little green spacecraft on which we are all passengers.' John Moorish, Independent on Sunday '"The Planets" is a very agreeable read.' Patrick Moore, Guardian 'A highly informative book as well as a loveably odd one. It educates and entertains and deserves every success.' Scotland on Sunday 'At her best, Sobel writes beautifully and conveys complex information with elegance and charm ! "The Planets" would be worth reading simply to learn of the startling difference between the inner, solid, sun-driven planets and the outer, gaseous, space-generated hangers on. It is a bonus to be reminded so vividly of the infinite beauty and frailty of the world and our place in' Spectator 'A gracious and delightful introduction to the very diverse heavenly bodies that orbit our sun, our precious source of heat and light.If you wish to tour the heaven, you could hardly find a more charming and beguiling guide' Glasgow Herald 'Sobel's restless curiosity raises, and settles, a multitude of questions' Sunday Times 'In this enthralling, accessible book, bestselling author Dava Sobel provides a detailed portrait of each heavenly body. Drawing on myth and history, astrology and science fact as well as science fiction, she tells a story that will have you gazing up at the night skies with renewed fascination' YOU Magazine, Daily Mail