From the Sun at the very heart, to the very farthest fringes of our Solar System, these planet and space guides aim to cover all of the most important facts you would ever need to know. All of the main planets are included in these guides, including poor Pluto who has only recently been unceremoniously stripped of her main planet classification. Guides to the Sun and our Moon are also included for reference for you.
These guides will help you to understand exactly how the Solar System was formed around 4.6 billion years ago and how the individual bodies came into existence. Often, this would have been at the very start of the Solar System itself, however, you will notice how certain bodies have not always been where they are today: some may have been caught up in the gravitational pull of planets; others, like our Moon for example, may have been formed after the main creation of the Solar System.
These guides will discuss the individual characteristics of the planet or body in hand. This will include an evaluation of the body’s atmosphere (if it exists), whether or not there is any geological activity taking place on the body and it will also take a look at any satellites which may be in orbit around the planet. You are likely to find, especially with the moons of the gas giants, that there are some extremely interesting details awaiting your discovery in these sections.
If it is at all possible to spot this body from Earth, this will be covered within the planetary guides. However, for the planets or bodies that lie outside of our range of vision with the naked eye, we will take a look at exactly how these were discovered over the centuries and learn how clever early astronomers were to presume their existence in the first place. A certain Galileo Galilei will be mentioned on several occasions in these guides and this will prove just how ingenious an astronomer he really was; especially given the fact that he would have been forced to rely upon very rudimentary telescopic equipment compared with the technology of today.
Mankind have been very fortunate in that they have already managed to visit every single one of the main planets within the Solar System. We have even managed to step foot on the surface of the Moon; and there is a space probe whizzing its way toward Pluto as we speak, which hopes to be the first to flyby this minor planet in 2015. So, we’ve pretty much managed to check-out our own back yard, as far as the Solar System is concerned, and every guide looks into the individual accomplishments and achievements for every body on a case-by-case basis.
Finally, all of the little interesting facts and statistics which may not have already been covered in other parts of the guide will be available under the Interesting Facts About… section. This way, it is hoped that all of the main information on the specific body or planet will be conveyed to you at some point within the guide.
