The Solar System

by John A. Wood and John Armstead Wood

Book Overview

The Solar System offers an introduction to the geology of our solar system grounded in the author's unique background in both earth science and astrophysics. Written to be accessible to both the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0134948815
• ISBN13: 9780134948812
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

High Information Density

I appreciated the conciseness of this book. In less than 200 pages (plus a preface, glossary, index, etc.) the author manages to cover all major aspects of our Solar System including its origin and even -- very briefly -- how it compares to other, newly discovered, planetary systems. The book is organized by physical processes rather than the traditional sequence that starts with Mercury and moves outward. I think the author's approach works much better. Despite its engaging style, the book was not a quick read for me, but after finishing it I felt I'd gained a thorough (re)initiation to the subject.

Good read, in spite of the errors

Apart from a few glaring errors (ie. p. 30, "H. J. Melnsh" should be "H. J. Melosh," and p. 59, where a normal fault is mislabeled as a reverse fault), THE SOLAR SYSTEM presents fair intermediate-to-advanced coverage of our home planetary system. There is a bit of higher mathematics here and there, but definitely not so much as to become intimidating. I would recommended this work (with errors corrected) as introductory reading to college undergraduates interested in entering the field of planetary science.