""Presents facts about the composition, atmosphere, and history of exploration of Mercury and Venus and features large illustrations and photographs."-Provided by publisher"--

Where is it partly cloudy and 860°F? Venus. Read about the eight planets in our solar system and Earth's special place in it. This book also includes instructions for making your own solar system mobile, and on the new "Find Out More" page learn how to track the moon and visit the best plant web sites.

Earth is one of eight planets in our Solar System, that circle around the Sun. Our Solar System is just one tiny part of The Milky Way. The Milky Way is the galaxy we live in. There are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe.

People once believed that Earth was the center of the solar system. Scientists finally learned that Earth is one of at least eight planets in our solar system and that they all travel around the sun. Astronomers now know that our solar system is almost 5 billion years old and is part of at least 100 billion galaxies in the universe. Earth is the only planet known to have life and water. Scientists continue to discover new planet-like objects, called dwarf planets, all the time!

Are you up to date on the solar system? When the International Astronomical Union redefined the term ""planet,"" Pluto was downgraded to a lower status. New Views of the Solar System 2013 looks at scientists' changing perspectives, with articles on Pluto, the eight chief planets, and dwarf planets, new missions, updates for ongoing missions, newly-discovered moons, and updated tables. Brilliant photos and drawings showcase the planets, asteroids, comets, and more, providing a stunning collection of vivid images.

The Solar System investigates the area of space that Planet Earth occupies. It looks at the planets that orbit the Sun, their moons and other features and gives a detailed account of space exploration from its early days right up to the present day. Find out about comets, asteroids and meteorites and the chances of one hitting Earth!!

Ongoing advances in Solar System exploration continue to reveal its splendour and diversity in remarkable detail. This undergraduate-level textbook presents fascinating descriptions and colour images of the bodies in the Solar System, the processes that occur upon and within them, and their origins and evolution. It highlights important concepts and techniques in boxed summaries, while questions and exercises are embedded at appropriate points throughout the text, with full solutions provided. Written and edited by a team of practising planetary scientists, this third edition has been updated to reflect our current knowledge. It is ideal for introductory courses on the subject, and is suitable for self-study. The text is supported by online resources, hosted at www.cambridge.org/solarsystem3, which include selected figures from the book, self-assessment questions and sample tutor assignments, with outlines of suggested answers.