Atlas of Uranus

Rating:
Summary: *The* book on Uranus
Review: When Voyager 2 flew by Uranus in January 1986, our knowledge of this mysterious world expanded immeasurably. New minor satellites were found, and high-quality images of the already existing ones were obtained. One satellite in particular - Miranda - surprised the astronomical world with terrain of a kind that had never been seen before, or imagined. It was time for another installment in Hunt and Moore's "Atlas of" series.

For those who own the "Atlas of Jupiter" and "Atlas of Saturn", the thinness of this book might be disappointing at first. Where the first two atlases dispense a wealth of information, theories and pictures on Jupiter and Saturn, the third one predictably cannot do so, based on the results of only one robotic encounter as compared to several.

Within these limits, the "Atlas of Uranus" gives as complete a picture as possible. It features spectacular, full-page reproductions of the images taken by Voyager 2, a technical discussion of the spacecraft itself, and a historical overview of the discovery and subsequent telescopic exploration of Uranus. I can fully recommend this book to any amateur astronomer or other interested layperson.

Rating:
Summary: *The* book on Uranus
Review: When Voyager 2 flew by Uranus in January 1986, our knowledge of this mysterious world expanded immeasurably. New minor satellites were found, and high-quality images of the already existing ones were obtained. One satellite in particular - Miranda - surprised the astronomical world with terrain of a kind that had never been seen before, or imagined. It was time for another installment in Hunt and Moore's "Atlas of" series.

For those who own the "Atlas of Jupiter" and "Atlas of Saturn", the thinness of this book might be disappointing at first. Where the first two atlases dispense a wealth of information, theories and pictures on Jupiter and Saturn, the third one predictably cannot do so, based on the results of only one robotic encounter as compared to several.

Within these limits, the "Atlas of Uranus" gives as complete a picture as possible. It features spectacular, full-page reproductions of the images taken by Voyager 2, a technical discussion of the spacecraft itself, and a historical overview of the discovery and subsequent telescopic exploration of Uranus. I can fully recommend this book to any amateur astronomer or other interested layperson.