Wonders of the Solar System

CHAPTER 1: The Wonder INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2: Empire Of The Sun AN ORDINARY STAR Solar eclipses In the realm of the Sun The energy of the Sun A star is born The forces behind the Sun THE POWER OF SUNLIGHT Sunspots: The seasons of the Sun The Sun and Earth: Sharing a rhythm? How to catch a sunbeam Solar eclipse in Varanasi THE INVISIBLE SUN The structure of the Sun's atmosphere The Heliosphere Defence against the force of the Sun Light fantastic: The Aurora Borealis Voyagers' grand tour From Eart to the Oort Cloud Investigating the future of our sun The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram The death of the Sun CHAPTER 3: Order Out Of Chaos THE CLOCKWORK SOLAR SYSTEM Rhythms of the Solar System The centre of the Universe The Heliocentric view The birth of the Solar System SATURN: THE INFANT SOLAR SYSTEM Saturn Saturn's rings Saturn's rings on Earth The moons of Saturn Enceladus: The brightest moon Gravity: The greatest sculpture VIOLENT BEGINNINGS The Late Heavy Bombardment A gift to Earth CHAPTER 4: The Thin Blue Bline EXPLORING EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE Journey to the edge of the Earth The binding force of gravity Lobsters on the ocean floor EARTH'S AMBIENT TEMPERATURES A tale of two atmospheres Surface temperature First line of defense Mercury's craters Goldilocks atmosphere The Greenhouse Effect The red planet How Mars lost its atmosphere THE STORMY SOLAR SYSTEM Jupiter: A planet of weather Titan: The mystery moon Journey to Titan The mystery of Titan's lakes CHAPTER 5: Dead Or Alive THE HEAT WITHIN Mars: A familiar world The volcanoes of Mars The formation of rocky planets Planet formation Newton's Law of Cooling Venus: A tortured history JUPITER: KING OF THE GIANTS Jupiter: The ethereal planet Armageddon watch Collision Jupiter's gravitational kick Powerful connections: The moon and tides Jupiter's moons Erta Ale, north-eastern Ethiopia The most violent place in the Solar System Volcanism across the Solar System The echoes of the Solar System CHAPTER 6: Aliens LIFE ON EARTH What is life? Water: An essential life force The signature of water LIFE ON MARS? Scars on Mars Mars' minerals Mars' unexplored subterranea Life underground The final piece of the jigsaw EUROPA: LIFE IN THE FREEZER Europa's eccentric orbit Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland Index Picture credits Acknowledgements