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THE 50 MOST EXTREME PLACES IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
By: David Baker, Todd Ratcliff
Belknap Press
September 2010
On Sale: September 1, 2010
304 pages
ISBN: 0674049985
EAN: 9780674049987
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
The extreme events that we hear about dailyβhurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptionsβare extreme in purely human terms, in the devastation they do. But this book moves our understanding of the extreme into extraterrestrial dimensions and gives us an awe-inspiring sense of what our solar system at its utmost can do. Martian dust devils taller than Mount Everest. A hurricane that lasts over 340 years. Volcanoes with βlavaβ colder than Antarctica. Hail made of diamonds. Here, as the authors say, the βWOWβ factor is restored to our understanding of scientific discovery, as we witness the grandeur and the weirdness that inspire researchers to dig deeper and go ever farther into the mysteries of the universe. The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System combines a fascination with natural disasters and the mesmerizing allure of outer space to take readers on a journey that will forever change the way they view our solar system. Full of dazzling photographs from NASAβs most recent observations, this book explores extreme regions on Earth and beyondβgiant turbulent storms, explosive volcanoes, and the possibility of life surviving in harsh conditions. More than a collection of facts, the book conveys the dynamism of science as a process of exploration and discovery. As they amuse and entertain, David Baker and Todd Ratcliff, two experts in planetary science, highlight recent developments and unresolved mysteries and strive, at every turn, to answer that important scientific question: βWhy?β
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