Astronomically speaking, our solar system is small, but it contains many wonders; this chunky guide—filled with nearly 200 black and white photos—explains the history and features of all its major celestial bodies, including the sun, the planets and their moons, as well as the asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, and the Kuiper belt. Along with an overview of the birth, evolution, and science of the solar system, this book also contains features on Earth's impact sites, the search for life on Mars, the rings of Saturn, the ice geysers of Enceladus, and the possibility of a Planet X, plus a survey of some of the most important space missions—and thoughts on the future of manned expeditions.