THE GIANT PLANET JUPITER

Jupiter is an extraordinary colourful and dynamic world. Over minutes one can watch tiny shadows cast by the moons - from the volcanic world of Io through to the puckered, beaten Callisto - sliding over its surface. Over days and weeks a parade of diverse, giant, swirling storms can be seen to move and evolve. It is because of this richness of visual and physical properties that Jupiter has intrigued amateur and professional astronomers and has been the target of several space missions. This highly illustrated volume, largely written in non-technical terms, provides a comprehensive and accessible account of Jupiter and its satellites, synthesising data from amateur and professional astronomers and space missions. It reviews systematic telescopic observations over more than 100 years as well as modern observations and theories, and the wealth of data from the Pioneer, Voyager and Ulysses space missions. Many of the hand-drawings and the images from Voyager are presented and analysed here for the first time. As well as a thorough survey of the planet's atmosphere, this volume provides an up-to-date account of our present knowledge of Jupiter's satellites and magnetosphere, at a level accessible to the non-specialist. As the first full account of Jupiter for nearly 40 years, this volume provides a definitive account of Jupiter for advanced amateur astronomers, professional astronomers and planetary scientists.