Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Planets

By: Professor Brian Cox, Andrew Cohen
Narrated by: Samuel West
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

‘So staggering you go “whoa!” every few seconds’ Guardian

‘Really impressive’ Eamonn Holmes, ITV This Morning

A companion book to the critically acclaimed BBC series.

The bestselling authors of Wonders of the Universe are back with another blockbuster, a groundbreaking exploration of our Solar System as it has never been seen before.

Mercury, a lifeless victim of the Sun’s expanding power. Venus, once thought to be lush and fertile, now known to be trapped within a toxic and boiling atmosphere. Mars, the red planet, doomed by the loss of its atmosphere. Jupiter, twice the size of all the other planets combined, but insubstantial. Saturn, a stunning celestial beauty, the jewel of our Solar System. Uranus, the sideways planet and the first ice giant. Neptune, dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. Pluto, the dwarf planet, a frozen rock.

Andrew Cohen and Professor Brian Cox take readers on a voyage of discovery, from the fiery heart of our Solar System, to its mysterious outer reaches. They touch on the latest discoveries that have expanded our knowledge of the planets, their moons and how they come to be, alongside recent stunning and mind-boggling NASA photography.

©2019 Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Universe cover art
Forces of Nature cover art
The Quantum Universe cover art
Earth cover art
Cosmos cover art
Why Does E=MC2 and Why Should We Care cover art
Infinite Monkey Cage cover art
One of Ten Billion Earths cover art
When the Earth Had Two Moons cover art
Galileo's New Universe cover art
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry cover art
Life on Earth cover art
A Brief History of Black Holes cover art
How to Die in Space cover art
The Abyss Above cover art
All These Worlds Are Yours cover art

Critic reviews

‘So staggering you go whoa!’ every few seconds … Cox is the Attenborough of the Solar System’ Guardian

‘Spectacular. [Cox’s] ability to convey maximum information in a clear and minimalist style is so softly winning and persuasive’ The Sunday Times

‘Professor Brian Cox continues to boggle our minds’ Daily Mail

‘It was life affirming, it was perspective shifting. It was beautifully made’ Fearne Cotton, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Radio 2

‘Amazing work’ Emma Barnett, Adrian Chiles, Radio 5 Live

‘Starry-eyed Brian Cox is the only man for this job’ The Times

‘Wow’ Evening Standard

‘The professor makes us marvel at life on Earth’ iNews

‘Excellent … a blend of enjoyable, accessible science and dreamlike wonder’ The Times

‘Brian Cox breathes life into science again … breath-taking’ Guardian

‘Fascinating … Good science’ Observer

‘Extraordinary – at its best magically fascinating and full of vast, weird drama’ Radio Times

What listeners say about The Planets

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,186
  • 4 Stars
    179
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,029
  • 4 Stars
    161
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,034
  • 4 Stars
    151
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful

This was a lot of fun.

It's the kind of book that, whilst grounded in science and features quite a lot of scientific phrases etc ... it is easily accessible to your average person on the street. Professor Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen have a knack for making science enjoyable, and for that I applaud them.

I went into this with quite the nerdy love of all things space-related. So I fancied I'd mostly be brushing up on the subject. But it blew my perception of knowing a lot about our solar system right out of the window. Whether you're a pro or just someone with a passing interest in the planets/solar system then this book has something for you.

It gives excellent information on planetary composition, just what was responsible for hurling that comet our way and killing off the dinosaurs, and much more.

I can honestly say it has rekindled my love of physics and that I shall be hunting down other media by Professor Cox (having seen some of his work on TV/interviews, he just seems like such a genuine person who, despite his lengthy career as a physicist, still gets that amazing sense of wonder whenever he looks up at the stars or settles himself down in front of a tricky problem).

There's no bad thing I can say about this other than it ended :(

The narration was absolutely wonderful and I really feel the narrator not only did a stellar job of the reading, but also on picking up on the authors' humour. His skill really added an extra dimension to this book. I believe it's the same narrator who did the original tv show this book accompanied, which is a lovely touch.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Worthwhile listen

Really enjoyed chapters about the outer planets and their moons. Some earlier chapters were too detailed for me and I lost concentration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A very interesting book!

An obviously well researched book by respected authors. Everything you need to know about the planets in our solar system in an easy to understand format. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

mesmerising

loved this book full of interesting facts. narrated delightfully and easy to understand. a real gem.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

Spellbinding story, wonderfully written and read. It is an epic journey in both time and space, yet is written for the layman.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting and Enlightening

Amazing book that has lots of insights. Very scientific with a peppering of grandeur. I believe certain parts felt a little more jarring than others. all in all very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Wow, Space is amazing! This book conjures up the most beautiful images of the planets. I couldn’t be more of an amateur space enthusiast. I just thought it would be an interesting read but now I’m hooked and need to know more!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A trip to remember

Fascinating. Can't go out during lock down? Take a trip into space. The idea of something as small as a car travelling for millions of miles, arriving at the exact target and sending back masses of information is mind blowing. RIP Cassini-Huygens.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

This popped up as a Daily Deal and, loving all things to do with space, I bought it and am so glad I did. It is so interesting and so full of well-presented and easy to understand facts that as soon as I finished it, I started listening again. I think I probably have to buy the paperback now, just to see all the photographs. Beautifully read by Samuel West

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it.

A concise high level explanation of 60years' space exploration. I was immersed. Would recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!