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The Planets
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
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The Planets
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Summary
A companion book to the critically acclaimed BBC series.
The best-selling 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 listeners 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.
Critic reviews
"Cox’s romantic, lyrical approach to astrophysics all adds up to an experience that feels less like homework and more like having a story told to you. A really good story, too." (The Guardian)
"He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things." (The Independent)
"If you didn’t utter a wow watching the TV, you will while reading the book." (The Times)
What listeners say about The Planets
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Phil Morgan
- 07-10-20
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.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sangeeta S.
- 03-07-19
Loved it.
A concise high level explanation of 60years' space exploration. I was immersed. Would recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- JL
- 22-08-21
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
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- Lungsford
- 23-02-23
Beautiful
A wonderful journey, told with romantic fervor, about something fascinating that I know so little about. Thank you very much
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- veyza
- 07-04-23
Fascinating odyssey
Takes you on fascinating journey to the edge of our cosmological neighborhood. My minds eye yearned for the images described.
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- Zack
- 17-04-24
Pluto
What I love most about this book is that it does no disservice to Pluto. While yes, technically Pluto has been ‘demoted’ to a dwarf planet, this book goes on to remind us that it is still a remarkable world and we should hope to explore such worlds. If you like pondering the existence of our solar system and want to know what become our planets, I would highly recommend this book!
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- Swords and Spectres
- 09-10-21
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.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- T A Alexander
- 21-02-21
Worthwhile listen
Really enjoyed chapters about the outer planets and their moons. Some earlier chapters were too detailed for me and I lost concentration
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- AG
- 10-01-22
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.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-07-19
mesmerising
loved this book full of interesting facts. narrated delightfully and easy to understand. a real gem.
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