The Atlas of the Universe

Mitchell Beazley, 1981

This Atlas, incorporating the new discoveries from the Pioneer, Viking, Voyager and Solar Maximum missions, charts man's knowledge about space which has increased at a great rate in the last half century, extending the frontiers considerably. The milestones of the 1970s indicate just how great a leap man has taken since he first set foot on the Moon; the Russian soft-landing on Venus (Venera 9, 1975) and detailed NASA mapping of the planet, shrouded in dense atmosphere (Pioneer Venus, 1980); the Viking soft-landings on Mars (VIking 1 and 2, 1976); ther most detailed research of the sun since Skylab (Solar Maxiimum Mission, 1980); the discovery of a satellite orbiting Pluto (1980) and the missions to Jupiter and Saturn, revealing worlds so mysterious that they can defy our present laws of physics (Voyagers 1 and 2, 1980 and1981). These and many more dramatic discoveries have been assembled in this new edition of The Atlas of the Universe. The survey of our own planet made available by the US Geological Survey and NASA, together with radar and x-ray exploration of the universe beyond ourt telescopic reach, complement the new material. Thus the heart of the present Atlas remains the same - the enthralling story of man's struggle to convert the unknown into the known...,