THE GIANT PLANETS

A valuable introduction to those mysterious outermost planets of the solar system. Nourse first describes similarities among all the planets and then shows how the gaseous giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) differ so vastly in both size and structure from the so called terrestrial planets whose orbits lie so much closer to the sun. In a clear and concise manner and using reference points understandable to the unsophisticated reader he describes known facts about the nature of these planets, relates theories about their questionable features, and indicates directions in astronomical research toward which future advances in technology may lead.