Venus Revealed: A New Look Below the Clouds of Our Mysterious Twin Planet

I loved reading this book! It describes the cultural, historical and scientific aspects of Venus. For instance, it discusses the significance that ancient cultures placed on Venus (the brightest planet when visible). It also discusses perceptions (and some speculation) that people have had of Venus at various times in history. Then it discusses in detail the scientific discoveries of Venus, by radar and spacecraft. It discusses the politics and development of radar and spacecraft, as well as the actual scientific discoveries made at different times. It is also very fascinating to read about the surface and atmosphere and properties of Venus. It is also interesting how the author compares Venus to Earth in these areas. Although it is obvious that Venus would be a very hostile planet to visit, it is indeed a very fascinating planet to study. In terms of land features, I think that the author points out that Venus is actually similar to Earth in many ways (though also with some of its own characteristics). I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the planet Venus in particular, or in the solar system in general.

_Venus Revealed_ by David Harry Grinspoon is a well-written, witty, thoroughly researched book on our nearest planetary neighbor, the planet Venus, often thought of as Earth's twin due to its roughly same size and mass. Grinspoon covered the history of human perception of the planet, the observation of Venus by scientists from the ground through the centuries, what the amateur astronomer can see and learn about the planet, the saga of the numerous probes to orbit the planet as well as it enter its atmosphere and even land on its surface, current understandings of the atmosphere and geology of Venus, and speculations on whether or not Venus has or had life and the future of human exploration of the planet. There are two inserts in the book, one a color insert that included a color image of the surface of Venus made by the Soviet _Venera 13_ lander in March 1982 as well as several global and regional topographic maps made by the _Pioneer Venus Orbiter_ and _Magellan_, and a black and white insert which included more Soviet lander images of the ground of Venus as well as numerous close-ups taken by _Magellan_ of a wide variety of Venusian surface features. In the text of the book itself I really liked the various diagrams included, including schematics of the sulfur cycle on Venus and a diagram of typical cloud structure. _Magellan_ images are dominant in the book, an extraordinary space probe that peeled back the "bright, unyielding clouds" with "gentle radar fingers," revealing massive amounts of new information for Venus scientists to ponder and debate over. Venus has long attracted human attention, as it is the brightest object in the night sky after the full moon. Though the planet was noticed by virtually every human culture, no civilization paid it more mind than the Classic Maya (A.D. 300-900). They felt they owed their very existence to Venus (whom they called Kukulcan) - a debt that they paid back in human sacrifices - and based their entire calendar on the 260-day Venus appearance interval. Mayan astronomers were able to chart the appearance, disappearance, and reappearance of Venus in the night skies with incredible accuracy, so much that the Mayan Venus Calendar has an error of only two hours in five hundred years of elapsed time. The "solid citadel of clouds" that protected Venus from observation made it into a "tabula rasa," a blank slate that was inscribed by the wishes and dreams of observers for centuries. Grinspoon documented the many speculations about Venus being a swamp or ocean world, referencing both the serious speculations of astronomers such as Percival Lowell and the flights of fancy of popular literature and film. So little was known about the planet that even its rate of rotation wasn't resolved until 1962, when Earth-based radar images established that one day on Venus equaled 117 Earth days (and that it rotated in a backward or retrograde direction, with the sun rising in the west and setting in the east). Passi

Anyone that wonders why humans should continue to invest in space exploration--especially important at this time of tragedy with the Columbia mission--will find many answers in this excellent book. Grinspoon is one of those rare writers that enthralls us with the mystery and wonder of science, while at the same time not shying away from, or diminishing the complexities of scientific discovery. He describes with clarity why studies of other planets are important endeavors in their own right, as well as for our continued understanding of our own planet Earth. All readers will gain an appreciation from Grinspoon for scientific discovery: how it builds with improving data from insights that at first seem remote and uncertain into solid foundations for better understanding of issues such as global warming on earth. Volcanology, plate tectonics, acid rain, and planetary climatology are all discussed in detail, as well as the more esoteric phenomena of planet formation and extra-terrestrial life. While the later topics might be argued as to their importance with regard to current problems on our planet, Grinspoon makes excellent connections for studies of the former issues on Venus, and their impact to our knowledge of our own home planet. Anything that significantly improves our understanding of global warming, plate tectonics (earthquakes), etc., is worth a significant and continuing investment. Venus Revealed is great book in many respects: lack of a bibliography is the only fault worth mentioning. (And I, for one, loved the often hilarious footnotes!) Highly recommended.

Venus Revealed by David Grinspoon is one of the best popular-level astronomy books of the 1990s. It is full of substantial information, yet is entertaining and suspenseful. In this regard, it resembles books such as Black Holes and Time Warps by Kip Thorne; The Alchemy of the Heavens by Ken Croswell; and Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos by Dennis Overbye. Venus Revealed traces astronomers' knowledge of the planet Venus--from ancient times, when it was merely a beautiful object in the morning or evening sky, to the era of telescopic observations, which gave rise to fanciful speculations about life, and finally to the modern era of spacecraft, which revealed the true nature of Venus: a dry, torrid world with an atmosphere 90 times thicker than Earth's. Two minor complaints about the book: the numerous footnotes are often silly, and the book lacks a bibliography. Venus Revealed is definitely a lot more appealing than its inhospitable subject.

David Grinspoon weaves a captivating story of the Human race's 6000-year fascination with our "sister" planet. Speckled with humorous anecdotes from his own professional experience with the recent Magellan mission, Dr. Grinspoon gives the reader a vivid picture not only of the planet, but of the scientific methods that exposed and the setbacks that continue to mask the details of Venus. I was particularly intrigued by his connection between the orbital rates of Venus and the Earth (5:8 ratio) and African drumming rhythms. The book appears to be written for the reader with little or no science background. I found it peppered with just enough science to validate many of the theories or assertions Dr. Grinspoon and his contemporaries make. As an Earthbound geographer, I especially enjoyed his virtual tour of the planet's topographic features. A full set of color and black-and-white plates is included and referenced in the text. Many diagrams and figures help clarify some of the more technical points in the book. I wish I could have taken an astronomy class from this not-too-serious comparative planetologist. This book is an excellent read for anyone whose imagination is not stuck on Earth.