the twentieth century, comet Hale-Bopp, appeared, giving an invaluable opportunity to see in action one great source of interplanetary dust. Similarly, the Leonid meteor shower has been at its most active since 1966, producing spectacular displays of meteors and allowing for an array of observational techniques, not available in 1966 to be used, while theory has also been refined to a level where very accurate predictions of the timing of meteor storms has become possible. Prior to the meeting a total eclipse of the Sun in South West England and North Europe was observed, traditionally a good opportunity to observe the Zodiacal cloud. The knowledge of the Near-Earth Asteroid population has also increased dramatically, with the increased study arising from the heightened awareness of the danger to Earth from such bodies. Extrasolar planets have been discovered since the last meeting and it is recognised that interplanetary dust in other Planetary Systems can now be studied. Since much of the dust observed in such systems is at a distance of order 100 AU from the star, this brings into focus the production of dust in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt of our own system. Recent years have seen a recognition of the importance of dust originating outside our own system, that is now present in the near-Earth environment. As is always the case when great strides take place observationally, much theoretical work follows, and the same is true in this instance. While data about the planetary medium from Venus to Jupiter was beginning to be available at the meeting in 1995, the data from both Galileo and Ulysses have now been more fully analysed, with a corresponding increase in our knowledge. This book reflects the thematic appr  (less)

nine planets, dozens of moons, and thousands of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that travel around our sun./PPFirst, Simon explores the star at the center of our Solar System -- from the constant nuclear explosions at its core to the giant storms on its surface as geysers of flaming gas over a hundred thousand miles long rise and fall in just a few hours./PPYou will also learn about the four rocky inner planets, from airless Mercury to fiery Venus, her sister planet, Earth, and mysterious Mars. Then join the thrilling iVoyager/i missions to explore the four gaseous outer planets: gigantic Jupiter, ringed Saturn, tilted Uranus -- the planet lying on its side -- and windy Neptune. You will finish your journey at distant Pluto, then visit the asteroid belt and examine comets, the dirty snowballs in space./PPA companion volume to Simon's landmark series of individual books about each of the planets, the sun, stars, and other space sights, iOur Solar System/i will introduce you to some of the most amazing mysteries in the universe./P  (less)

/ Cremona, ­Italy/ibrbr“Omero, awake!”brbrTowards the east, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars climbed one by one from the horizon, forming a straight line across the sky. The moon was not yet half full and Orion the Hunter came leaping over the walls of the city, the three stars of his belt throwing spears of light. Padre Fabrizio Cambiati leaned over the parapet high atop the tower to see the clock on the tower’s face. He read it upside down – 4:45 ­a.m.brbrAnd then he saw what he had been waiting for. The comet. Out the corner of his eye – almost behind him. He ­turned.brbr“Omero, awake!”brbrA small man with an enormous head which barely reached as high as the priest’s elbow, Omero clambered to his feet and stumbled to the parapet, his mouth hanging open in awe. “iDio mio/i,” he breathed as he cringed in fear of being doused with the comet’s ethereal vapours. “I see the face of the ­goat-­footed one! Save me, Don Fabrizio!”brbr“Calm yourself.”brbrLow on the horizon, the head of the comet shone silvery white, its tail a haze of glowing feathers, as if someone had set fire to a dove and tossed it over the city ­wall.brbrTogether they watched and wondered as the comet coursed up and across the heavens – a ­slow-­moving acolyte, lit taper in hand, passing down a row of candles, lighting them one by one. The light of a great comet would nor­mally have weakened the brilliance of the stars, but this was not a normal comet. Far from it. The comet ignited the firmament. It refreshed the constel@7záG®{ÿ¾Û€  (less)