Stories by James B. Pollack

This multipart spacecraft spent 14 years scrutinizing the atmosphere, clouds and environs of the nearest planet. The results clarify the stunningly divergent evolutionary histories of Venus and the earth

Planets with temperate, earthlike climates were once thought to be rare in our galaxy. Mathematical models now suggest that if planets do exist outside the solar system, many of them might be habitable

Three of the giant planets are now known to have them, and the rings around Saturn are now known to consist of myriad ringlets. The form of the rings is maintained by a complex interplay of sculpturing forces

The first closeup photographs of it suggested that it was a cratered body as dead as the moon. Later pictures show a host of remarkable features indicative of a lively past