In his recently published book “For the Love of Mars; A Human History of the Red Planet,” Dr. Matthew Shindell of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, guides his readers through the history of our observations, interpretations, and most recently explorations of the aptly called red planet.
One of the great joys of living outside of a densely populated area is the dark skies at night, and because of those dark skies the myriad star that can be seen when those skies are not veiled by clouds. Of course, not all those “stars” are stars – some are planets (as well as occasionally comets, orbiting useful satellites, and – unfortunately as of late – mean Mr. Musk-stache’s phalanxes of space litter).
When I was a boy, eight planets – including the one upon which we all live – were known to exist, and only one was known to harbor life. Since that time, a few more, thousands to be a bit more accurate, have been discovered; and in their myriad, marvelous diversity, there may in fact be at least a few that have, do, or one day will also be home to other life forms.