{"product_id":"the-big-backyard-the-solar-system-beyond-pluto","title":"The Big Backyard: The Solar System beyond Pluto","description":"\u003cp\u003eThousands of years ago  humans believed that Earth was the center of the universe  that the world they lived on was all there was. Truthfully  the solar system extends almost halfway to the nearest star. And it is composed of not only planets  asteroids  and comets  but also powerful forces and vast fields of energy. This is our solar systems big backyard. The cold  dark world that lies at the farthest reaches of our solar system holds a vast collection of secrets  and for most of human history  we had no idea anything was out there. But  driven by curiosity and equipped with new technology  astronomers have determined that beyond the orbit of Neptune are countless icy comets  strange particles that dance under the influence of the sun  and signs of undiscovered planets. To learn more about these far-flung objects  scientists have finally begun to explore the distant solar system  finding answers to age-old questions at the same time that they encounter new mysteries. With Ron Millers incredible illustrations and photographs from NASA probes and telescopes  The Big Backyard takes us on a tour through the solar systems most obscure neighborhoods and into its darkest corners  to places beyond the limits of the human eye. Miller expertly describes the formation of the solar system and the history of the exploration of the outer solar system before delving into the latest discoveries and missions. Read on to learn what sorts of objects orbit at such extreme distances  what happens at the boundary between the suns influence and interstellar space  whether there is such a thing as the mysterious Planet X  and how life on Earth could not exist without the happenings at the edge of the solar system.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44948511260725,"sku":"ByrdShop_1728475341","price":60.77,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781728475349.jpg?v=1770049013","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-big-backyard-the-solar-system-beyond-pluto","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}