xix, 276 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm.
Jupiter: fast facts about a planet in orbit --; The interior of Jupiter --; Jupiter's surface appearance and conditions --; Jupiter's rings and moons --; Missions to Jupiter --; Saturn: fast facts about a planet in orbit --; Saturn's interior: composition and magnetic field --; Saturn's surface appearance and conditions --; Saturn's rings and moons --; Missions to Saturn --; An environment for life? Titan, Enceladus, and Europa --; Conclusions: the known and the unknown.
Explores the relationship between the Sun and the solar system's two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, from the point of view of a planetary scientist, examining their role as recorders of the formation of the solar system.