Synopses & Reviews
Data from NASA's most advanced Earth satellites has been combined to create the most detailed global portrait of our planet ever createdhere this photomap is reproduced in its astonishing entirety, at full-resolution
Living up to its title, this glorious tome reveals the whole planet, pole to pole, cloud-free, at a resolution of 500 miles to every pixel, or 90 miles to every inch. At this scale, we can trace the Amazon from Andean headwaters to Atlantic mouth, explore the trackless sand seas of the Sahara, or follow the corrugated ridges of hills and mountains that mark the frontline of Indias tectonic assault on Eurasia as if we were in low-Earth orbit. These images are supplemented by a wealth of even higher resolution satellite imagery that zooms in on noteworthy featuresfrom volcanoes to cities, river deltas to glaciers. In addition, 12 double-page-spreads chart one year in the life of our planet as they follow the ebb and flow of the seasons across the globe: we watch snow fall in the North as it melts in the South, and desert lands bloom and fade as the rains come and go. Accompanying these images, a brief but informative text explores the history of each landscape, explaining the how and when of its mountain ranges, deserts, and plains.
About the Author
Douglas Palmer is the author of Atlas of the Prehistoric World, Evolution: The Story of Life, Fortune and Glory, and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Prehistoric World, as well as the children's book Fossils and Viewfinder: Fossils. He is also a regular contributor to a variety of publications including the Guardian, Nature, New Scientist, and Science.