Imaging Our Solar System: The Evolution of Space Mission Cameras and Instruments

As we speak, stunning new snapshots of our Solar System are being transmitted to Earth by a fleet of space probes, landers, and rovers. Yet nowadays, it is all too easy to take such images for granted amidst the deluge of competing visuals we scroll through every day. To truly understand the value of these incredible space photos, we first need to understand the tools that made them possible.

This is the story of imaging instruments in space, detailing all the technological missteps and marvels that have allowed us to view planetary bodies like never before. From the rudimentary cameras launched in the 1950’s to the cutting-edge imaging instruments onboard the Mars Perseverance rover, this book covers more than 100 imaging systems sent aboard variousspacecraft to explore near and distant planetary bodies.

Featured within are some of the most striking images ever received by these pioneering instruments, including Voyager’s Pale Blue Dot, Apollo’s Blue Marble, Venera’s images from the surface of Venus, Huygens’ images of Titan, New Horizon’s images of Pluto and Arrokoth, and much more. Along the way, you will learn about advancements in data transmission, digitization, citizen science, and other fields that revolutionized space imaging, helping us peer farther and more clearly across the Solar System.

Bernard Henin fell in love with astronomy when, as a teenager reading National Geographic, he came across images of Neptune taken from NASA’s spacecraft Voyager 2. He was mesmerised by the giant blue planet, and found it both exhilarating and liberating to think that entire new worlds could be explored. Since then, he has followed humanity’s continued exploration of our solar system closely.

Bernard enjoys sharing his passion for planetary science and space exploration with like-minded amateurs, through public presentations and talks. He is a member of the Sherwood Observatory in the United Kingdom (home to the second largest telescope in the country that is freely accessible for public viewing) and has carried out public outreach activities in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong.

Originally from Belgium, Bernard has also lived in the USA, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. His first book with Springer is titled Exploring the Ocean Worlds of our Solar System (2018).