This concise, illuminating guide takes us on a comprehensive tour of the solar system, from the Sun at its very heart - via the planets and their moons - to the icy objects at its periphery, some 150 billion kilometres away.

The Solar System in Minutes explains the history and features of all the major celestial bodies, including the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, the planets' main moons, the asteroids, comets, dwarf planets and the Kuiper belt; as well as the birth, evolution and science of the solar system and the story - and future - of its exploration.

With 200 of the very latest space photographs and explanatory diagrams, here is the easiest way to understand our cosmic neighbourhood.

Giles Sparrow studied astronomy at University College London and science communication at Imperial College London. He is the author of numerous bestselling books including Cosmos, The Stargazer's Handbook, Hubble: Window on the Universe, Astronomy in Minutes, and Physics in Minutes.