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DAVA Sobel’s latest book is a poetic meditation on our sun and its nine planets. It meanders gracefully through history, mythology, religion and science, though at a rather monotonous pace. Sobel begins by confessing to her “planet fetish”, but while romance abounds, the thrill, as they say, is gone. The book makes lovely reading for a quiet night under a starry sky, but it might leave you wishing for some excitement in our solar system. Alas, it has come too late: the recent discovery of the 10th planet will have to wait for another book.

The Planets

Dava Sobel

Fourth…

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