Solar System: Sun & Inner Rock Planets

Solar System: Sun & Inner Rock Planets begins with a detailed look at the sun--its physical features and statistics--as well as an explanation of how Kepler's laws regarding planetary motion keep the “celestial machine” of the solar system running smoothly. Next, the inner planets are examined--Mercury, Venus, and Mars--with each shown both in older footage shot during unmanned spacecraft flights, and newer computer-generated landscape recreations, concluding with what feels like a tacked-on segment about Earth, heralded here as the ideal planet with the attributes to support life as we know it. While there is nothing particularly wrong with this video, it simply feels like an older astronomy title spruced up with new graphics. A better choice here might be Astronomy: The Inner Planets (VL-3/04), a more interactive title that also promotes critical thinking. Optional. Aud: I, J. (E. Gieschen)