Even though no little men have been found on Mars (or goddesses on Venus), our celestial neighborhood is stranger than anyone ever imagined. New information from robot probes and telescopes has exploded ideas taken for granted for years. Recently verified facts are now illustrated in amazing photos: rainfalls of diamonds on Neptune; dust storms stirred by 6000-mph winds on Jupiter; Saturn's 30 moons, including 12 discovered since 2000. Also shown: everyday occurrences on Venus that would be life-ending catastrophes on earth, and close-ups of long-ago river systems on Mars. Each planet appears in paintings based on you-are-there realism, backed by new introductions by leading scientists explaining how the solar system began and what it teaches us about our own planet.