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H. B. Hammel (Space Science Institute)
New technologies at ground-based telescopes and new missions in space during the past few years are returning information about our Solar System that has surprised and delighted planetary scientists. This talk will highlight some of the more fascinating results, ranging from NEAR's exploration of the asteroid Eros, to Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the outer planets, to Galileo's investigation of the moons of Jupiter. Also covered will be the relatively new field of Kuiper Belt Objects (is Pluto a planet or not?) and the remarkable seasonal changes in the atmosphere of Mars. As we probe the Solar System from its center out to its edges, we are gaining a deeper understanding of our home environment.