火星是太阳系内，除地球之外，最适宜人类居住的行星，所以火星是学术研究的焦点，也被视为最佳外星殖民候选地。
 
本书是由屡获殊荣的天文学家Stephen James O’Meara所撰写，他透过望远镜观察火星已近半世纪之久。本书带领读者了解这颗难以捉摸的「红色星球」，从源於人类最初观星者的冥想讲起，延伸至科幻小说家和电影制作人的想像力，再到轨道航天器和火星探测器的最新图像与发现。该书还回顾了前往火星的无人飞行任务计划，以及成功完成这些任务所需的条件。这是一本平易近人的科学历史读物。
 
 
本书目录
1 Communion with Mars
2 The ‘Miniature of Our Earth’
3 Romancing Mars
4 The First Emissaries to Mars
5 Lifting the Curse at Mars
6 Scouting Out Humanity’s Next Home
7 Mars: Our Home Away from Home?
8 The Lilliputian Moons of Mars
9 Observing Mars
 
Appendix I: Mars Oppositions, 2020－35
Appendix II: Mars Fact Sheet
Appendix III: Mars Missions
 
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
 
 
 书评
 
‘ This fascinating book on Mars is written from a unique perspective: Stephen O'Meara has been observing Mars visually through telescopes for nearly a half century, and as such he understands well the limits that visual observers of the past have had. Combined with his talent for writing scientific history for the lay person, this has resulted in a book that anybody desiring to learn about the history of the red planet, from ancient times up to our modern spacecraft era, will enjoy.’ — Daniel W. E. Green, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
 
 
关於作者
Stephen James O’Meara是一位屡获殊荣的天文学家，撰写出版过十多本书，其中包括2018年出版的《太空探索词典》(A Dictionary of Space Exploration)。 他是《天文学》(Astronomy) 杂志的专栏作家和编辑，同时也是《GeminiFocus》杂志的副主编，小行星3637是以他的名字命名为O’Meara。