OUR SOLAR SYSTEM:

Use these links to go directly to a specific painting section on this page:
[Sun] [Origin of Solar System] [Mercury and Venus] [Earth] [Moon] [Mars]
[Jupiter] [Saturn] [Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto] [Asteroids] [Comets]

SUN
237 Concept of solar probe falling into the sun.
ORIGIN OF SOLAR SYSTEM
501 Formation of the terrestrial planets -- view of proto-Earth in solar nebula with reddened sun and dust in background.
489.5 View in solar nebula with planetesimals. (Painted for Victor Safronov's 80th birthday
331 Planetesimals with reddened sun in distance; small impact happening on side of planetesimal.
252 Disk-shaped cocoon nebula against nebula background.
100 In the solar nebula.
MERCURY AND VENUS
505 Venus over Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii.
457 Russian VEGA balloon drifting over cratered landscape of Venus, with clouds and lightning.
130 Surface of Mercury, with sun behind rock.
134 Venus from space, with ashen light on dark side.
EARTH
Views from space:
460 Earth 65 million years ago, at time of asteroid impact, showing continents in shifted positions.
369 Rendezvous at last: Mir and Space Shuttle over LA
284 Family: Earth, Moon, and Sun (seen from 54,000 km beyond moon).
227 First step: panorama with shuttle and moon.
224 Moon over Hawaii: view over the Big Island.

Origin and history (see also Moon, origin):
439 Early continental landscape before plants colonized the land; dust devil, eroded rocks.
440 Sunset, moon, and city lights in Sonoran Desert
460 Earth 65 million years ago, showing continents closer together around (then-forming) Atlantic Ocean.
334 Plesiosaur
333.5 When the moon was nearer the Earth; seascape with large full moon
333 Half-grown Earth, seen from space; with craters.
301A Deep sea geothermal vents.
297 First life forms on land (lichens on rock; desert)
293 Land emerging from sea in volcanic eruption.
256 End of Earth: sun as a red giant fills the sky, over melted-down molten surface.
244 Primordial volcanism: fire fountains with moon closer to Earth, very large in the sky

Impacts by asteroids and comets (see also Moon, origin):
405 Binary asteroid encounters Earth; one of the pair is shown as fireball on night side.
385 Asteroid bearing down on Earth (cover of Hazards book, Univ. Ariz. Press)
300 Collision that formed the moon.

The Siberia impact of 1908:
433 1 second before explosion, from 400 km SE.
452 Moment of explosion from 60 km S.
488 A minute after the explosion from about 5 km away.

Spacecraft, orbital views, hardware:
462 Launch of Mars Global Surveyor (eyewitness view).
461 Beyond the clouds (eyewitness view based on launch of Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Observer).
369 Rendezvous at last: Mir and Space Shuttle over LA
366 Launch of Mars Observer, eyewitness view
357 Mir: Morning above the Sea (painted in Moscow and flown to Mir Space Station)
350 Mir-like station in high orbit, sunrise
319 Apollo-Soyuz link-up
317 Space shuttle on pad with Jupiter in beyond clouds (Commission for NASA Fine Art Program).
308 Anticipation 3: Seacoast scene; space shuttle on pad; painted from nature at Kennedy Space Center.
306 Anticipation 2: Shuttle on pad in overcast.
301 Anticipation: Distant shuttle beyond bushes, under big sky and moon.
245 Orbital view over Hawaii
240 Aerobraking: probe heating in atmosphere.
227 First step: orbital panoramic view with shuttle.
217 Earth's children: ring of space stations around Earth.
212 Shuttle tank reentry at night over Hawaii: eyewitness view, with Mauna Loa erupting.
166 Explosion in orbit: unmanned satellite blowup producing space debris.
163 Orbital view of Hawaiian islands.

Astronomical Observatories:
450 Summer rainstorm over dome as seen from Kitt Peak.
477 Mt. Palomar summit and domes from nearby valley.
478 Dome of the 200-inch telescope, evoking spiral galaxy in background.
480 Sunlight reflecting off the dome of the 200 inch.
481 Dusk on Mt. Palomar, showing dome at twilight.
382 Mt. Wilson: View of L.A. + Pasadena at dusk

Volcanoes:
484 Kilauea Caldera - Rainy Day
483 Full Moon over Kilauea, during Pu'u O'o Eruption
456 Mt. Teide Volcano, Tenerife, Canary Islands.
340 Hawaii: Steam plume from Kalapana lava flow entering the sea.
307 Hawaii: In Haleakala crater.
286 Mexico: Elegante crater with Pinacate peaks erupting in distance.
281 Iceland: Boiling mudpots at Lake Myvatn.
223 Pit crater: fern growing in a Hawaii crater.
205 California: Ubehebe crater, Death Valley
197 Hawaii: Cinder cone above Waimea.
186 Mexico: Dawn on Pinacate summit cinder cone.
126 Hawaii: Active pit crater with molten lava.

Eclipses:
337 1991 Hawaii solar eclipse through clouds.
336 1991 Hawaii solar eclipse over palm tree.
335 Eclipse seen from space: view of moon shadow hitting backlit atmosphere.

MOON
Origin and history:
507 As the moon formed -- moon with red-hot magma ocean on outskirts of ring system around Earth. Sun in background.
506 Contact, minutes after the collision that spawned the moon. Sun in background.
447 5 hours after impact that formed the moon, showing streamer of red hot ejecta, based on computer models.
397 Erupting volcanic caldera on early moon.
300 Collision that formed the moon.
230 Moon aggregating in orbit near Earth, with ring of debris around Earth, plus large shadow of moon.

Surface features:
489 Late afternoon on the moon.
435 Homage to Chesley Bonestell: The Bonestell rocket from "Conquest of Space," on the real moon.
459 Morning in a lunar crater; on floor in shadow of the wall; Earth in sky.
397 Volcanic caldera erupting; fire fountains.
268 Vertical view of cratered surface.
266 Midday on the moon. Light from zenith.
144 Sunset on the moon, with zodiacal light and blueish Earthlit landscape.

Human exploration:
351 Return to Moon: three astronauts atop bluff.
318 Lunar morning: astronauts in crater.
316 International orbital station over moon.
314 Dawn landing.
228 Next step: over the moon.
214 Lunar base during Eclipse of sun by Earth
210 Astronauts on floor of crater Tycho
204 Earthrise from lunar orbit: Rendezvous of US and Russian Soyuz-type spacecraft in lunar orbit.
165 Manned craft over cratered surface.
164 Takeoff of manned craft from cratered surface.
161 Looking homeward: astronaut in Earthlit crater.
129 Fresh basalt lava flow.
105 Return to the moon: group of astronauts on rim of a large crater.

Abstract/symbolic:
243 Moon flower: flower imposed on disk of moon

MARS
Views from space:
285 Mars seen through 24-inch reflector on Mauna Kea.
275 Orbital probe over a volcano (looking down).
139 Mars, seen from a passing Amor asteroid.

Surface views and phenomena:
498 Buttes of Mars, showing dust devil in the distance.
410 Pathfinder-type lander on the polar ice cap
465 Retouched Viking view with clouds.
211 Landscape in the polar hills
184 Martian lava with volcanic hill in distance.
179 Martian caldera: modeled on Kilauea Iki crater, Hawaii.
141 Sunset in polar dune fields.
133 Morning in the canyon lands; fog.
128 Basalt flow from a volcano.

Mars meteorites:
437 Asteroid impact on Mars: blowing the Martian meteorites off the planet.
438 Collision of a Mars ejected boulder with an asteroid in space, creating smaller meteorites.

Human exploration:
410 Pathfinder-type lander on the polar ice cap.
461 Beyond the clouds (eyewitness view based on launch of Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Observer).
462 Launch of Mars Global Surveyor (eyewitness view).
384 First on Mars (astronauts + 2 landing vehicles)
363 Return to Mars at last -- Mars Observer approaches Mars
238 Mars surface sample return mission.
215 Manned ship passing Phobos toward Mars.
211A Drilling base in the polar strata of Mars.
209 Astronaut in the dunes of Mars.
180 Devil's postpile on Mars: astronaut looking at columnar basalt.
149 Discovery of active steam vent, giving a chance
for water source and geothermal power.
104 Exploration: astronauts on a butte.

Satellites (Phobos and Deimos):
236 Landscape on Phobos.
236A Russian PHOBOS 2 probe maneuvering over Phobos.
234 Phobos space station with tether.
215 Rounding the bend on Phobos: manned flight over Phobos and heading toward Mars.
103 Mars from Phobos.

JUPITER
Clouds, atmosphere, ring, comet impact:
387 Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 viewed from rings
386 Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 viewed from cloudtops
317 Jupiter is waiting: Symbolic view of Jupiter in sky over space shuttle on pad in Florida during Galileo launch (commission: NASA Fine Art Program).
177 Ring moonlet over the red spot.

Satellites:

Io
368 Jupiter and Io from space
367 Erupting volcano on Io (joint painting with Ron Miller), sun emerging from behind Jupiter
141 Looking through the yellow-glowing Io sodium aurora from surface of Io.
129 1/2 = 138 Io from neighbor moon 1979 J2.
113 through 118: A Day on Io: a sequence of 6 paintings showing a day from one spot, as Io moves around Jupiter.
112 Caldera on Io with blue gas emission glow.
101 Volcano erupting on Io.

SATURN
Rings:
261 Impact shattering a moonlet on the outskirts of the rings, adding debris to the rings.
196 Dynamical ephemeral bodies aggregating within the rings, as envisioned by Rick Greenberg and others.
194 300 km over the Encke Gap, sun seen through rings.
193 E ring seen from Tethys.
183 In Saturn's rings: floating moonlets with Saturn and sun in distance.
182 On the outskirts of Saturn's rings. Crescent Saturn, sun, and waviness in ring plane.

Satellites:
430 Dawn on Mimas; Saturn on horizon.
345 Crater-forming impact on night side of Rhea, Saturn at horizon in background.
327 Enceladus ice plains: Saturn looms on horizon.
291 Saturn from deep fracture on Enceladus.
193 Tethys, view toward Saturn with sun coming out of eclipse.
175 Enceladus: Rift zone in icy plain.
169 Saturn seen from Rhea.
159 Solar eclipse seen from near Hyperion.
158 Astronaut scaling a peak on Dione with Saturn in background.
143 1/2 Eclipse of sun by Tethys, seen from Dione.
140 3/4 View of other moons from Enceladus -- largest number of moons visible in solar system from one place.
110 Titan: Sunset seen from above clouds.

URANUS, NEPTUNE, AND PLUTO
(Plus satellites)
503 Pluto and the sun as seen from icy landscape of Charon.
434 Triton landscape: boulders with Neptune in background
373 Triton: Erupting volcanic vent with Neptune & "smoking vent" in background
347 Neptune satellite Nereid at apoapsis with very distant Neptune and sun in view.
343 Neptune's inner moon, Naiad, in front of Neptune.
199 Liquid nitrogen lake on Triton (as envisioned by Dale P. Cruikshank in early 1980s).
154 Uranus seen from Umbriel
ASTEROIDS
Views of asteroids:
445 Ida, seen from near its small moon, Dactyl
464 Three models of the largest Trojan, elongated asteroid 624 Hektor
479 Centaur asteroid 5145 Pholus and distant sun.
352 Trojan asteroid with Jupiter system in distance.
309 2060 Chiron erupting near Saturn.
287 Apollo asteroid with Earth as blue dot in distance
232 Relationships: Asteroid and comet in same scene
210 1/2 Ceres, the largest asteroid.
173 Asteroid 4 Vesta, showing dark lava spots.
142 2060 Chiron passing near Saturn: pole-on view.
143 Large, spheroidal asteroid and its satellite.
139 Mars seen from a passing Amor asteroid.
135 624 Hektor, the largest Trojan; compound double body seen in 2 rotational positions.

Asteroid collisions and fragmentation:
405 Binary asteroid encountering Earth.
438 Reddish asteroid shattered by black asteroid.
345 Impact on Saturn's moon, Rhea, with Saturn in background.
270 Collision and breakup of two asteroids, showing fragments dispersing.
268 A field of moon-like impact craters, vertical view.
261 Asteroid shattering a moon of Saturn, to produce ring material.

The Siberia impact of 1908:
433 1 second before explosion, from 400 km SE.
452 Moment of explosion from 60 km S.
488 A minute after the explosion from about 5 km away.

The asteroid impact 65 M.Y. ago that wiped out the dinosaurs:
(This is a series of 5 matching views from orbit, like a film strip)
190A 5 seconds before impact
190B 1 second before impact
191 Beginning of Cenozoic: 60 sec after impact
328 1 month after end of Mesozoic (haze & smoke)
332 1000 years later: Chicxulub impact crater

Collisions with Earth and near approaches to Earth:
405 Binary asteroid encounters Earth; one of the pair is shown as fireball on night side.
385 Asteroid bearing down on Earth (cover of Hazards book, Univ. Ariz. Press)

Asteroid mining and human exploration:
216 Bringing home an asteroid.
195 Approaching a Trojan asteroid in manned ship.
168 Reconnaissance of a near-Earth asteroid from a manned ship, parked near asteroid.
165 Manned ship flying over cratered surface
164 Takeoff from an asteroid.

COMETS
Surface views:
344 View from midnight side of a comet, looking down the tail. First and only view I know to show shadow of nucleus cast on dust coma, as seen from comet.
241 Comet surface sampler: international probe on the surface of a comet.
145 Concept of icy comet surface with dark carbonaceous rocks and "pedestals."

Closeup views and views from space:
482 Three views of a nucleus rotating.
455 Comet passing Earth; sun partly eclipsed by moon.
466 Closeup view of lumpy comet nucleus, showing jets.
394 Cometary eruptions on "asteroid" 2060 Chiron.
346 Closeup of Halley comet nucleus (like Giotto view but with improved resolution).
309 2060 Chiron erupting during pass by Saturn.
239 Comet rendevouz mission with comet erupting
232 Relationships: Comet and with foreground asteroid.
213 Into the heart of a comet, showing breakup into many fragments.
142 2060 Chiron passing near Saturn: pole-on view.

Views from Earth (including landscapes):
468 View of Comet Hale-Bopp from residential Tucson.
471, 473 Views of Comet Hale-Bopp over Caribbean.
172 Observing a comet from Space Shuttle.