Spotlight on space science

Describes the sun, its place in the solar system, what it looks like, what it does, and what it is made of.

Pluto, once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, is now classified as one of the largest dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt. But what is a dwarf planet? And what is the Kuiper Belt? This engaging book answers these questions while exploring the unique features of Pluto, its moon Charon, and other major dwarf planets like Eris and Ceres.

It’s the plot of many sci-fi movies: An asteroid is hurtling toward Earth! But is this really a danger we face? And what exactly are asteroids? This book answers these and many more questions about the millions of asteroids in our solar system and the large orbiting belt in which most are found.

One of the most beautiful natural phenomena we can see here on Earth is that of solar and lunar eclipses. Through perfect orbital timing, these events can cause the Sun to disappear and darken the sky in the middle of the day or even to create an eerie red glow seemingly by magic. This book strips the magic away to provide the space science behind these incredible events.