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Explore the Wonders of the Sky
The sky is a gateway to the marvels of the universe. Night and day spectacular things are happening overhead, and you don’t need a telescope or binoculars to see them. With this book as your guide, take a journey through our solar system, around our galaxy, and into deep space, and experience the excitement of scientific discovery.
Know your way around the moon - understand cosmic events like eclipses, auroras, and meteor showers - learn star stories from all over the world - make your own astronomy notebook to keep track of your discoveries - and much more!
List of contents
Chapter 1: Step into the Sky
The Sky Belongs to Everyone
What's Up There?
Astronomy Notebook: Start a Sky Journal
Where to Sky Gaze
Darkness and Light
Finding Your Way around the Sky
Try It: Cosmic Protractor
Astronomy Notebook: Be a Weather Watcher
Light Shows
Special Effects
Try It: Watch Day Turn into Night
Night Vision
Try It: Make a Red Flashlight
Journey into Our Home Galaxy: The Milky Way
Special Event: The Aurora
A Closer Look: Binoculars
Chapter 2: The Moon
Shape-Shifter
Astronomy Notebook: Make a Moon Diary
Our One and Only Moon
Moonrise, Moonset
Moon Illusions
Try It: Do a Moondance
Sightseeing on the Moon
How the Moon Formed
Astronomy Notebook: Picture the Moon
Moon Map
Special Event: Lunar Eclipse
A Closer Look: The Moon
Chapter 3: The Sun
Sunwise
Astronomy Notebook: Make a Sunset Calendar
How Seasons Happen
Sun Paths
Telling Time by the Sun
Try It: Track the Sun
A Visit to the Sun
How the Sun Formed
Special Event: Solar Eclipse
Try It: Make a Pinhole Projector
A Closer Look: Our Sun
Chapter 4: Planets
Earth's Siblings in the Sky
Star or Planet?
Planets Inside and Outside
Sky Wanderer
Roaming around the Solar System
Try It: Make a Scale Model
Meet a Planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Other Dwarf Planets
Astronomy Notebook: Design Your Own Solar System
Try It: Be the Solar System
How the Solar System Formed
Special Event: Great Comet
Other Suns and Their Solar Systems
A Closer Look: The Planets
Chapter 5: Stars and Constellations
Star Light, Star Bright
How Stars Move during the Night
Try It: Find North & South Using the Stars
Why Humans Invented Constellations
Astronomy Notebook: DIY Constellations
The Zodiac and the Ecliptic
Star Seasons
Try It: Make Your Own Star Wheel
Seasonal Sky Gazing
How Stars Are Born, Live, and Die
Special Event: Meteor Shower
A Closer Look: Deep Sky Objects
Appendix: Find Out More
Try It: Throw a Star Party
Meteor Shower Calendar
Eclipses 2020-2030
Binocular Objects
Buying Binoculars
Try It: Make Dew Shields
Resources
Glossary
Index
About the author
Meg Thacher is the author of Sky Gazing and Cool, Cosmic Tattoo Stars and Planets, a senior laboratory instructor in Smith College’s astronomy department and the academic director for Smith's Summer Science and Engineering Program for high schoolers. A regular contributor to national children’s science magazines, she teaches astronomy workshops for school groups and scout troops. She has a BA in physics from Carleton College and an MS in astrophysics from Iowa State. She lives in western Massachusetts.
Summary
This rich visual guide takes readers aged 9–14 on a journey through the Earth’s solar system, around the galaxy, and into deep space to learn about the moon, sun, planets, stars, and constellations.
Foreword
This rich visual guide takes readers aged 9–14 on a journey through the Earth’s solar system, around the galaxy, and into deep space to learn about the moon, sun, planets, stars, and constellations.
Additional text
"Packed with fun activities and fascinating facts, Sky Gazing is perfect for sharing with kids or letting them enjoy on their own. By inviting us outside to look up in wonder, Sky Gazing inspires our best defense against the continued growth of light pollution and the loss of natural night: a love for the sky gained by knowing it firsthand. You couldn’t ask for a better guide to that experience than Meg Thacher’s marvelous book."
— Paul Bogard, author of The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light
“This title is a bonanza for upper-elementary or middle school independent reading, especially for students with an interest in the sciences.”
— School Library Journal, starred review
