Each year as Earth cruises through space a number of amazing and remarkable events occur. For example, like clockwork, we’ll run head-on into asteroid and cometary debris that spreads shooting stars across our skies. On occasion we’ll get to watch the disk of the Moon passing the Sun, casting its shadow upon the face of the Earth, and sometimes we’ll get to watch our own shadow as it glides across the face of the Moon. The Sun’s path will constantly change across the daytime sky, as will the stars and constellations at night. During this time, we’ll also get to watch the other majestic planets in our solar system wander the skies, as they, too, circle the Sun in this elaborate celestial dance.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Big Bang
Just a Theory?
The Emergence of Matter
The Fantastic Four!
Still in the Dark
Chapter 2: The Solar System
Viewing the Planets
The Search for Life on Other Worlds
Chapter 3: Earth, Sun, Moon
The Earth's Orbit
Kepler's Laws
Eratosthenes and the Summer Solstice
The Moon
The Harvest Moon
Solar and Lunar Eclipses
The Dragon that Devoured the Moon
The Eclipse that Saved the Day
Chapter 4: The Night Sky
The Myth of the
Great Bear
The Zodiac
The Celestial Sphere
Types of Stars
Magnificence!
Star Clusters and Nebulae
The Pleiades and Orion
Comets and Meteors
Comets as Prophets
Galaxies
Measuring Time
The Month
The Week
The Day
The Analemma
Our Place in the Cosmoe
Acknowledgments
Recommended for Further Reading