| Introduction: The Wonder of Astronomy | 5 |
Chapter 1. | What Is Astronomy? | 6 |
| What Do Astronomers Study? | 7 |
Chapter 2. | How Big Is the Universe? | 8 |
| Some Cosmic Distances | 8 |
| Will Astronomers Ever See the Edge of the Universe? | 10 |
| Are There Other Universes? | 10 |
| How Do Astronomers Know How Far Away the Stars Are? | 11 |
| Solar System and Universe Facts | 12 |
Chapter 3. | The Origin of the Universe | 14 |
| When Did God Make Moons and Planets? | 15 |
| Is the Solar System in the Bible? | 15 |
| Was There a Big Bang? | 16 |
| The Importance of the Biblical Record | 17 |
| Is the Universe Expanding? | 17 |
Chapter 4. | Watching the Sky | 18 |
| Eclipses of the Sun | 19 |
| Eclipses of the Moon | 20 |
| Using a Telescope | 20 |
Chapter 5. | Why Did God Create the Heavenly Bodies? | 22 |
| Calendars | 23 |
| Modern Time-Telling | 24 |
| What Are Constellations? | 24 |
| How Are Constellations Related to Astrology? | 25 |
| How Do Astronomers Use the Constellations? | 26 |
| Learning More About the Constellations | 27 |
Chapter 6. | Space Exploration | 28 |
| Early Rockets | 28 |
| The Space Age | 29 |
| The First Moon Landing | 30 |
| The Modern Space Program | 31 |
| Unmanned Missions | 32 |
| What Has The Space Program Taught Us? | 34 |
| Space Highlights | 34 |
Chapter 7. | A Tour of the Solar System | 36 |
| The Earth: Not Just Another Planet | 36 |
| Why Did God Make Other Planets? | 37 |
| The Moon: A Special Satellite | 38 |
| The Origin of the Moon | 38 |
| How Old Is the Moon? | 39 |
| The Sun, a Light-Giver | 40 |
| The Sun: Not Just Another Star | 40 |
| Where Does the Sun Get Its Heat? | 42 |
| How Old Is the Sun? | 43 |
| The Nebular Hypothesis: A False Idea | 43 |
| Mercury and Venus | 44 |
| Mars: Not a Life-Supporting Planet | 45 |
| Jupiter and Saturn | 46 |
| Uranus and Neptune | 48 |
| Pluto | 49 |
Chapter 8. | Stars and Galaxies | 50 |
| What Are Stars Made Of? | 51 |
| Stars Are Not All the Same | 52 |
| Do Black Holes Exist? | 53 |
| The Closest Galaxies | 54 |
| Seeing Distant Objects in a Young Universe | 55 |
| Look-Back Time | 55 |
Chapter 9. | Cosmic Catastrophes | 56 |
| Star Death | 56 |
| The Death of the Sun | 57 |
| Supernova Remnants | 57 |
| The Myth of Star Birth | 59 |
Chapter 10. | Catastrophes in the Solar System | 60 |
| Did Moons Really Explode? | 61 |
| What Are Asteroids? Where Did They Come From? | 62 |
| Did a Planet Really Explode? | 62 |
| Martian Catastrophes | 64 |
| The Martian Flood | 65 |
| What Caused These Catastrophes? When Were They? | 66 |
| Comets | 67 |
| The Age of Comets | 68 |
| Meteor Showers | 68 |
| Big Meteor Craters | 69 |
| Did an Asteroid or Meteor Kill the Dinosaurs? | 70 |
| Big Meteorites | 70 |
| People Have Seen Big Meteors Land | 71 |
Chapter 11. | Are There Other Planets in Other Solar Systems? | 72 |
| Why Do Some Astronomers Believe There Are Other Solar Systems? | 73 |
| Is There Extraterrestrial Life? | 74 |
| What Is Life? | 74 |
| What Are UFOs? | 75 |
| Endnotes and Credits | 76 |
| Glossary | 77 |
| Index | 78 |