Natural Satellites: The Book of Moons

by Ron Miller, Ron Miller (Illustrator)

Overview

For centuries, astronomers have placed a special interest on the other planets of the solar system. But with the advent of spacecraft and the tremendous missions undertaken by the Voyager and Cassini probes, astronomers have discovered that the natural satellites of the planets—the solar system's moons—are some of the most extraordinary places imaginable. There are moons with towering geysers, erupting volcanoes, and subterranean oceans of warm, mineral-rich water. Some of the highest mountains and deepest canyons can be found on the moons. There are moons that have shattered into pieces and then reassembled. There is even a moon where it rains rocket fuel.

Recently, scientists have turned to the moons for answers in their investigations of the origins of the solar system and the evolution of life on our own planet. Featuring full-color, scientifically accurate illustrations by NASA artist Ron Miller, Natural Satellites: The Book of Moons chronicles these investigations and the questions we have yet to answer in our exploration of the solar system's moons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728427492
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	104
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Ron Miller has worked as a freelance writer and illustrator for more than 30 years. Many of his illustrations appear in magazines like Astronomy and Scientific American. He has also worked on motion pictures and created postage stamps. (One of his stamps is attached to a spacecraft headed for the planet Pluto!) He has also written short stories and novels and has even created a comic book.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

1 The Birth of the Solar System 8

2 What Is A Moon? 15

3 Worlds of Ice 32

4 A World of Fire 44

5 The Giant 52

6 The Planet With A Billion Moons 60

7 Prisoners of Gravity 65

8 Curiouser and Curiouser 71

9 Abodes For Life? 83

Glossary 97

Source Notes 99

Selected Bibliography 99

Further Information 100

Index 102

Editorial Reviews

"The concise, crystal clear writing is supplemented by photography, photorealistic illustrations, and diagrams . . . an excellent resource for teen selenophiles."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2021-01-26
Just as our moon became more than a rock once humans landed on it, other moons have emerged as worlds of their own in data from probes like Voyager.

Full-color illustrations, photographs, and helpful diagrams tell their stories and emphasize their importance. Europa, Enceladus, and Titan—moons of Jupiter and Saturn—might even host life. Readers need a solid understanding of how gravity works, especially beyond Earth. Though the book’s purpose is (rightfully) not to teach orbital mechanics, it does an impressive job of offering plain-language explanations of scientific concepts, particularly Newton’s laws and methods for finding exomoons. Comparisons to the size of the moon in the Earth’s sky make it easy to picture what other moons must look like from other planets. Galileo and Newton receive top billing, and most other scientists mentioned are male and either European or American; one European and two American female scientists appear. Historical discussions of astronomy mention ancient Greeks and Romans but omit ancient Islamic or other non-Western astronomers, instead describing ancient Asian and Indigenous peoples in the context of sun and moon deities and folklore. References to past and future missions like Cassini-Huygens and the Enceladus Explorer connect facts to the scientific methods used to discover them and present exciting goals for future space exploration.

An illuminating journey through the moons of our solar system, presenting goals for future space exploration. (glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, further information, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews