Astronomy

Stars

Name: Stars
Author: Robin Birch
ISBN: 9781604132069

by Robin Birch

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Overview

What is a star?

How did stars form?

Why are old stars sometimes called Red Giants?

What are Blue Giants, White Giants and Yellow Dwarves?

What constellations do people see in the Northern Hemisphere?

What stars make up Orion, the Hunter?

How do people study stars?

Find answers to these questions and discover more about stars and the fascinating world of the solar system in this series covering each of the eight planets, dwarf planets, the Sun, Moon, and stars.

An introduction to stars and constellations of the Milky Way, as well as galaxies, star clusters, and other phenomena that can be observed with the help of binoculars, telescopes, or observatories.

Synopsis

An introduction to stars and constellations of the Milky Way, as well as galaxies, star clusters, and other phenomena that can be observed with the help of binoculars, ...

Children's Literature

Originally published in Australia, this "New Solar System" series delivers the latest astronomical news through 2008, illustrations on every page, and many statistics. In five or six brief chapters, young scientists will learn about bodies in our solar system as well as the exploration that provided us with information on those objects. In Stars, readers will discover that stars are "huge balls of glowing gas" that seem to twinkle in our atmosphere; though they are light years away, we can see many of them through binoculars. Budding astronomers will find a wealth of information here about galaxies, the Milky Way, star formation, colors and temperatures, and the death of stars. A chapter on constellations relates that ancient astronomers saw patterns in the stars and told stories about them—today there are eighty-eight, named in Latin—and then guides readers through some famous groups like Ursa Major and Minor, Canis Major and Sirius, Orion the Hunter and its nebulae, as well as the twelve (or now, thirteen) zodiac constellations. Those intrigued by space exploration will discover that scientists study stars with satellites and spectrometers, which break up starlight into spectra; optical and radio telescopes collect light and radio waves, as the Hubble Space Telescope discovers new stars, nebulae, and galaxies. Clear, no-nonsense text moves along briskly, while illustrations, which are mostly in saturated colors on dark backgrounds, are eye-catching. Further help includes a "Star Fact Summary," a glossary, and a list of websites. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Despite some boilerplate passages in the texts, plus the failure, in most cases, to distinguish actual photographs from the many sharply realistic imaginary scenes, these planetary overviews offer appealing next steps for readers of the relevant "True Book" (Children's) primers and their ilk. In Mars, Mercury, and Pluto, Birch positions each planet in relation to the others; identifies the space probes and/or other ways we have gathered information about it; discusses its major physical features, surface conditions, and moons (if any); and closes with a list of tantalizing questions yet to be answered. Stars, which focuses largely on constellations, seems to have wandered in from some other series. And even though the author compensates for the general lack of information about Pluto with an expanded discussion of its moon, the same digitally generated image of a faintly dimpled but otherwise featureless disco ball is used no fewer than 15 times to depict the planet. Despite these bobbles, and even though some of the information (particularly in Mars) is already dated-unavoidable, and compensated for by brief but helpful lists of Web sites in each book-these make worthwhile supplementary choices for collections supporting strong early science programs.-John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.