Telescopes

Children's Literature

Approximately three thousand stars are visible with the naked eye. Astronomers know that there are millions of stars. Telescopes allow them to study stars, many of which are very far away. The first telescope was made in 1608. Galileo was the first to point it toward the sky in 1609. There are two types of telescopes. A refracting telescope uses two lenses; one to collect the light of an object and the second lens magnifies the image. A reflecting telescope collects light with a mirror and bounces it off of the mirror onto a lens. Telescopes were used to discover the planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Amateur astronomers also use telescopes and make discoveries. The Hubble Space Telescope is both a spacecraft as well as a telescope. This telescope allows astronomers to see space more clearly, without the interference of the Earth's atmosphere. The Hubble Space Telescope is about the size of a bus and orbits about 375 miles above the Earth. This book is one of the "Science Matters" series for young elementary school students. A standardized format features a fact sheet for the volume topic, biographies of scientists, a map of the solar system and a quiz to review information presented in the book. There are also web links and a glossary. These books are well illustrated, primarily with photographs. The information is well organized for this age group. 2003, Weigl Publishers, Ages 5 to 9.
—Kristin Harris