astronomy - a golden exploring earth book

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Contents

Our Sun: The Nearest Star 3

The Sun's Energy . 4

Eclipses of the Sn . 6The Sun's Family . . . 8

Mercury The Littlest Planet 11

Venus: The Brightest Planet 1

arh: Or Home.....13

Time and Seasons .14

Around and Inside Eart • 16

Our Neigbo te Moon 18

oon Phases, cipses, and Tides 0

Mars: Planet of Mystey

Mn o Mars" 4

Jupter King of Planets 6

Atroids: Tiny Planes" . . 8

Meteors Vistors Fro Spac 29Saturn: The Ringed Planet 30

The Oer Plant · , 3

Comets: Tramps of the Sky 34

Birth Death o the Sola System . 37Telescopes 38

The Zodiac . 40

Our Galaxy 4

Rockets Ito Space 44

To Other Worlds . 46

Man-Made Moon 48



EXPLRG EARTH K

Our Su and Its NeighbosThe wonders of the solar sysem and our eh's pce

in i ... he how and why o ime and seasons .. he v

of sae and he galaxies, planets, moons, o

aseroids, and meteors ha are ound in it

By Jene LyonEditorial Consulan: Diane M. Pyper, Ph. D.

Univesiy of Wiscosin- Pakside

Illusaed by George Soloewitsch ad ohes

Cover'by Rod Ruth

�e b Copyright © by Western Publishing Compan, Inc.

Al rights reserved including the right of reproduction inwhole or in part in ny for Printed in US.A

Revised edition. Prevousl published sOUR SUN AND WORLDS AROUND

• GOLDEN PRESS®. GOLDEN. a nd A GOLDEN EXPLORING EARTH BOOK are trademar ks ofWestern Publishing Company, nc



OUR SUN: THE EAR SA

vERY DAY the Sun crosses our skyEven when it is hidden by clouds, we

know it is tere. At nigt w kno ts sti in th sky Our se of th athas tud aa fro it.

Th Sn a in h log rthr re n pep Ea,for dioau roamed t pisicap o h a a i at all or pant A it i ca thu that pat an aiml ppl

ca liv he Earhhe Sun i a t�·ie thos in th sk on a dar ight l stars areiat a f vr ot, chrg gaseso tar ar le, som d, m hit O ta-or i ll

ur Su ooks h arr thaothe stas becaus it s c aer o

s. The sta of th iht ar so faraay that iht fro thm taes yarsto rah us. Liht from te S reacsus in aot 8 iu

Th S i aot 93 mili mieawa-3700 tis the tac aothe Earth at th equat Sthouh mch aer tha ot tar, ivr a aa idd

o us th Sun ooks ri t otlar. Actall u arth is jst a secopare to t u I hoow thSun could hold a mllo Eart

e Sun is made u mostl of thgases ydogen and helum. It also co-tains many other materials know onEarth, such as iron, cacium and sodium

Heat from the Sun. How much heat do S un rays ave?Use a magnifing glass to "unne some Sun ays to apoint. They will quicky bun paper or wod.

These sbstances a a so ho at

are in te form of glowng ases.

The briht sufac of t Sun sca th otose Its traturis ao I I ,o re-ovr 8oor hotter tha he tpratur d t mlt ir he laer o lowing ase a he pooph,non the chrosher i hands o mies dp Fom t ts a somties a miio ils o,

lea o it ae B tha hatarth s ar eh aa!

Sodi the chroosh is theooa, a brilliat alo of gh aeo the potosphre's brigtness, the oroa a ot b s. usispia eut or e a totalecpse ies the otospere, dos t

oroa becom isil



h we e he Sn Te Sun gies us igt, eat, and energy It auses weate O and oa contan enerreeed frm te Sun by plants and animals lng ag. Upn te Sun depend te es of plants, anmas an eope

H ' RYe sa the Su is o re, ut this isot ordiar re. Mos o the Su ismade u o hydroge gas atoms, whichthe heatmiios o degrees at the Su'scoredrives ito wid commotiotms crashig ino eac other marea u. Some arts joi to orm ewatms o the gas caled heium. Otherparts shoot o into space ike spras oie bues. Te are the socaed radiat eerg that comes to us as suight.

e chae o hdroge ito heiumis just what happes whe a hdrogebomb expodes. But the omb exosios nn mpare t what hapes the Su Here, our miio tos o

hroe ae tured ito eeg eversecod

No wonder the Sn is so ot Bt wilit soon brn p stronoers say o.Te n has bee bning or biioso years and has eogh hydrogen eor biions o years more.

ihot this sar energ or paeto be as cod as to he panetarthes rom the Sn That' somethike 0 degrees beow zero mch toocd or animas o pans o ive Theinside o arth is very hot b he heata ges o he crst is sight coaedo what we get rom he n

art is so ti te mmesit osace that oy a sma ar he Su'radiant energy reaches us. u o t

bcked by the atospere.e suigh hits the atmshere, i



es p into light rays of dierentcolors. A blue sky is due to the scattering of blue rays through the atmoshere .Rainbows and colorful sunsets also are

due to the scattering of snlight.n the Sn's hotosphere darkish

atches called sunspots sometimes appear. hey shoot o particles of electrical energy which may interfere withraio an television commnication onEarth and change our weather, too.

Some of the energy from the Sun is

in the form of deadly rays like thosefrom a hydrogen omb. Lckily, most of these rays are stoped by or atmosphere.

Some Sun rays do get throgh toEarth's surface, and we can e glad theydo. Plants use sunlight, soil, water, andair to manfacture the sstances thatman and animals eat. ithout snlight,

plants could not grow. ithot lants,no animal or human life could exist.

e can thank the Sn for o rains.Sn-heated air carries moisture fromseas, laes, an rivers into the sky.

Radio, television, an weather on Earth ar afctby sunspots. Some sunspots ar 50,000 iles wi.

Winds carry it over land, and nallyit forms clods and falls as rain.

Some water runs underground, anwe get it by means of wells. Some rs

into the riers, which carr it towardthe sea again. On the way it may bedammed and used by us fo wateower.

e get Sun energy also from coal and

oil. Coal comes from masses of fallenlants that built p i rehistoricswams. Oil comes from the emains o

billions upon billions of tiny rehistoricwater lants.In the future mankind may get much

ower from atomic energy. This energis obtained from minerals fond n teEarth. But for a long time to come weshall surely deend on the Sun for mostof our enegy ees.

Earth Giant sunspots



EC L P S S OF TH S UN

the most aweinspiring sightsin the world is an eclipse o the Sun.

eclipse occurs whe the oon pasesrectl beteen arth nd Su. the ew minutes that the Sun is hiddfrom us, te arth is dark and chil, andit may seem like the ed of the wol.

Som popl in nin tims frt n eclipse realy di m h o the wold. In Chin th lh rgon ws g p t Su.

F el knw eough ou th,Sun, to l h wh shappenig ws tr hrmss sh to no fo s ms

ecises Dri a eie e , e Mo i eee e aEar a over e Ti oeri e e Moo ae ao or

Eac a i ce ae, a a, are i a arge, e oe Peoe oare arer e i exerece a aee a a a e ie Peoe are e ger ce i exeree a araecie Dri a aria ecie, e ooer o a rio o e

The saest way to view an eclipse sby making a pinhole i a ti piece o

cardboad. This hole acts as a ens whheld up to the sun, and will orm aimage that can be see o a whitesurf.

Durig an ecipse, rs shlownoth slwy appears at the edge o thSu. Ts is dg o h o s bgis to ss rot of t Su hnoh gows lrg, nd i w

utes hal th Su s ord. Twih isow t o h

I mnus mor, th o so l u on n o h u.

T e e ? oeeoe ace r aa ecie ea o eor o og a ea eag e



is spkes or n instnt nd thenvises o, the Eth s dk, nd oios ho sonds the bck dsko te Moon. Ths is the Sns coron.

Solar proinences lep ot into sp,and snigt sines betwee motnst the Moos edg.

Th Moo is trli s les n hor. Th clips cnno lsor h w ius. Soo hsparli od pprs gi, oo othr sid o t oo's dis.T S apps s brgh slr hqkly ros in se. Soo, h Moopsss ey rss th us nd t Sn is its us s.

Ecipses tke diert pths t dierent times Sooner or lter, jst boutevery person in te orld hs chceto see an eclipse When n ecipse is dein or ea, o i pobby nd

reports bout it in the 1

wspap

rs ahedo tie.

A total eclipse. This series of pictures shows how anclips of th Sun would look at v minute ntervals.Notic that the Sun's corona is visible only when h

Moon comletely hide the Sun's central portin, orphotosphere. It i at th te that te art of theEarth n the path f the toal eclipe s bathed in a

ot sive aness



Merrygoround in spce Ti page i not big enoug to ow te size and ditanes of ad aets isale e diagram sow only te order of te planets in teir orbi

H U N' A LYT S s te ente f st ntmeoud. ound nd und ttve te nne lnets wt te mnsm them s Et lso n themeound e te steds mets, nd meteos ll te memes f te

meund tete e led theSl Sstemve s dm swn the o

bts, uved ts, w the letsfllw und te Sun. Te dmsw the de f te lnets but ntte eltve dstnes fm te Sun. Tsw te eltve dstne, we wuldneed e but tw mles wde

If ts s hd t elee, let's l dm. Sse te Sun s ll

ne wdeut s s te ll n

te fn e Ten te lnet eu nl the se f the ette ds ut 84 feet w Soe feetw s t s s e. nd telnet Puto ust ttle e tnMeu t dtne o mes

Fllwn the ot neest the u lttle e w oh o hese fn te Su xt o uteutfu eus; then t tw set; n ed, msto s fut. Te fth t foowe stem f stedshunk f ok ndmet to smll t e led ets. BJute te sxt tele n the me-

und. Bed t e te ned n-ets Stun nd us, te een plneteptue nd lttle Plutso f

D l plnes Tis te te istane f ea planet from te un. Te planets e o rgt are:e, enu, at, a, Jupite, Satun, Uanus, Neptune, and uto. Ea vetal lne ands for mllonies Fo exape, f you ount te vetia line out to Satun, ou will ee tat tis planet i nearl miloe f te Sun.



YOUR WEGT ON TER PLANET { y wgh p E)

Mcy Jp

w tht t n b sen onl throu tlsos.

Betwen th lnets trl othrsmller objets. Thre r th omtsstrn, rht ots whos lon tlswe sometmes s stremn ross ths. Thr r lusters o mtorss of mtl ston rtn s. Ths somtms strk th lntss th ra lon thr orbts. n thrs lso muh s ust.

Th orbt of rur nrst ltto th Sun, s but mlon mlsross. It woul t s rokt fourmoths to r tht stn t sof , mles r hour The orbit ofPuto is or o mon ms ross.our s rokt woul t bou t o

yrs to oer tht stne.Wh o the lnets ee treln

r o u n t h S u n n s t e o r n strht o nto se Th reson rt th sm for tht s

If the Sun were hsize of tis ball, the Ear would be the size of pead fee away.



Vn

Nepune

Mars

Pluto

Mercury

yo o arth verythig i the iverse actally attracts other obects.The S is so tremedos tat it pllswith eormous orce o all the plaets

t holds them i their circlig paths ustas you ca hold oto a pail wile swigig it aroud a arou.

Bt i the S is pllig o everypaet ad every plaet is pllig oevery oter plaet why do't all tpaets get pled ito the Su?

l movig obects wat to move

i a straight ie i space there wereo S t e arth a a te oter paets wold y o ito space eac a theirow speed For arth this is 666ooiles a hor This watig to go i astraight ie is st baaced by the iward p o the s gravitatioalorce s a rest the arth a all theother paets trave arod the S

og ago the large members o theS o a r S y s t e m r e a c h e t h i s b a l a c eamog themseves so that oe oescrashig ito aother Some asteroidsoccasiay colide with ach other adeteors ote hit the ath oo adost ikey some o the other plaetst we ca be airy sre there wi bepeace a iet in the s amily ora og time

C

Volume NumberMiles in Copaed of Symbo

Dimete Eth' Mon

ec 3012 1/8

7,30 9/0 7,927 1

E

4,01 1/7 2c

Jpe 400 129 122

71,400 31 10?

U 31,00 6�

ee 30,70 8 2y

P 3600? 1/? ?8



Y

pane ony , mien aee mae an o o i

e oon an one o an moonecy ge en ime a mc n

g a ecy avean e n n vey oy ni nny e empeae ie oan egee o enog oe e ee i no amopee e pane o ca ea aon o e e a en a co a egee beo eo

n o egen an myh he swie meenge o e go a MecyTe pane i e named o it i theae tavee in he oa Sytem cice e n a amost , o miespe o n hi oney i n onean one h ime o i day i two

thr a ong a its year hie Eart having days, Mercy s havingony one day

Mecry goe throgh pases ikeo Moon' ometme i i a hin crescen omeime l and ond Bt yowo nee a eecope o ee the phae

e' ze Mecu the aet anet. aot age enough to cove the Unte State.

ven og gian eecope aonome can make o ony a e ainine on Mecy' coche ace robaby the ateres aie adcape ie mooh Te chance o any ie

at a on beak pane i imBeng o nea he n Mecy is

ay hdden by he gare Six tmesa yea oeve o a e ay i isa enogh om he n o be een iyo kno hee to ok in heiight o a an a a n ar

On e e e h unn o the aet hot enouh to et ea he anca i oa

quit ooth. he c ecu the no atohee to catte the Sun' a.



VU: BR I G S T

V second anet ot om te Sns 7 mes n diamete neay the

size o at en between Sn andat Vens s cose to s tan ane anet Yet no one as eve seen

s s "vig s ( i) d"mig s Vens s an evening star hn seni the est as or art o the Earth trns aa roth Sn t is a ornng star hen seen in the east s ar o he art trns toar th S

ts ace is s dden b tick aeso cds wc neve it Vens is

t a mste anetWe at s aving dasVens as ts ea coetig itst aond te Sn Vens tns amostonce ding tis one ts day isabt as ong as ts ea

ike Mecy and te Mon ensgoes tog ases Sometes it is a . ong sta sometmes an eveng

sta en a cescent t is bigtean any star so bgt tat n a vecea dak ngt t can cas ados ote ath

en at its bightest Ves seems toang lke a geat wite ante in theevening o eay moning sky t isbigte tan any othe obect in the

sky excet te Sn and oon Nowonde te ancients named it Venusate te goddess o beaty

n e heav cods tat coe ensastonomes detect cabon dioxide btvey itte water o oxygen Beneath theatmosee wich ods the Sn 's eatte and is mch otte ta at becase Vens is cose to the Sunly

7 mion mes awaye mecan and Rusian space

pobes sow tat Vens is ve drypace and vey hot with tempeatreso abo eges Te pessueon te sace is abot times what itis n at e as we now conot exist thee



: U W aon te n ae veyeent om one anote e planets

ange om gants to pygmes Some aeve ot some vey col ome ae cov-ee it cos otes not e lan-cape ange om te eny meaosan lls o at to te scorchinghotsace o ecy an te cloestomy ce els o piter at ispoaly te on planet hee le othe kn we kno col eist

emeatres in te olar stemrange rom millions o degees at then's coe to degees below zero onthe oter lanets. Even the hottest andcoest tempeates on the arth aemch milder!

Earth is robably the onl lanetwith enogh nrozen water to sport

anmal lie. e atmospee blocs moso te deadl aiation om space bt

enogh snlgt comes thog t makeplants row and to nish energy orman's machines. he atmospere otects s against astmoving meteors. Ithas the ogen e need or beathing.And Earth's rt has the many kindso rocs minerals and soils we use oro civilization

art ives s conveniently spaced

ays and ngts e have seasons. Andarth's gravit is neither too stron nortoo weak or s to ende.

ar ot amon the stars there ma eothe slar sstemserhas thosdsor millions o them Even there it mhbe har to nd a lanet riendlier to than our own ood Earth

ong journey at's bit aund te Sun is neay a ie, about 5 miion mies aound at tun ia top wile ging fwad at a speed f mils pe send. a mpete tun makes ne day and on nigta mplete juney aund te Sun makes ne yea



moes n ts rnd curedpat round te Sun t turns ke top

once n eac ours t eer moment drn ts te exacty af ofart s n snt and af n drkness.Snt stedy tres oer Ertsfce n d most er pt on the ets dt nd the drkess.

Te te taken rt to competeone rotton s cae d Te d

as been dded up nto parts orors Cocks keep trck of te pssn

of tese ours.e da c n e neat ded up nto ours but te yer s probem tcontans 6 ds wt bout 6 hourseft oer we add on d to eefourth year to mke our cedar t theSns scede. Te yer tt ets teextr Feuar 29s ea

er

Days and nigs Te y in te pitue is sining is asligt n a gle, ust as te Sun sine on te atTo sw w day and nigt appen, e an sly tun te gle ile e keeps te lgt on it



rg

The en. Te pstins f Eat relate t teSu ge us ur seasns Seasns as named ere aef te nten hemsphee. n te sutern ems-phee sesons ae ppsite.

As at makes its yeay joneyaon te n t keeps a eanng pos-tone te tt o globes yo ave atme o at scool. o long as te notpe s eanng toa te Sn moelt as on te noten emspeetan on te soten emspe It issmmer n te noten emspee

nte in te soten e ays aeonger n te noten emiseesote in te sothen

monts later at is on te o-pste se o te n No te notpoe is eanng aay om te n esssnlight eaes te noten em-see. We ave sot wnter das

e shorter days o winter re onereason wy wnter s odr ta sum-mer Another eason is tha winterthe Sn's at acoss the sk s neaerthe orizon Its as strke te athoe slntngl than in summer hehave o ass tuh moe atmosheeto eac at an moe ae okeAso te sant aes tem pea ove

a ae aea tan n sme e aete aea te et an t a nept te aea e

o t e at a not ee neve e an ee eat n ns nea te eato annee an ee om co in ns nea

te pes at a t o beten

g d

Wh e eaon? n winte te un follows a lowepat acoss te sk t han in summe n spin an allt follows a pat h in etween

5



D ARH

W L t te bottom of n en ses tt coes te obe. is oens te o tmospere. t is mdep most o te s itoen. qurterof te tospere is oxn, te rttt peope s need. Te restis rbo ioxie, i pnts use, nd e re ses.

Witout te tmospere lie ould

not e deeoped on rtAir s eit. So te i neest t

te erts sufe is te mst ked.Hf of te eit of our tmseeis ked int er risin tree o ormies boe te lee of te ses. Teier one oes, te tinne te r. Atsix miles we need n extr r su kee lie. or lk of ir t surttem, lloons n irlnes nt etier tn ut miles

t mies te r s m tnneret it ere tt mst f te metersrin in from outer se re eted frtn wit te ir nd trn int rmess ses Few re rt

boe ies tee is so ittle r

tt spe is ptiy empt. Bt eent 6 mies tee re still few stryprtces We stk b snlit,tese o lke te ses in uoesentb o ote soten its

eo 6 mies tere is ony tee t s tt s preset in t e entieSo Ssm. ee beis te bk,

co ote spce ic mn is nowcrossi o s to te Moon.

6

"sice f E an is now eploring teatmospere wit airplanes, rokets, and satellitesIn tis piture a satellite is seen milesaboe e Eart Lower is te aurora borealis,or nortern ligts, aused by sunligt iting te

upper atmospere Te roots of olanoes mayrea down miles into te Eart at e Eartis like beneat its rus is still mostly a mystery



The Earth's crust. Like the wrnkleskin of a dried-up apple, the Earth'crust is only a very thin layer coveringthe insides.

Bt wat about te inside r

Is it jst ock, ock, ock all te wato to Cina?

Te ock crst f Eart is as tin fo

Eart as an pple skin is thin fo teapple. It is made p mostly of te ockscalled ranite and basalt. Te custcacks ito eat locks and layeswic sift up and don ove lon ·

peiods of time. Wen tey sft suddenly, an eatquake occurs.

Eart's diameter is 7927 miles bt

man as tnneled oly a sort waydown into te crst. Te deepest mineso down only a few miles. But scientistslean muc aot te insides of athby studyin volcanoes and eatqakes.Te lava, o melted ock tat ows outof volcanoes comes fom deep in athand tells s wat kinds of ocks aetere Eartqake socks e ecorded

on vey sensitive instrments called ses-oraps Tese tell te scientist weete Eart's crst as sifted and strong te sock was

Te deepe one oes into e Eat,te wame it ets Mc heat comesfrom adioactive inals sc as a-ni and fom ndegrond pressues.

At 5 to 2 o miles down te tempeatueay be 1 ,6oo derees Fro ere lavaworks p tro cracks and ay brstot trog te crst as volcanoes Tecore of o planet ay be nickel andiron in liqid for

e cance tat man can eve getmoe tan a few miles deep into teeat is small. To do is exploin ewill ave to depend on instuments lkete seismorap.

17



OU NEI GHB TE OON

T Moo is Erts closest eigbori e Solr Sysem. To us i looks bouts bi s te Su but tt is oly becusei is muc erer. solid bll it is oly1 6o miles i dimeter.

Just s te Sus grity kees telets crcli te Su Erts giykeeps te Moo goig roud Ert.Someties te Moo s er to us s iles sometimes it is s r s miles.

oo ovs t ooo es or bu tkes erly mot to keec trip. uri tt time it rotesoly oce terefore te se side

kees fci rt. til o oe ever see te oter sie o te M oo.

8

Te Moo ies out o ligt of so. Mooligt is ligt tt s tr-eled from te Su to te oo. TheMoo like mrror reecs i.

ecuse e Moo is erer Ert y le i s e rs obeci outer sce o be isied b rocketsfrom Ert. Our strouts foud te

Moo to be ery ufredly tougteresig ltle orld.

Pls o gry rock d dust ighre mots crers cor emoos surce. og go te lisere belieed to be seas but moderteescoes reeled tt y ere dry.

Crters m e bee cused b ol-coes d by metors smsi ito



te Mn rm se. Sme rters rever miles wie n nerl milesee. Our strnuts ve truleettin rss tis ttere ln, eenusin ln rer

Our stronuts h t rr heir wir wter, euse th hsneither. he mi o, e

ul j m uite r lit lr rs.Tis is eus te ns ri isnl esixt s strn s the rths.Te hve ruht mn rswhi sientists e will hel us nut ut w te Mn n te SlrSyse ore.

Te t tlk to e ther yi, euse te Mn s n tm-

spere t rry suns. Te ls unn win, n lus, n rin n wet

er n kin. Te s is lk, evenwen the Sun i u, euse tere is nir t stter te Suns rs rss te

s. I te strnuts i nt e pr-tetive s suits, te Sun s rit rswul nstntl urn n exse rt the .

Instrments let n te Mo y the

struts sw tt mn meters hitits sure these meters urtleint rts mshere, te wuve uil turne t s n ust.

In nient times, te Mn ws lleLn, n ws liee t e eutiuldess Oly e yes , peple tut te mst e inhited, ers b beins stne t s

, sientists e lmst sre thttee is n lie n te Mn

1



e Moon's face Ou eyes aone seeony daks pates on te oon Witage bnouas we an see featuestat sow n tis potograp Catersand mounans ae seen best befoe toon beomes fu

S O

UMOR

COCUS

SEA OCLOUD

SEA OFSERNY

ODONUS

SEA OFNLY

M PASS, CLPS

W tc te Moon fom nigt tonigt, it seems to cnge spe. ecngng spes e ce pses. ee se b te constnt nging ofte oons position in te sk in etion to Sn n Et.

f f o te Moon is sigte b te Sn; te ote f iss k. Wen te Moon moesbeteen Et n Sn, e cnnot seete igte sie. is pse s ee Moon. n eening o so te, s

Pases of e Moon Te diaga ss sages n te oons journey around Eart Te potogas sow owte oon ooks to us at ea stage



te Moon moves on, tin edge, or res-ent, of te gted side omes into vieNigt y nit ts resent gros un-ti, en te Moon is qurter of te

y round Ert, e se o teligted side. is se is ed FirstQurte

Aout to eeks fter Ne Moon,te j ourneying Moon is opposte te Snnd e n see te fu igted side . hiss Fu Moon en, s the Moon moves on te oter side of its orit, e see

ess nd ess of te ited side until tese o Ne Moon s rehe gn.Sometimes there s n else of the

Moon his hppens hen the Moon its journeying sses nto the ongsdo st by Ert. e round edgeo te sdo soy oves oss eMoon's disk unti ony of te diskis sti rigt, ten ony resent, nd

ny noting t l. en rigt res-ent ers on te oter ege of teMoon nd ros ider. Soon te entire disk is rit gin

e Moon's eise sts n hour orso euse te Erth's sdo s muhder thn the Moon's dis

Even en the Moon is ometel

n Erth's sdo, e n si see tsfe s dim reddish isk his s so

High ide. Wen te oon s away beween orizons, wate lee s i aon coasts

The Moon causes tides. The Moon's gravitationaforc tus at th Earth and makes th can .

ese some snigt, s it telstog Ert's tmospere ends intote Ert's drk shado nd s pon

te MoonJus s rth's grity us t theMoon, so the Moon's grvt ulls trth t s ths pul tht uses the teste rsing nd fling of the oen'see We see this hnge t the seshore

e u of te Moon uses heoen to uge tor t As the Moontves round Erth, t he uge oos

he ue s e high te n terit sses there s ero of low wtere o te

Te e on te side o Ert fcinte oon is mted y note ugeon te oposite sde of Ert. There-fore, secosts ve to ig tdesnd to o tides e dy. It is itte

ess tn six ours from o tide to igh,nd rom ig to o.

Low td Wen e oon is a orzon, waee i low aon e coas



A R: L A N E OF YT E te orbit of Ert, milonmes from te Sun, ruses te ed

net, med for te Romn god ofwr. Men ve found t te most sinting of te nets beuse itsfe s te esiest to see

ts dimeter of 2 o mies is tteover lf tt of Ert. Te Mrtind is or oger tn ours Teer s equ to 67 Ert ds.

s Mrs nd Ert ollow tei orts

sometimes Ert omes etween Msnd te Sun. Ten we re losest to heed nets ne s milon mlesstronomes l oer the wold turn

teir teesoes towrd rs ng ftenigt to observe its mysterous fe

Te tmoshere of Mrs is tin, ndouds e re ut te lnet is smllnd fr wy, nd te tmoshee oErt bloks some o its igt Teefore even in ig telesoes Ms looksony bout s ig s golf lnd rte misty one t tt So hee swys bee n lot of guessing out whte net's sufe is elly like

euse of te 1rinerMrs serbes we now ve mny od otogs of te 1rtn surfe Mrs'srce os muc ie te Moon's

Aing . Sragh ahea o our saceshi s e re ane 13000 es aa On our or se16 es o s he oon Phoos Sa eeors (e he eeor hee a igh) have rreguar shaes



Mars' surface. From photographs take by various Marier spacecraft ad sent back to Earth, we ow no

that Mar surface is much like the Moo's-dry ad desolate with may craters dotig the lad.

ere re some er re ocnoesn er eep cnons on Mrs, btmost of te srfce is r pin witmn crters Some cnons ook like

ter oe i tem in te pst, btno rs is too dr d col for niqi ter t be present

1rs s no rivers, no ocens or lkesBt it s tit ike Ert's nd terefres sesons en it is winter in oneemispere, frozen crbon dioxide ndsome ice covers te re rond te

ole Tis por cp is probb ess tn foot eep, bt it m contin ner te wter o te pnet!

In sprin, te ice cp beins to srinkro teescopes e see rk, reen-is ptces pper on te edes of tecp ese re perp re covere bspe pts, bt te so co becec cnes

s tmn comes, te reenis restr bron s te Mrtin winter sets

in, te por cp ros iMrs' rer moon, obs, is onl

I 7 mies in imeter It rises in te westn sets in te est, n it oes ron

Mrs tree times ever t seeof bot 6,ooo miles per or Wieor on is oin ro Ert onceobos circes Mrs 87 times!

obos ws nmed for te oddessof fer, compnion of te mticlwr o Mrs Its orbit ies o 5 ,mies t from te pnet, t een s

it wol ook m c smer in te Mrtin sk tn or Moo ooks in teErt's sk

e oter moon of Mrs, bot treetimes s fr ot, is Deios Tis is tesmest moon in te wole Sor Ss-tem o te mie i imeter csoer tn obos , it circes Mrs fortimes i bot ve s Seen fromrs Demos t it o ok ike istt str

23



'MEN OF MARS"

77 te tlin stronoer Shi-reli reported seeing reglr pttrns

lines on te srfe of Mrs. Sinete looked like trenes e lled tem"nali n tlin or hi measnnels. t e s misudersoo.Soon pole ere tlkin ot lsnd the "e o Mars.

n stronomers ere xite. te United Stts mos stroomrne erl oll rase t moto uil osratory t ls Aroa to osere t lets lly to set th rumt otrs. e osertory m o

Lie Ea, Mas es iesii as jes a . eoe ias seass. He we see oe a a sii e e e owi as e seas s

4

oel s ompleted in 94- t sdne gret ork or stronom but te

rgents bot Mrs re still not opletely setl.n 1 9 56 Mrs me losr to r

tn it om n my ers. Asroomers l or th orl h throu tlesopes hoorh n stui ts lh th strosos.Stll th ou o sure si tht s ny le o rs. Th ls no so rulr s thy sm. er rok s u s 3 mles oo or r s.

Tody sroomrs le thr o ol o rs. e rrs roes l r l olos os m rs.rs hs r tt r rt

o ls or othr sis o il.Peole lke ourss o o

o the re pt. ts tmosphr hs ooxye orth mtiog. Th tmoshere s ery tht ol arely suort simpl lts.

The rolity tht pts le oMrs s one n rgumet for t"nls. People sd the "nls mstbe rrton dites to led ter rote eltig sno ps to frers' els.t fe stronomers tod tke theseides seriousl.

n e ner utre nned spraft ill ld on Mrs sr. yill contin instrents tt ll testte land to see if sple plnts or nils

live tere. t it is dotl tt eentese n exst on Mrs rren surfe.



t eve i tee e o people ons e c look o to te e Etme m exploe it

e ill eset l teless

except o te pol cp. e wive to c tei o oxgen fobetig. Sometimes te will ve tobttle get dust stoms.

Te cler dytime sk wi ot ooike th's sk. Th thi tmosheill hve dee u o vioet oo.he Su wi ook sme th it dosom ou th, d wi give less htd ight.

The ve thi tmosh o smes tht temtues ot ightehs to dges ozero. lso euse o th thiss o thir te sts woud sm ight, dwoud twik ss.

lthough th et is muh wm

i dight, it ve gets el hot. sig t oo, the temtu t thequto m wm u to degees.e ottest d i summ ool be degees o so.

Ms is ot ivitig et, ut iseems iedlie th the oters, d iemis te one tt men wt most t

visit Ms is close to s t ll otheplets except es. d of coseit seems possile to get tee Mn sle visite te Moo Ms wlsuel e te next pot of .

dwing s ( rig). n th ato cou oti tai on th anto car than t tai cou otogahMan o th t ar i o a wr ain.

oa otogra an t MainrMarac ro ho Ma uac in at tai a n n

M Critn Hn t 72



JUER: KNG OF L A N E MGHT pite aest od in teSs aiy as naed after te o-a od en ats ined p in a ood not be ite eno to coss tece o pite e bi panet ei-ing ove oo times as c as art is8 es in diaeter at its eutor. oo pite coud od al teanets except Satrn

en osest to at, Jpiter is stillover milio mies aay Alost

5oo miion ies separate it rom teSun. Little sunit tereore, reste bi panet. Te tospere, tou-sands o mies deep d ul o tik

clods o poisonos ases ides pitersce. No pant or ania ro rtoud ive in tt atospee If tedidnt ie o aonia and metaneses tey od soon reeze.

s seen in a teescop e pites co dsre band or streaked t ae redyeo and bon An odd eatre iste et Re Sot soe oo o ieside ic as noticed ove oo ersao and is no adin Scientists tink

tt te spot is a "ot ai stomJupiters rottion speed is so st tt

te paet bes a ood dea t its eu-tor. Astronomers lerned te

sp

d

Visiors o Jupr Altug spae taelers migt nt e ale t land n te planet, te coud and on on ofits larger mns Tese mns ma e mewat like ur own n. Te little piture at uper et comar tsies te Eat and te Great Red Spt.



Sky ok A atne atc te -ating plane ug tei teecpe, eGea Red Sp tel te ie ake 5u c e dik, ten diappeaaud te edge, and appea again 5

u lae a e te ide

timn te Red St. One rttin ismleted n bt I urs. Te dis st, but te er s I tmes s ns rts.

stnmes e nt sre wht utes sce is ke ut te nets szete p o ts vity n its mns ndote pnets nd ts mtns ie tmes bby upiter s re iid ydoen suunded by fzenden tusnds mies dee ndte "ss uid nd frzenden.

ts to imine ow ny spesip cod nd n pite s te ntet s poe vit ped te spo it o ow dke nd otse ese o te incesngtess o te cos iy te so o e cs b te eno pese o pites tmosee

v t eip c svive teet pesse o te tmspee itod sik i te doen "ss

e et tin tnke ie, stt stud te sk t teese, dsveed u mons Juite n I 6 nce t eit moe ve bee dsceed upte s e mons tn nyte et. Sme e ew mes

in dimete, but twnmede ndste t te pt e

r. Sme mns m be mde f rk,tes entre ie. Te twele lw er mted mze rbtsund te ne

When seen n te nt sk, upterks lke re wte st. It is brtet n ter net exet enus.

tin te u lre mnstru teleses s fvite tiit mteur strnmes. Smetmes te mns re t ne side the lnet.Ten the re seen t mve, ne ne,beind r in nt f te ret disk.

Wen mn mes n rnt, its sdwis seen reein rss the uds

Jr n hgrh Te t i f ptgap t ut 3 k apat. Ntice tecag i t pce f e add cud

7

t

'

•

.



A S T E R O I D S : T I NY ' ' P L A S

IN THE ft cie aound te Sun wend not one panet but a woe steam

o vey sma ones. ese ae caeasteos o panetoids. Te aest,Cees s on 480 mies in diaete.Few ae I oo es tou Many aeno ae tan a o a mountaiRacn aoun tei obits at manyes pe secon, te asteoids orm asot o iant neckace around the Sun

Asteroids ae so sma tat te aveitte ait and no atmospee eiavit as not been ston enou toul tese bodies into a neat ba shape

oo sa to be seen wel even in biteescoes, asteoids ae beieved to be

raged and ieua Pobab theyconsist most of ock iron, and ncke

t east I ,6oo asteois ave beenna e o gien numbes. Moe ae is-coeed eac eaas steaks on poo-as taken of te sk. ee are soan unimotant sma ones tat as-tonoes on't bote to tae tem :

A few asteoids ave obits tat soe-times bin tem within a e miionmies of Eatneaer tan an oteceest·

p

except the Moon.



eeors lile d big eeo coe a ze o oe a ea a e ea og e s aeer reac e go i oe ece

ETEO : V I I T O P CE

ever seen sootn strt fs cross te drk sk evn

ver tr f t bend Ts stsony for n nstnt nd s one

"Sootn strs re not re strsTe re eteors t ors re te nkf te Sor Sstem Te re sctteredon te pnets ke rve Most reno ber tn pes Soe re de ofstone oters re ncke or r Mons

nd lons of te soot nto Ert'stospere ever d t n feeer rec te rond

Meteos soot nto o r tmospere tspeeds s ret s mes per secondTey tve so fst tt even n te verytn er tospere tere s retfrcton rctn c s te rbbnf obects nst ec oter prodces

et Most eteors et so ot tt tetn nto s or brek p nto dst s

tey fl. n ts y or tosereprotects s nst soers of rock nd

et tt cod be very dnerousstronoers estmte tt t lest

tons of meteors enter rt'stospere ec dy ery feeteors re so b tt een f teybrek p soe peces rec te rondTese peces re ced eteortes.

Meteors y be odds nd ends left

over fro te creton of te Sor Ss-te Or te remns of destredpnet or coets Or te be f tese tns

Yo cn see eters ost n ntof te er bt ten per or resbe Te est te to ook s fter d n g t M n m e t e o rs o c c u r nss "soers Tere re re

ses of eteors n st Octoberovebe n ecember



Aoacing e inge lae. a av a oa a i-a a a o ao A Ea is oa o z w a, a' a oo

T E N G E D PL ET

TH XTH planet ut rm the Sun is

the mst beautiul in the Sun's amil.The bright ellw udvered gbewith the shimmering rings arund it ismagnent to ee Unotunatey, a telecope is needed to ee them. Onl nether planet, Uranus, has rings

The gbe is I mis i diamt.The istn arss h rings is vrI z

mile ut te re uite this thin that the light stars n methruh them. Pral he a autI miles thik. There are ur manrngtw bright uter nes and twa nne one t te nl stkgthe rings that makes them shine. heet sunlgt us as te planet .

Te rn are knwn t nist l

lons upn bllons small partiles per-aps the size gravel traving arund

0

the planet like a swarm mns. The

nearer the re t the planet the asterthe are mving. The reet lght in awa that indates the m ntainsmall piees ie. Perhaps the are theremains a tin rmr mn thatrke up r are matrial let ver rmth time when the lanet rd .

Setimes Saur is turned s tht w

see he rings egewse. h en the almsdisppear. Onl a thin ine light shwswhre the are.

O Saturn's ten mns> itan is tharest. It is the iggest m in theola yem an e nl one ha sknwn t have an atmsphee. weve, atmosee le uter's sll o the pn gaes methane a

amma.Saturn's tenth mn anus rits



gt on te ote edge o te ngs Itwas st dscveed in I 90 5 then"ost, ten ond again n I 966

Te Sn is ve ar rm Satun

over 885 ml mes awa. Bneath_Satns bde uds th temperature· rl r egees r a te lant s pral rith re hge ts es ti. enath te tu a a r le ies ut

aturn s the sed rgest plnets. On upte has grt ue. ut eause h t ngplanet is hdrg its ra s uweae than n u expt. weigh I punds itte art uwuld wegh nl I pus mre ant aturn. On upiter u ulweigh a ttal 64 punds

Lke upter Satun spins ast Its da

s nl I o Y urs lng. ear n thspanet euals 9 Earth ears. It tastat lng o Saturn t cmplete ts lgjune aond the Sun.

Lke pte Saturn wuld be a hardpanet to exple Te pesse theatmosphee would cs an spacesipswe can now buld. Fture space tavelers

may ave to be satsed wt simplcsng aond te eat planet Otey mgt nd it pssble to establsha base on Ttan Tis mon s 5 8mes om te plant

Satun is the most dstant panet thatcan be easy seen tot a teescope1en ave non Satn o ndedso eas Te oans gave te panet

ts name, cang t Satn ate tegod o te avests

Fz

Hy

Inide Sarn. Ti an a ia a Ea, ei i a a aun i e ni e e

arn fro dieren a ns Li Ea, ane a ie osiin as i as a e e an i e an ees ai



The wrd greae eepe-i . is iant reecr was cnstucted r Wllam Hrsc

T H E O U R P L A N E T SUR I , 7 8 millin miles rm theun s ar that een n a dark

lear night it lks like a er aint sarThis planet was dsered aiden

tal b the English astrnmer illiamershel in 7 8 . ershel ntied a"star that was graduall hanging itspsitin rm mnth t mnth whilethe ther stars kept their regular psitins. ershel knew tha true stars d

mve but are s ar awa that their psitins seem t remain the same ear

2

ater ear he knew the ming bet was t a star It was a lanet

ranus 3 I , miles in diameter s ar rm the un that it reves n / 3 5 th as muh sunight as Earth des.Beneath its thik green uds it mustbe er

day on ranu is hr and 5mnte lng Ti planets year eals at yeas

Yo emember the tilt o atch cae o eason anu hasc a great tlt tat yo mgt say ito on t de n astrnmedcoveed tat an ha rng mlato atn ns

Fve mns ampan rnus. venhe largest tania is muh smaller thanur Mn. As rans jrnes thrugh

spae n its sde these mns le theplanet like the seats a Ferris wheel



he tw utermt planet eptuneand lut were und nl ater lngearhingand beaue ientit deide the must exit!

Ater the diver Uranu astrnmer tudied it mtin. Theupeted it wa being plled b thegravit me planet arther t.

The searh r anther planet began.inall in the ear I 846 the Britihatrnmer J. C. Adam and the Frenhatrnmer U. ]. ]. Leverrier wrkingeparatel gured ut where the nknwn plane mut be. A telepe atthe Berlin Obervatr in erman waturned tward the peted part t hek. There was eptune!

Shruded like ranus in greishlud eptune is ar rm the un 94 millin miethat t i prtiall as ld as the absute ld

ter spe. The dmeter is miles. Tw mns ride thrugh theblak s with eptune ne arger thnur Mn. A da n eptune i autI 5 hr ; a ar eual I 6 5 Earth ers.

Ater the diver eptune astrnmer und the mtin Uranutill puzzling. Furthermre the mtn Neptune t were unexpeted.

there till anther planet arther ut?At lat in I 9 the diver wa

Mser soved! ese are e wohgaphs n hch lu was s-cee he arrs sw hw ae aans he unchangn ackgun sas

The bi micrsce Asrners use s nsren cpare praps e sk

made . Clde Tmbaugh a ung atrnmer at Lwel Observatr� hd eentuding the upeted part the s.He mpared phtgrph that part the k taken at dierent time. Hentied ne tar that had mved. It

wa n starit wa th e unknwn planet!he new planet named lut isabut millin miles rm the Sun.It diameter is timated t be 3,6mile. Frm Plt the Sun wuld beeen nl a a bright star. he da nlut i believed t eua six Earth dasthe er 48 Earth ears.

Even Plut de nt entirel explain

eptne' mtins. Pibl there is anther planet even arther ut

bvy P



C OM ES: RA PS F THE SKY

ABuT t r tree tme n your leyu may ae te ane t ee a omet.ee eautul traveler blaze trugte ky like uper kyrket leavingbend a tral lig tat may e mil-lin miles lng

Cmets are smetmes alled tramps te Slar Stem beause hey d ntollow nearly rular pats arund teSun a planet d. Tey oll lnglooplke pat omng near te Sn at

one end and gng ar ut tard teedge te Slar Stem at te terend

Te main part a met is te ead T a ball o tny materal, t, andga lely eld tgeter by gravity. Itis mu maller tan a panet.

en a omet mes near te Sunit grs a tail. T i a tran tngaes ming ut rm te ead. Par-tiles unlight strke te ead re

oe gae ot o t and make te·gow a a neon gn doe.

Some omets ave two tal; a eave more One omet ad nne!

Te tal o a omet alay pontaay rom te Sun. Te preure unlght he prbable eaon A theomet ge arter away rm te Sunpreure leen, and te tal dappear .

Tere are touand omet utonly a e are bg enoug or ome near

enog to art t e een witout atelepe.

When rst seen, a comet s a f ainthazy spot n the dak sky. Nght bynght t gros brghter, and ts pstn changes Ater weeks or months it s atts brghtest . Then It gradually fadesaway.



Some omet return again and againMan are seen one and no more Someontinue ter journe in pae wit-out nearing Earth again A ew omets

do break apart and ome o tee alto Earth a a meteor ower

Mot amou i Halle' Comet. Itorbit was gured out b the Englisastronomer Edmund Halley in I 6 8 2 .

About ever ears ti omet returnso our part o te Solar Sstem It waslat een in o .

A ome's tail is tinner tan air. Tetar an easil be seen through . "

en te tail o alle' Comet eptover Eart no one exept te astron-omer even notied it. I the omet eahad it us there would have een a di

erent str !A long time ago eople thught om

et meant bad uk. So the kept reordof comet viits Such records tel us that Halle' Come was seen alt ears ago Per

you

ane to se i n



B I R T H D

D E A O F T H

S O L S Y S T M

T S S perhap began vebillin ear ag as a giant lud gaand dut in pae Slwl gravit drewga and dut partile tgether. Swirlsrmed and gt ht rm preure andritin The bigget beame the SunOther beame planets and smalle member the Slar Stem

erhap ten illin ear rm nwthe Sun will have litte hdrgen letIt ma well enrmusl wllingup the inner planet. Then it ma hrinkand beme a white dwar tar withliele planets irling it r billi ear mre



On e wr' rg e he geat ae eecting teesco on Paoar Mountain in souternaionia agnies ove ties It gathes ties as uch ight s the huan e.

LCPT FRST teescope ws de Ho-d out 6. e st eso to usesuch an instument to stdy the sky was

the geat Italian thinker Galileo, in 69. He s dted to see ctersd mouts o te Moo, te rso Satun, and Jpiter with its four lar-

er stetes. Eer sce, te teescoes bee te too o stooers.e t teescoes o ou te e

ve copcted, but the bsc de sse. Ec teescoe s "objec-tve st ooe o o dsk o ce, cved ss. o tss t ro te object beg ookedt. s t s te ected b te

o o s bet s t sses toute cler ss so tht te rs coe

38

toeter ke . t te ot o te s es, o eeece.

e rer te objectve, te eters t out o t o te sky o-ject tt s o t. e reter teout o ht eceved, te ore dte etter te oject c be ed.

e e teescoe o or Mou-t, o, s ocdeor c c coect 6,oo tess uc t s te hu ee c. It ke ob ect suc s et ooko t , tes r t ete ee oe sees t. Sts e so r tt te e st ots o tee ed ,o tes.

escoes tt e or or teojectve re e reectors ose



c e a clea len ae eacto gteecope ave a cloc ecanm toeep te telecope amed at the gt pato te y le Eat otate

Te n Hale teleope and anh ussan telespe are the twlargest in te wold Both are reetngteleope Te Hale an detet stars sa aa tat teir light ha taken twbillion ears t reah us

ur atmphere satters muh thelght that mes m star and planetsA teleope magnie this satteingFo this reasn telesopes lager thantee tw ma never be built

Lage teeope are motl in un-vety obevatoie Thee are usualyloated on a hgh ll a om itlght n every lear nght the i

"ope ae kept wng ontantllanet sta met and ther b-jet are wated potographed andmapped Du rn dalgt hu serv-atoy worker ae u ith inrmation whih the telee has given them

bervatries ave een built in mtlarge untre e nstantl ex-ange ueul inrmation Hundreds amateur atrnmes too stud thes with ther small telespes andae reprts t the obervatries

Homemade teescope Tw agnifying glasses fm a teespe. e oet

�-

rrr

Magnicaion igtray m page areent outward ymagnie. Print ismade t lk larger.

d

is seen upside down just as it s in astnmial telesps .

39



E Z O D I A CANYONE a ar t rgn n thsk nt n un and Mn but alse membrs th un's ampats mtrs and smtms vtd and mts. But rst n mustunderstand hw ths bj ets mv

h art s a grat ba surrunddb milins stars at vr grat distans. rm a pen d at nght wse abut hal th sk ik a gantumbrlla vrhad. Beaus th arth s

tatig th stars rss th s as thhs pass

h stars sm t rm pattrnswhi are ad nstan hs

sta almst xatl th sam ar atear. he stars are ar awa that thhav t mv blins and bns mls br we an nte t

hs is th u t atng th pats Fr th plants are muh ar tus than th stars are and w an tthr mvements n rnt th nstatins rm wk t wk

rlg th sk rm at t west sa srt athwa nstatns

whh th un Mn and pants was w. h nstats tispathwa wn as th Zdia ar iturd th ppst pag

h at ght T v ac ovr lk g mbrll h h sars al arod h isde ad heNo Sa a e i T bo e c c or h s he mbrea courcocs (rhto ef), h hos o h ra sa t k m o mov i crcs aoud he Noh Sar.



OU RG L X Y

OuR SN is just one meber of an enor-s atened cser f strs wcstrnmers call te Glx. s cls-ter suns s rtng thrugh ac wtha slow nweelng mn.

The alax as abu 1 o blnstars n it. I u culd see em all an

cunt 3 er secnd it wuld tae uver 1 ,o o o ears nis e contg.

tars ae o an clrsblue wherange, llw red Man are abut tesze o our Sun ugh sme are a tu-sand tmes bgger. All ae hot balls fchung gases.



Al he stars u an see n a darknight are in the Galax During a whlenght u wuld see abut ooo paradearss he heavens The res are to arawa see r are veiled dust inspae r are hdden b th arth

As u knw ligh travels 86oies er end That's a nugh ttrave arund the Earh eigh ties inne send Bu he neares star t urSun is uh arther awa than tha Itis s wa ha iht tkes er ur

ears ver the distanr s tars h a ar? T

r r stered s del tigh ke o ars t trvl rne sie he lx t the ther

In sh treends unerse uSun esn see er rant r sae shp rsing ng he edes h ax u rab l n seur Sn even i knew st her k (he rss in he ire swwhere ) Our Sun wuld e us ne tarang o bilin And even i uld s ur "he star u rtainl uldn see an planets Theare tin mpared mst stars andshne weakl

Te Galaxy is ubelevaly enor-mous. Yet it s just ne star clud amng

many. There are mllions and million

of oher galaxies, reaching as far ou no h I I " "spae as t e arges e espe an ee

The farthest galaxies are so dsant ha

their light takes two billon years t

reac us. Astrnmers estimae here

are more stars in al te galaxies han

tere are grains of sand on Earth . 4



R O C K T S

I N O S P A E

EvER SINCE ma leared that the M

and panets are ther wrds, scetstsave tred t gure ut w t get tthem Utl a few ears ag such deaswere just dreams But engneers buld rckets that ca sht thusadsf mles nt space befre art's gravity pulls tem back agan Sme rcketsnw are s pwerful that tey caescape Earth's gravt cmplete

The were used t sed me t theM Other pwerful rckets sedspacecraft wthout crews abard t theplanets Mars, Venus, and upe

Jet planes can be desgned t 2 0

r s mles abve Earth But the canever be used fr space travel Fr thatrckets ae needed

An arplane needs ar fr supprtTe pwer f ts engine s used t makete surrudng ar exert a lftng frcen te wngs But a rcket needs arfr supprt It mves b the same kdof frce tat makes a t balln staway wen te ar s suddel let utTe ar ges ne way, the ball the



oter. In a rocket te brnin fe pro-ces ases tat blast ot from one enan orce te rocet aea.

A rocet can eep oin rit p

tro te atmospere an beon nt its fe rns ot. If it ets fareno ot nto space te force of itso t a r m o t i o n j s t b a a n c e s t eEart's p. Sc a rocet co coastaron Eart or a on time.

o sine stae rocket et bit ispoerf eno to compete escapeEart's ravity. Hoever to or more

rocets can be bit into one nit. Terst rocket carres te nit fa p in teatmospere. en its fe is one tisrocket rops ay an te secondstae res. Tis ives te nit anotheon stron ps an en tis rocetbrns ot a tir one may tae over. tis ay it s possibe to se n a spacesip

ot far eno so tat Ert cannot plt back.

of or space missions se rocketst to or more staes. Te mostpoerf rockets bit so ar ere tosese to sen te astronats to te Moon.A smiar rocket as sed to ancSkyab or rst space station.



TO OTH E R W RLD S

,. W HY SHOULD men want t visi ay of r neighbr pants? The trip wold

be ngers n� ng, lasting mosr yeas . An

n e the space tavele gt t heir

d�stin

tio

, ha ?Ee Ms

V nu

jug o wha we kow of th , do't semnvting for hma vstors. An, o ayother planet, ueced avswuld be quickly frozen, roaste or

stre by posonus assBt man s eee o asspace New a poweful ocks abeing deveoped. We have aache he Moo. Impo o-atin has e oaed o n s. Ua sacss che e as Vus, s Jiter. Fuue uanne spcc

wi travel t the moe san as.Astronmes ae less opisc ao

an trveng i spac an a soer. Egiees av u a ckh can escape f e ah, crave he Moon, an ca bg s



b. Tig andd i bg w rbe

Te g b i distan-and. F ider tri t

as. A could t travetre a stig e t i itd a ri at 25 e a rd ta tw mt. A jr Put at a iin e n dtae ve nts

a s aot ors o sa If a dvops spass a can as as as e sd of

, I 86, is p second, t ls tae er o eas to e to roxia Centauri, te nearest star Su atrip d be nterestin, bease tisstar (ea it i tar ver s togter) is beieved t have at east onearge pat ircig t But nine earr a r i a ng im!

Or ags ighr gaai- ier ik wJiky Wa h. Th naret s about I o,oo light years awa. The

ligt we see eft tem when makd

a i iig i v.

I we at t a, wabt rag t b rai tist ave seded in big radarwavs o te Moo, Mars, Vens ad

Merc me astronmer think teremus b mios o iions o esa os of ss aaxyIf r l f sas pas o of m cive ao ssas fom s ad as a a ancs?

Ra messaes tae a n t tavtru sace as it des If w cud

e u a mssag w eug tra a anet ria entari, i take er r ar t arriveAd e d 't kow whether anyonewould b thee t get o mssage or t r .

a E v ig a. Ti -

a a- ig ig ar . adig ih r a, i d rd.



M A N - A D E O O NS

Ro K can be sed to shoot artiilsatellites p into the sky. A satellite isan ob j ect that revolves around noerobject, being held in its orbit by theoce o gravity. It is a moon. A arti-

cil satellite is mamade n.For yeas sientists wrked on lans

or shooting satellites int orbits arodarth. Finlly, in I 9 5 7 , t ssst teir rst Sptik it rit. rin I 9 5 8 the Unitd Sts suewith its rst xlorr.

Sine he, m has led m

satellites in orbi rod he rth. Helso hs laced satelits i it rhe Mn, Vens, and Mrs. Bt hismost imortant satelite is Skyla .

Sky s ai the larest sateite to ever cirle ardor Earth Sylab is as big as veroomhose and weigs 28 tons. t diernts nd or vaying lengs o tim,

an w a ive in Sa

48

They condct ed man experiments andhave taken thosands o picres o teEarth ad he Sn. Information o-tained om Skyla wil hep scientistslearn more aot or Earh and the n

Scientists are lso learnin how longman cn iv in space. This normatonis importnt o kno i man s to exlres od M.

e Sklb space station is only ebeginnig. In he utre, bigger ndbetter sa stations wil orbt orEarth. ockets will b pt toether and

lahed rm thes a stis.Since rocket will not have to overomeas h grvit, the taeo wll easier. Becas tere is no atmosherein a, r i to wor

up great speed withot sing ch el.Tis to he oo nd beon mihtthen ecome ommon.

e age o sace tave and xora-

i is e!:

astronomy - a golden exploring earth book

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