Sky gazing: a kid's guide to the moon, sun, planets, stars, eclipses, and constellations; discover all you can see with the naked eye!

The sun, moon, stars, and planets have been a source of wonder and fascination for as long as humans have inhabited the earth. In Sky Gazing, a highly visual guide to observing the sky with the naked eye, kids aged 9–14 will delve into the science behind what they see, whether they live in a dark rural setting or under the bright lights of the city. Exploring astronomical objects and events, this captivating book takes young readers on a tour of our solar system and deep space beyond, with explanations of how objects like Earth’s moon were formed and the “why” behind phenomena such as eclipses, northern lights, and meteor showers. Curious sky gazers will discover how to find and observe planets — no binoculars or telescopes required! — and star charts will guide them in spotting constellations throughout the seasons and in both hemispheres while they learn about constellation myths from cultures around the world. Activities include tracking the cycles of the sun and moon and observing the sky during daylight hours or on a cloudy night, while astronomer profiles and sidebars on space technology and current issues such as light pollution help ground kids’ discoveries in the ancient and enduring science of studying the sky. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents 1. Step into the Sky The Sky Belongs to Everyone What‘s Up There? ASTRONOMY NOTEBOOK: Start A Sky Journal Where to Sky Gaze Darkness and Light Finding Your Way around the Sky TRY IT: Cosmic Protractor ASTRONOMY NOTEBOOK: Be a Weather Watcher Light Shows Special Effects TRY IT: Watch Day Turn into Night Night Vision TRY IT: Make a Red Flashlight Journey into Our Home Galaxy: The Milky Way SPECIAL EVENT: The Aurora A Closer Look: Binoculars 2. The Moon Shape-Shifter ASTRONOMY NOTEBOOK: Make a Moon Diary Our One and Only Moon Moonrise, Moonset Moon Illusion TRY IT: Do a Moondance Sightseeing on the Moon Lunar Landings How the Moon Formed ASTRONOMY NOTEBOOK: Picture the Moon Moon Map SPECIAL EVENT: Lunar Eclipse A CLOSER LOOK: The Moon 3. The Sun Sunwise ASTRONOMY NOTEBOOK: Make a Sunset Calendar How Seasons Happen Sun Paths Telling Time by the Sun TRY IT: Track the Sun A Visit To The Sun How the Sun Formed SPECIAL EVENT: Solar Eclipse TRY IT: Make a Pinhole Projector A CLOSER LOOK: Our Sun 4. Planets Earth’s Siblings in the Sky Star or Planet? Planets Inside and Outside Sky Wanderer Roaming around the Solar System TRY IT: Make a Scale Model MEET A PLANET Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto (and Other Dwarf Planets) ASTRONOMY NOTEBOOK: Design Your Own Solar System TRY IT: Be the Solar System How the Solar System Formed SPECIAL EVENT: Great Comet Other Suns and Their Solar Systems A CLOSER LOOK: The Planets 5. Stars and Constellations Star Light, Star Bright How Stars Move during the Night TRY IT: Find North & South Using the Stars Why Humans Invented Constellations The Zodiac and the Ecliptic Star Seasons TRY IT: Make Your Own Star Wheel Seasonal Sky Gazing: Northern Hemisphere Seasonal Sky Gazing: Southern Hemisphere How Stars Are Born, Live, and Die SPECIAL EVENT: Meteor Shower A CLOSER LOOK: Deep Sky Objects Appendix: Find Out More Meteor Shower Calendar TRY IT: Throw a Star Party Eclipse 2020–2030 Binocular Objects Buying Binoculars Resources Glossary Index Acknowledgments EXPLORE THE NATURAL WORLD with More Books from Storey The sun, moon, stars, and planets have been a source of wonder and fascination for as long as humans have inhabited the earth. In Sky Gazing, a highly visual guide to observing the sky with the naked eye, kids aged 914 will delve into the science behind what they see, whether they live in a dark rural setting or under the bright lights of the city. Exploring astronomical objects and phenomena, this captivating book takes young readers on a tour of our solar system and deep space beyond, with explanations of how objects like Earths moon were formed and the why behind phenomena such as eclipses, northern lights, and meteor showers. Curious sky gazers will discover how to find and observe planets no binoculars or telescopes required! and star charts will guide them in spotting constellations throughout the seasons and in both hemispheres while they learn about constellation myths from cultures around the world. Activities including tracking the cycles of the sun and moon, what to observe during the day, and what to do on a cloudy night keep kids eyes on the skies, while astronomer profiles and sidebars on space technology and current issues such as light pollution help ground their discoveries in the ancient and enduring science of studying the sky. The sun, moon, stars, and planets have been a source of wonder for as long as humans have lived on earth. In this highly visual guide to observing the sky with the naked eye, kids aged 9–14 will delve into the science behind what they see. This captivating book offers a tour of our solar system and deep space, explaining how objects like Earth's moon were formed and introducing the “why” behind phenomena such as eclipses, northern lights, and meteor showers. Sky gazers will learn how to find and observe planets — no binoculars or telescopes required — and star charts will show them how to spot constellations through the seasons and in both hemispheres. Activities include tracking the cycles of the sun and moon and observing the sky during daylight hours or on a cloudy night. Includes profiles of professional astronomers and sidebars on space technology and current issues, such as light pollution. This publication conforms to the EPUB Accessibility specification at WCAG 2.0 Level AA.