Discovering the Solar System

Science News,  March 3, 2007  by David W. Hughes,  Carole Stott

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Complete with two books, a desktop mobile, and an interactive wall chart, this pack covers a range of information about the solar system. The first book, written by Hughes, vice president of the Royal Astronomical Society, provides an overview of the solar system, from the birth of the sun and formation of the planets to a description of terrestrial planets and gas giants as they appear today.

He also covers the solar system's comets and asteroids. In the second book, Stott, a spacescience writer and an astronomer, provides an inventory of various space missions throughout the solar system, including the moon landings, probes sent to the inner planets and the sun, the Mars rovers, and planned missions. Included with these books are cardboard cutouts for constructing a desktop model of the solar system and a wall chart depicting the planets, with statistics on each one, such as its distance from the sun, orbital period, and average temperature. A sheet of stick-on mission markers is included, each listing a different satellite or rover with its launch date and mission description. Barren's, 2006, 96 p., color images, paperback, $29.99.

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