What is a star? Why is the sun so hot? Why does the moon seem to change its shape? And why is the sky blue? These are just some of the questions answered in The Sky Above Us: Astronomy for Teenagers.
Astronomy is the science of the sky, and is presumably the oldest of all the sciences. The sky is always with us; even cavemen of long ago must have looked up and tried to understand what they saw. At first they thought the Earth was flat, lying in the centre of the Universe with all the objects in the sky moving around it - and it was hard for them to realise that this was in fact wrong.
Astronomy has changed dramatically in the last sixty years, and what was once regarded as 'out of this world' has now become part of our everyday lives. Satellites are circling the Earth, and rockets have been sent to explore many of the planets of our Solar System.
The Sky Above Us gives a general outline of what Astronomy is all about and shows that there is much to learn, whether you are ten, fifteen, twenty, or even eighty years old!
Everyone can take an interest in Astronomy, at any level, without the need of expensive telescopic equipment. It is only natural to look up at the night sky and ask 'What star is that?' You could be looking at a Red Giant Star, large enough to swallow many millions of suns, or a fiercely hot White Star, the light from which has taken centuries to reach us. You could even be looking at a planet from our own Solar System. Dip into the pages of this book to discover just what it is that makes up the fascinating sky above us.
