DK Guide to Space - Hardcover

If you're a space fanatic, you'll love this big guide to all things astronomical. All the heavenly bodies in our solar system--all nine planets and their moons, comets, asteroids, and the sun--are shown in amazing photos and illustrations that give you a feel for what they're like up close. You'll also find out about objects far away from our little planet, like distant stars, nebulas, and galaxies, with telescope images and incredible facts. For instance, did you know that Eta Carinae is the weirdest star known to science? It's being torn apart by constant explosions, and it's the only star known to emit natural laser light! You'll find out how a star is born, how it dies, and how galaxies full of stars fit into the universe. The last part of the book tells the story of human efforts to learn about space, from rockets and shuttles to space stations, satellites, and radio telescopes listening for alien broadcasts. DK Guide to Space is filled with color photos of cool things like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, Mexican Hat galaxies, and the freeze-dried food astronauts eat. It's a great reference for space nuts. (Ages 9 to 12) --Therese Littleton

Grade 4-6-Aimed at a younger audience than Sue Becklake's The Visual Dictionary of the Universe (DK, 1993), this tour of the solar system and beyond is illustrated almost entirely with photos: big, enhanced-color shots that capitalize on the beauty and dramatic power of the best space photography. In the customary one spread per topic format, Bond begins with a glimpse of modern stargazing before moving to the Sun, passing each planet in succession, and launching outward past Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. He sails past stars, nebulae, and galaxies before looping back to visit several spacecraft and space stations, and concludes with a spread of summary charts and Web sites. Midsized blocks of text tucked between illustrations contain an easily digestible mix of basic facts and colorful factoids: of the Sun's 27 million degree core, for instance, the author writes, "If the head of a pin were this hot, it would set fire to everything within 62 miles." Picture captions extend the text with additional or reiterated information. Despite a few design bobbles, such as an occasional superimposed label that is hard to see, or a rare view of Venus without clouds that is partly lost in a gutter, this oversized volume is a better-than-average addition, eminently suitable both for browsing or research.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.