Essential for life on earth and a major influence on our environment, the Sun is also the most fascinating object in the daytime sky. Every day we feel the effect of its coming and going--literally the difference between day and night. But figuring out what the Sun is, what it's made of, why it glows so brightly, how old it is, how long it will last--all of these take thought and observation. Leon Golub and Jay M. Pasachoff offer an engaging and informative...

The moon has always been the most obvious feature in our night sky. It is our nearest celestial neighbor, orbiting the earth at an average distance of 384,400 kilometers, and is large enough to display significant detail even to the unaided eye. Our moon has drawn observers since the dawn of humankind, and all people have tried to make sense of the puzzles it poses and the questions it raises. The moon provided our ancient ancestors with one of the...

"From the latest scientific advances to observation advice for amateur astronomers, a beautifully illustrated exploration of one of Earth's closest neighbors. This book is a new, beautifully illustrated account of Venus, taking in the most recent research into this mysterious, inhospitable world. The book looks at the history of our observations of the planet, from early astronomy to future space missions, and seeks to shed light on many of the questions...