Seven Wonders of the Solar System

by David A. Aguilar

Overview

Travel the near and far reaches of the solar system in this lively, beautifully illustrated Smithsonian nonfiction book!

Ready for a wondrous celestial journey? How about a trip to our close neighbor Mars, home to the largest volcano in the solar system? Or to Europa, a watery lunar world with a really deep ocean? Or beyond the beyond to mysterious Planet 9, an unseen giant lurking in the far outer regions of space?

This extraordinary book puts you right there: breaking through colorful gaseous hazes; exploring the surface of red-hot or ice-cold planets; hurtling through rings of flying, frozen ice chunks; and rocketing on out to deep space. Astronomer David Aguilar is our navigator on these seven wonderful trips through our solar system—journeys that someday may actually happen!
 
The SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION is the world’s largest museum and research complex. Founded in 1846, it includes nineteen museum and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities. Its vast collections house 138 million artifacts, specimens, and works of art, which represent our nation’s rich heritage, art from across the globe, and the immense diversity of the natural and cultural world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451476852
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Series:	Smithsonian
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	10.70(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

David Aguilar is an astronomer, artist, author of several notable books on space for children, including Cosmic Catastrophes: Seven Ways to Destroy a Planet Like Earth. He is the former Director of Science Information for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. As a member of the New Horizons Spacecraft Team, he handled the media coverage of the Pluto fly-by. He lives with his wife outside Aspen Colorado, where he’s built his own observatory. Asteroid 1990 DA was named in his honor by the International Astronomical Union. Read more about the author at davidaguilar.org.

Editorial Reviews

"Aguilar weaves together a narrative of science and imagination—readers can envision what it would be like to set foot on these distant lands . . . Students will be fascinated and educated at the same time." —School Library Journal

Praise for Cosmic Catastrophes by David Aguilar:

★ "Readers who like their adventure and danger on a planetary scale will be captivated by this book . . . Outstanding." —School Library Connection, starred review

"Chilling, compelling, and clearly explained . . . A wild and thought-provoking look at what potential calamities await our planet." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

08/01/2017
Gr 5 Up—Admittedly our solar system holds many amazing features, but Aguilar selects the seven presented here based on where he would want to visit and take a selfie. Olympus Mons, a 16-mile high volcano on Mars; Saturn's rings; Planet Nine, which is based off of mathematics and is still being studied; a few different moons (Europa, Titan, Charron); and planet Earth make the cut. Each wonder has several pages dedicated to describing and explaining its discovery, as well as information about the astronomers that studied it and visits made by spacecraft. Aguilar weaves together a narrative of science and imagination—readers can envision what it would be like to set foot on these distant lands. The majority of the amazing artwork was created by building 3-D models (using data gleaned from space probes, and scientific facts and figures) and then photographing and digitizing them. Students will be fascinated and educated at the same time. A thorough index helps make it useful for research, but since the work covers a mix of facts, it will be better suited for curiosity seekers. VERDICT A title sure to inspire readers; large nonfiction collections should consider.—Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio

School Library Journal