Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids    There aren't just planets in our solar system. What else is out there? Well, there are comets, asteroids, satellites, and meteoroids to name a few. Comets are fast-moving chunks of ice, dust, and rock that from huge gaseous heads as they move nearer to the Sun. Asteroids are solid chunks of rock or metal that range in size from small boulders to hundreds of miles across. Satellites are object tat move in an orbit around a planet. (The moon is a natural satellite.) Meteoroids are small pieces of stone or metal traveling in space. Most meteoroids are fragments from comets or asteroids that broke off from crashes in space. Visit our Themed Reviews section for more space books! Reviews Asteroid Impact Doug Henderson Asteroids threaten Earth!" Current newspaper headlines suggesting a possible collision in the next seventy years prove Douglas Henderson's timing to be perfect with his book about an impact that occurred 65 million years ago. Henderson, branching out from his earlier books exclusively about dinosaurs, carefully explains the situation on this planet and above it just prior to the six-mile wide asteroid's plummeting into the Yucatn Peninsula, effectively eliminating the era of dinosaurs. Mixing geology, astronomy and paleontology in both text and illustrations, the end result makes for quite an interesting book for both science classes and curious kids. Assistance might be necessary for younger readers, though, as some of the illustrative explanations are as complex as they are ingenious. 2000, Dial, $16.99. Ages 6 to 10. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr ISBN: 0803725000 Best Books: The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States Capitol Choices, 2000 ; The Capitol Choices Committee; United States Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States The Children's Literature Choice List, 2001 ; Children's Literature; United States Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2000 ; American Library Association-Booklist; United States Asteroid Strikes Victor Gentle and Janet Perry Many children enjoy the vicarious chills of reading a scary book. This book is about comets and meteoroids, as well as asteroids. The first page, titled "Wipe Out," talks about the asteroid that hit Earth about 65 million years ago. The authors provide a detailed account of what happened and say that most scientists believe it probably "caused the sudden extinction of many species of animals and plants, including the dinosaurs." They then give an overview of more recent impacts, revealing that scientists know about an asteroid that will come close enough to hit the Moon in about three years. "But there are many asteroids that scientists still don't know about." On the following page there is a brief discussion about what we could possibly do to avoid an asteroid impact, but the page ends with the less-than-comforting statement--"If the asteroid was due to hit us next year, we probably would not be able to stop it." This is not reassuring reading, especially for young readers. Several of the photographs are graphic, adding to the "fright-index." The book is part of "Natural Disasters" series. 2001, Gareth Stevens, $19.93. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Ellen R. Butts ISBN: 0836828313 Asteroids Isaac Asimov Hundreds of thousands of minor planets are constantly traveling in space. These objects are called asteroids. Young readers will discover fascinating facts about these star like heavenly bodies in The Solar System Series by 21st Century Library of the Universe. This new, revised edition provides a dramatic look at Ceres, an asteroid that is almost a planet, thanks to the images beamed back to Earth by the Hubble Space Telescope. Each page of the clearly written text is enhanced by revealing color illustrations, diagrams, charts or photographs. Images of asteroids taken by the Galileo space- craft reveal their unique dog-bone shape. Two very dramatic photographs portray a streaking meteor over head at Jackson Lake, Wyoming and the yearly Leonid meteor shower. Threats to the earth from meteors and asteroids, the asteroid belt and future space mining are also discussed. An interesting fact-file on asteroids, more books about asteroids, web sites and places to visit for further study are included in the end-notes along with a glossary and index. This is a valuable resource for the home, intermediate or middle school library or resource room. 2002, Gareth Stevens Publishing, Ages 8 to 12, $20.60. Reviewer: Sue Reichard ISBN: 0-8368-3233-7 Asteroids Gregory L. Vogt Asteroids are large space rocks that, in our solar system, orbit the sun as if they were minor planets. Most asteroids in our solar system are part of a belt that exists between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. In other cases, there are near-Earth asteroids or NEA's that occasionally cross the path of our planet's orbit. In fact, on March 23, 1989, asteroid 1989FC came within twice the distance to the moon and entered the Earth's orbit at a spot where our planet had been six hours previously. Such close encounters with asteroids are reminiscent of the premise that many scientists support that, sixty-five million years ago, a giant asteroid struck the Earth thus bringing an end to the dinosaurs. In this volume of The Galaxy series the author Gregory Vogt outlines the nature and scope of asteroids. Vogt uses vocabulary and text that are at a level that will neither overwhelm nor bore younger readers. The author also makes liberal use of telescopically generated photographs of asteroids, their craters, and orbital paths. This is an information packed book that will capture the interest of young scientists. 2002, Bridgestone Books, Ages 7 to 9, $18.60. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck ISBN: 0-7368-1118-4 Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors Robin Kerrod Asteroids were once thought to be the remains of another planet. As a planet was drawn into the gravity field of the planet Jupiter, it exploded into pieces, thus creating asteroids. Astronomers now believe that asteroids have always been separate chunks of matter that never formed into planets. The facts about asteroids, comets and meteorites is included here, and each page offers diagrams or illustrations to accompany the text. Several pages give brief facts in a "Star Point" box. An index and a glossary are included to assist researchers. One of ten volumes in the series "Planet Library" The series is excellent and would be a desirable addition to an elementary or middle school collection, as well as science classrooms. 2000, Lerner Books, $22.60. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Joyce Rice ISBN: 0822539055 Best Books: Best Books for Children, 2001; Science Books & Films; United States The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2001; Bank Street College of Education; United States Collision Course! Cosmic Impacts and Life on Earth Fred Bortz Each of the seven chapters in this book highlights different events relating to cosmic rocks and colliding fireballs in the sky. The powerful impact that these phenomena will have on us is hard to calculate, but scientists do know that sometime in the future it is possible that we will discover a large space rock on a collision course with earth. Protecting our population will take top priority, but how can we do that? Some suggest that we should build a space robot that would land on the rock and change its speed and direction. Others feel that the best course of action would be to blow apart the rock with nuclear explosives. Predicting when and how this may happen is impossible, but with some luck we'll have a few million years to figure it out. 2001, Millbrook Press, $23.90. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Sharon Tolle ISBN: 0761314032 Comets Samantha Bonar    It may sound like a dense topic for a children's book. But Samantha Bonar has made this lofty topic very accessible. Bonar, a writer for Highlights, American Girl, and Boys' Life, blends historical detail and scientific facts in this engaging text. Readers learn what comets are, where they come from, and how they affect us. Well-chosen graphic illustrations provide delightful context and its 8 x 7 format is easy to handle. Also included are wonderful suggestions on where to find out more in books, articles and online sources. With six chapters and a glossary, this book is part of Franklin Watt's First Book series. 1998, Franklin Watts, Ages 8 to 13, $6.95. Reviewer: Dia L. Michels ISBN: 0-531-15907-8 Best Books: Best Books for Children, 1998 ; Science Books & Films; United States Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States Middle And Junior High School Library Catalog, Eighth Edition, 2000 ; H.W. Wilson; United States Comets Gregory L. Vogt    Occasionally a major comet will capture the attention of people across the globe. In 1997 people all around the world were able to look up into the night sky and see comet Hale-Bopp traverse the heavens. For hundreds of years comets were viewed by people as harbingers of evil. Their arrival was seen as auguring in an age of misfortune. In reality, there are countless comets traveling across space. They become visible when they come near a star. The heat of stars begins to melt the ice and snow core of a comet, thus making them spectacularly visible. Comets are similar to dirty galactic snowballs that eventually melt down leaving behind a trail of dust, rock, and debris that continue to orbit the star that melted their parent. This trail of debris can be trapped in a planetary atmosphere. In such a case the debris burns up on atmospheric entry as each part of the former comet becomes a glowing meteorite. Comets are spectacular in their visual appeal and in the fact that they return to be viewed on a drawn out but regular basis. Gregory Vogt attempts to explain these cosmic travelers in this illustrated volume of The Galaxy series. The author does a creditable job of bringing comets to life for readers at a primary grade level. This is a fine book and one that will appeal to readers with a scientific bent. 2002, Bridgestone Books, Ages 7 to 9, $18.60. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck ISBN: 0-7368-1119-2 Comets and Asteroids Amanda Davis    Comets are no longer feared as harbingers of calamities. We now know that they are celestial bodies made up of dust, ice, and gas and that many of them follow a regular path through our solar system. The explanations in this nonfiction offering are easy to understand and accompanied by full-page, full-color illustrations. Each spread also contains a green fact box for the trivia buffs. There is a glossary and index and the words from the glossary are bolded and spelled phonetically in the body of the text. Part of the "Exploring Space" series, other titles include Black Holes, Our Solar System, Space Ships, Space Stations: Living and Working in Space, and Extraterrestrials: Is There Life in Outer Space? 1997, Rosen, Ages 6 to 9, $15.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot ISBN: 082395059X Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors    Robin Birch Comets are bits of construction material left over from five billion years ago, when the Solar System was formed. Today they drift in bitter cold far beyond the orbit of Pluto but, in the early days, so many rained down on the infant Earth that some astronomers believe they were responsible for the oceans. This book is a collection of dry and often unrelated facts about what ought to be a fascinating topic. It also contains some minor errors. In one case, text describing the space probe Galileo's images of two asteroids: Gaspra and Ida shares a page with an artist's not-very-realistic sketch of the asteroid belt. In another, the meteor that ended the reign of the dinosaurs is shown hitting just south of Florida. The trouble is that while the crater is off Florida, sixty-five million years ago, the continents were in very different positions. The book features highlighted words which appear in a glossary at the end of the book. Illustrations come mainly from astronomical archives and photo houses. Photos are not reproduced very well and none of the illustrations are very engaging. "Comet Facts" are listed but they are limited to the names of four comets and the people who discovered them. Part of the "Space" series. 2003, Chelsea Clubhouse, $14.95. Ages 6 to 8. Reviewer: Michael Chabin ISBN: 0791069737 Comets, Asteroids, and Meteorites Roy A. Gallant This introductory text presents basic information about comets, asteroids and meteorites. The author briefly discusses what these celestial phenomena are made of, what they look like, where they come from, and how they impact Earth and other objects in space. This resource includes well-written text, fascinating sidebars, illustrations, colorful photographs, a glossary, a list of recommended books and web sites, an author's biography, and an index. Award-winning author, Roy Gallant, brings this topic to life with compelling, updated information. For more detailed information on the subject, check out Seymour Simon's Comets, Meteors and Asteroids. 2001, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, $22.79. Ages 8 to 11. Reviewer: Debra Briatico ISBN: 0761410341 Best Books: Best Books for Children, 2001; Science Books & Films; United States Comets, Meteors and Asteroids Seymour Simon    Mr. Simon's painstakingly selected, first-rate photographs of stars, galaxies, comets, meteors and asteroids provide a stellar background for descriptions and analogies that transform usually difficult concepts into terms children-and adults-can easily picture. When explaining that the galaxy is mostly empty space, for example, Mr. Simon writes that a dozen tennis balls spread out across the U.S. would be more crowed than most of the stars in the galaxy. He brings the heavens down to earth for readers of all ages. 1994, Morrow, Ages 8 up, $15.00, $14.93, and $5.95. Reviewer: Beverly Kobrin ISBN: 0-688-12709-6 ISBN: 0-688-12710-X ISBN: 0-688-15843-9 Best Books: Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 1995 ; National Science Teachers Association; United States Exploring the Universe    Turn to any page in this book and you will find information to ignite the imagination. This selection in the "21st Century Science" series explodes into the realm of the Universe. Anyone picking up this book is in for a treat. The tremendous number of graphical and photographic illustrations not only catch the eye, but reinforce the information provided in the text. There is a great amount of detail for such a small book. This volume is packed with information about such things as space exploration, telescopes and theories regarding the formation of the universe. The writers go so far as to discuss atoms and their relationship to the universe. With such a book, any student and many adults will be intrigued and will possibly investigate the mysteries of the universe further. As with the other books in this series the format is not straight text with graphics, but illustrations with detailed text interspersed throughout the pages. This allows readers to really see the information. A good book for any classroom. 2001, World Almanac Library, $29.27. Ages 6 to 14. Reviewer: John D. Orsborn ISBN: 0836850017 The Incredible Journey to the Planets Nicholas Harris Illustrations by Sebastian Quigley and Gary Hincks    This is a journey through our solar system. Windows are cut out of each page so we can see backwards, from where we have come, and forwards to where we are going. The sun, is where we begin our journey. A fact file sidebar provides specific data about the sun (and each planet); size, density, surface and core temperatures, and rotation period. Mercury, the second smallest planet, is next. A photograph shows that the surface texture of Mercury is very similar to our moon. Venus, although named for the Roman goddess of love, has a very toxic atmosphere and is covered in unbroken clouds. We see that the two moons of Mars are potato shaped, and probably asteroids captured by Mars' gravity. As we progress through the solar system we also encounter asteroids and comets. Each planet is beautifully illustrated. Through the windows all of the planets, asteroids and comets are revealed, but obviously not to scale. 2002, McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing, $9.95. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Kristin Harris ISBN: 1-57768-957-7 Meteors and Meteorites Gregory L. Vogt Consultant: Ralph Winrich    On a clear night you may be fortunate enough to see a streak of light speed across the sky. These "falling stars" are more than sources of potential wishes. They are meteorites that fly through the boundless dimensions of space. Meteors are really portions of asteroids or comets that generally burn up upon entry into the earth's atmosphere. However, on an annual basis approximately 30,000 meteors of four ounces or more strike the Earth's land surface. In most cases, these meteors go unnoticed, as they are mere rocks that do not stand out to the uninitiated eye. However, on some occasions meteors are recovered. These pieces of space offer clues to mysteries that scientists are attempting to solve. In space, astronauts most fear meteors, and there tiny micro-meteor cousins. These passing specks, sometimes no larger that a miniscule pebble, can damage spacecraft and endanger their pilots. All in all, meteors and meteorites are a fascinating element of the cosmos. It is to these stony space-travelers that Gregory Vogt turns his attention in this chapter in "The Galaxy" series. Vogt combines an informative and entertaining text with numerous colorful illustrations to create a book that younger readers will find interesting. 2002, Bridgestone Books, $18.60. Ages 7 to 9. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck ISBN: 0736811206 Meteors, Meteorites, and Meteoroids Ray Spangenburg and Kit Moser    The library-bound "Out of This World" series presents a look at the work of scientist and engineers who investigate the universe beyond the Earth's atmosphere. The fifteen books in the series cover such topics as various planets, the sun, the Hubble Space Telescope, the history of NASA and various NASA projects. As a great admirer of shooting stars, and recent observer of the spectacular Leonid meteor shower, I really enjoyed learning more about these space objects. Meteors are the streaks of light created when a space rock enters the earth's atmosphere. A meteorite is a rock from space that has hit the surface of a planet or moon. Meteoroids are any solid objects floating in space, usually chunks that have broken off from larger bodies. Meteor showers occur when the debris from a comet follows along in the comet's orbit, crosses the Earth's orbit and falls into the Earth's atmosphere. Meteors can be dangerous; in 1908, 725 square miles of forest were flattened in central Siberia by a meteor that apparently exploded before it hit the ground. These are easy to read, informative books. 2002, Franklin Watts, $14.95. Ages 8 to adult. Reviewer: Kristin Harris ISBN: 0531119254 The Solar System    Robin Birch    This is a very brief book on an enormous topic. It uses (and in some cases reuses from other volumes in the series) a rather bland set of stock photos and simple drawings. The vocabulary is limited--the prose, correct but unimaginative. While there is nothing really wrong with this, or any of the books in the series, it is hard to see why a child would find them engaging. That seems a pity. The Solar System makes a fabulous laboratory. We are close enough to the Sun to measure vast sound waves set off deep below its surface. Venus is an object lesson in what can happen if the "Greenhouse Effect" gets out of hand. In fact, each of the planets in our own neighborhood has its lessons. It is a pity they could not have been more adroitly exploited here. Illustrations come mainly from astronomical archives and photo houses. Photos are not reproduced very well and none of the illustrations are very engaging. Highlighted words appear in a nine-word-long glossary. Part of the "Space" series. 2003, Chelsea Clubhouse, $14.95. Ages 6 to 8. Reviewer: Michael Chabin ISBN: 0791069699 The Solar System Dana Meachen Rau    Our solar system, the sun, planets, moons, asteroids and comets are each described in three or four pages with accompanying full-color illustrations. Significant words are printed in bold type and included in a glossary. A dotted line surrounds each two-page spread. An arrow attached to the line seems to be pointing to something in the picture, but the reference is not always clear and is sometimes confusing. An index and bibliography are included. A good introduction to this subject. This book could be used as a read-aloud at the beginning of a unit about the solar system. Part of the "Simply Science" series. 2001, Compass Point Books, $19.93. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer ISBN: 0756500362 Space Valerie Wyatt Illustrated by Matthew Fernandes    This book, set up in a “frequently asked questions” (FAQ) format, is a wonderful introduction to space science. The sequence of topics is logical, launching off with simple questions about Earth (“Why do we have day and night?”), the moon (“Is it true we only see one side of the moon?”), the sun (“Will the sun ever burn out?”) and our neighboring planets (“Is there life on other planets in our solar system?”) The next sections address the differences between comets, meteors and asteroids, and explain common (but often misunderstood) phenomena such as the northern lights and eclipses. The life of stars is simply and beautifully described in pictures; galaxies and constellations are touched upon; and, there are excellent definitions of black holes, quasars and supernovas. The trajectory of topics ends beyond the universe, and includes a terrific analogy to help kids comprehend the vastness of space, by pointing out that if the entire Milky Way Galaxy were the size of a period at the end of a sentence, the universe would be the size of a high school gym. Overall, a well-researched and age-appropriate book to help children in their first understandings of the complex science of space. Illustrations are colorful and fun, and match the spirit of the text. Includes a table of contents and index. 2002, Kids Can Press, Ages 8 to 12, $12.95. Reviewer: Jane Harrington ISBN: 1-55074-973-0 The Universe Francis Davies Illustrated by Lorenzo Cecchi    In this fact-filled information book about the universe of stars, comets, planets and more, each double-page spread has brief statements and sidebars placed on the illustration. The layout is white print on black with many images of the dark or outer space. It is an appealing but busy layout and included in each chapter is a question and answer column. This is the kind of book to unpack slowly or read randomly. The information provided will motivate children in the primary grades to seek more complete information elsewhere and to begin looking up at the night sky. We read that Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin were the first men to walk on Earth's Moon, but we never learn if more followed after that historic date of July 21, 1969. Yet as a primer, the book will serve young astronomy students well. In addition to citing web sites, a statement is made about using the computer's search engine to locate certain keywords, since some web sites stay current longer than others. The book is one in the "Nature's Record-Breakers" series. 2000, Gareth Stevens, $21.27. Ages 7 to 12. Reviewer: Jacki Vawter ISBN: 0836824768 To stay up to date on new books on this topic, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here. Updated 5/1/03