There are 100 quizzes of 10 questions each, graded and colour-coded for difficulty. You can use these to test what you already know about the Earth and the Universe but they will also lead you into finding out more about the subject, as each question is accompanied by a cross-reference to the relevant pages in the reference section. These pages give you the answer to the question plus masses of other interesting information on the topic. There's also a quick answer section at the back of the book with a blank question and answer sheet. The core reference section is packed with facts on space, the Solar System and Earth's physical geography and climate. Find out how to identify different planets, stars and galaxies; learn how rivers, islands and mountains are formed; explore incredible land formations from caves to earth pillars; and marvel at Earth's incredible powers of devastation in landslides, floods and monsoons. You can either use this book as a straightforward reference source or if you simply want to browse, you will find that each fascinating piece of information leads you on to discover another and another and another...

The acclaimed author of Einstein’s Dreams tackles "big questions like the origin of the universe and the nature of consciousness ... in an entertaining and easily digestible way” (Wall Street Journal) with a collection of meditative essays on the possibilities—and impossibilities—of nothingness and infinity, and how our place in the cosmos falls somewhere in between. Can space be divided into smaller and smaller units, ad infinitum? Does space extend to larger and larger regions, on and on to infinity? Is consciousness reducible to the material brain and its neurons? What was the origin of life, and can biologists create life from scratch in the lab? Physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, whom The Washington Post has called “the poet laureate of science writers,” explores these questions and more—from the anatomy of a smile to the capriciousness of memory to the specialness of life in the universe to what came before the Big Bang. Probable Impossibilities is a deeply engaged consideration of what we know of the universe, of life and the mind, and of things vastly larger and smaller than ourselves.

What determines whether complex life will arise on a planet, or even any life at all? Questions such as these are investigated in this groundbreaking book. In doing so, the authors synthesize information from astronomy, biology, and paleontology, and apply it to what we know about the rise of life on Earth and to what could possibly happen elsewhere in the universe. Everyone who has been thrilled by the recent discoveries of extrasolar planets and the indications of life on Mars and the Jovian moon Europa will be fascinated by Rare Earth, and its implications for those who look to the heavens for companionship.

A lighthearted nonfiction picture book about the formation and history of the Earth--told from the perspective of the Earth itself! "Hi, I’m Earth! But you can call me Planet Awesome." Prepare to learn all about Earth from the point-of-view of Earth herself! In this funny yet informative book, filled to the brim with kid-friendly facts, readers will discover key moments in Earth’s life, from her childhood more than four billion years ago all the way up to present day. Beloved children's book author Stacy McAnulty helps Earth tell her story, and award-winning illustrator David Litchfield brings the words to life. The book includes back matter with even more interesting tidbits. This title has Common Core connections.

Briefly outlines the history of astronomy, recounts the origins of our solar system, and summarizes current knowledge about the sun, moon, stars and planets