Written in language accessible to elementary students, this resource brings the colossal science of planetary motion within reach of young readers. With beautiful illustrations and interactive experiments, this volume introduces students to the concepts of gravity, force, friction, and much more.

An introduction to the laws of celestial mechanics and a step-by-step guide to developing software for direct use in astrophysics research. This book offers both an introduction to the laws of celestial mechanics and a step-by-step guide to developing software for direct use in astrophysics research. It bridges the gap between conventional textbooks, which present a rigorous and exhaustive exposition of theoretical concepts, and applying the theory to tackle real experiments. The text is written engagingly in dialogue form, presenting the research journey of the fictional Alice, Bob, and Professor Starmover. Moving Planets Around not only educates students on the laws of Newtonian gravity, it also provides all that they need to start writing their own software, from scratch, for simulating the dynamical evolution of planets and exoplanets, stars, or other heavenly bodies.

"A book detailing how planets move in their orbits"--

Computer science is all around us, at school, at home, and in the community. This book gives readers the essential tools they need to understand the computer science concept of simulations. Brilliant color photographs and accessible text will engage readers and allow them to connect deeply with the concept. The computer science topic is paired with an age-appropriate curricular topic to deepen readers’ learning experience and show how simulations work in the real world. In this book, readers learn about the movement of our solar system by looking at a model of the planets and sun. This nonfiction title is paired with the fiction title Jameer Blasts Off! (ISBN: 9781538352106). The instructional guide on the inside front and back covers provides: Vocabulary, Background knowledge, Text-dependent questions, Whole class activities, and Independent activities.

Written in language accessible to elementary students, this resource brings the colossal science of planetary motion within reach of young readers. With beautiful illustrations and interactive experiments, this volume introduces students to the concepts of gravity, force, friction, and much more.

"What if?" questions stimulate people to think in new ways, to refresh old ideas, and to make new discoveries. In What If the Earth Had Two Moons, Neil Comins leads us on a fascinating ten-world journey as we explore what our planet would be like under alternative astronomical conditions. In each case, the Earth would be different, often in surprising ways. The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but that won't last forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one extra-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth sports a Saturn-like ring. This and nine and other speculative essays provide us with insights into the Earth as it exists today, while shedding new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars. Appealing to adult and young adult alike, this book is a fascinating journey through physics and astronomy, and follows on the author's previous bestseller, What if the Moon Didn't Exist?, with completely new scenarios backed by the latest astronomical research.

Controversial at the time, Copernicus's discoveries led to the scientific revolution, and a greater understanding of our place in the universe. An accessible, abridged edition with a new introduction. Renaissance Natural philosopher Nicolaus Copernicus's pioneering discovery of the heliocentric nature of the solar system is one of the few identifiable moments in history that define the understanding of the nature of all things. His great work was the consequence of long observation and resulted in the first stage of the Scientific Revolution by correctly positing that the earth and other planets of the solar system revolved around the sun. Not only did this promote further study to understand the place of humanity in the world and the universe, it questioned the authority of the organised Christian Church in the West to be the keeper of fundamental truths. Ultimately this would lead to the Enlightenment, and the separation of religion, government and science. The FLAME TREE Foundations series features core publications which together have shaped the cultural landscape of the modern world, with cutting-edge research distilled into pocket guides designed to be both accessible and informative.