Understanding Our Sun

Six titles comprise Crabtree’s new “Mission: Space Science” series which examines the solar system as well as some of the history and the future of space exploration. Detailed information, accompanied by photographs, artists’ renderings and diagrams, furthers readers’ understanding of the universe. Sidebars provide additional information, and “Your Mission” text boxes pose questions and scenarios for readers to ponder. At the back of the book is a “Planning Your Mission” activity for readers to try. This activity involves goal-setting, critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving. In most cases, the student has to decide on a research topic or type of mission, design an appropriate spacecraft, select the proper tools to take along, the methods of recording data, and finally, collaborate with others to brainstorm for ways in which to improve the mission. Though the vocabulary used in the text is not difficult, many of the concepts presented in the series are quite complex, and so the books might appeal only to space buffs. Occasionally, the information is repeated throughout the various titles, and some of it is available in other series by the same publisher. A table of contents, a glossary, an index and a list of books and web sites are also provided.

The sun is a yellow dwarf star formed over four million years ago, so huge that 1.3 million Earths can fit into it. Understanding Our Sun takes a look at the unique challenges of designing spacecraft to study the sun due to its intense heat. This title also features solar weather and some of the components of the sun and its turbulent atmosphere: plasma, sun spots, coronal loops, streamers, plumes, solar flares and solar winds. CMEs, coronal mass ejections, are the massive bursts of charged particles which cause the Aurora Borealis. Other topics include how the sun produces heat, light and radiation, from infrared and ultraviolet light to x-rays and gamma rays, space station Skylab and other telescopes and probes which studied the sun, and the future of the sun as it grows to 256 times its size in five to seven billion years.

Generally, “Mission: Space Science” is a good series, but some of the titles will have a limited audience.