Offers a detailed look at the heavenly bodies that make up the solar system, describing the eight planets that orbit the Sun, the moons, asteroids, and dwarf planets in the system, and the spacecrafts humans have created to explore the stars.

"The past few years have seen an incredible explosion in our knowledge of the universe. Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, and even more remarkable than the sheer number of exoplanets is their variety. In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries:...

Introduces exoplanets, examining the planets outside of our solar system, discussing what makes them habitable, and exploring the efforts to discover new life.

"After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home. They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe. Becky Chambers's new series continues to ask: in a world where people...

Describes the planets and their life forms which make up the Star Wars galaxy.

On a privately financed orbital habitat above the planet Uranus, political idealism conflicts with pragmatic, and illegal, methods of financing. Add a scientist who has funding to launch a probe deep into Uranus's ocean depths to search for signs of life, and you have a three-way struggle for control. Humans can't live on the gas giants, making instead a life in orbit. Kyle Umber, a religious idealist, has built Haven, a sanctuary above the distant...

Profiles each of the planets in Earth's solar system, including Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, MakeMake, the sun, the Oort cloud, comets, and more.

Introduces facts about the planets, distinguishing between the inner, gas, and dwarf planets, and discusses how scientists learn about the planets and outer space.

Ultimately, we need to figure out what is next for humanity. Our logical move is to break free of the confines of the Earth and colonize another body in the Solar System, such as the Moon or Mars. How and when will we do this? Or is it all just science fiction? These questions, in a nutshell, make up the core of astrobiology--the study of the origins and evolution and biology of life elsewhere in the universe, and the search for it. This book is an...