Earth and Its Moon

Routinely going through daily life, people may be inured to the fact that Earth takes up only a small fraction of a solar system, let alone the universe. Still, the planet we call home is unique for a number of reasons. The more we can learn about Earth and its Moon--the two bodies in the solar system of which the most has been discovered to date--the more likely scientists are to uncover truths about the universe as a whole. The properties, motions, and cycles that characterize the Earth and Moon are the subjects of this mesmerizing volume, supported with details, sidebars, and labeled illustra.

BOOK COVER; TITLE; COPYRIGHT; CONTENTS; INTRODUCTION; CHAPTER 1: PLANET EARTH; SHAPE AND SIZE; MOTIONS; ROTATION AND ORBIT; THE EFFECT OF GRAVITY; SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES; MAGNETIC FIELD; EARTH'S PLACE IN SPACE; CHAPTER 2: THE STRUCTURE OF EARTH; DISCOVERING EARTH'S STRUCTURE; USING DENSITY; USING SEISMIC WAVES; EARTH'S LAYERS; ROCKS AND MINERALS; IGNEOUS ROCK; METAMORPHIC ROCK; SEDIMENTARY ROCK; CHAPTER 3: EARTH'S SPHERES; ATMOSPHERE; MASS AND COMPOSITION; TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE; AIR MOVEMENTS AND WEATHER; HYDROSPHERE; MASS AND COMPOSITION; TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE; CURRENTS.

PRECIPITATION AND AQUIFERSLITHOSPHERE; BIOSPHERE; CHAPTER 4: EARTH'S CYCLES; WATER CYCLE; THE WATER TABLE; RESIDENCE TIME; CARBON CYCLE; CARBON STORAGE; RESIDENCE TIME; CHAPTER 5: EARTH'S SATELLITE: THE MOON; THE MOON'S APPEARANCE FROM EARTH; THE MOON THROUGH A TELESCOPE; PHASES OF THE MOON; ECLIPSES; CHAPTER 6: PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MOON; SIZE AND DISTANCE FROM EARTH; MASS AND DENSITY; COMPOSITION AND ATMOSPHERE; LUNAR GEOGRAPHY; ROCKS AND CRATERS; THE EFFECTS OF BOMBARDMENTS; MOUNTAINS; CONCLUSION; GLOSSARY; FOR MORE INFORMATION; WEB SITES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX; BACK COVER.