Reviewed by Jacqueline Pfeiffer
3rd Grade Teacher
What are nebulae? How are they formed? Where are they in space? How far away are they? These and many other questions are answered in this book, one of six in the Explore Outer Space series. Each volume attempts to explain tough topics in astronomy that baffle teachers all the time such as solar and lunar eclipses, galaxies, nebulae, quasars, asteroids and the asteroid belt, and supernovas.
Young, would–be astronomers need a good science background to understand these topics. With great pictures, photographs, and illustrations, these books fill in that background and explain those tough topics to children (and also help teachers understand those topics). Each book has an interest level appropriate to grades 3 through 6, with a reading level at grades 2–3. Many of the vocabulary words, which are defined in the glossary in the back of the book, would be challenging to most students unless they had a great interest in the topic. The webpage provided was not activated at the time of this review.
Interspersed on every other page are sidebars featuring a “That’s Out of This World” fact. For example, at the center of Nebula NGC where stars are formed, over 200 stars grow up to 60 times bigger than our Sun. Orion Nebula is our closest star–forming nebula and is about 1500 light years from Earth. When the Sun swells to become a super–giant, its diameter will grow by a factor of 250 times.
This is a great book for space enthusiasts and the photos would draw even reluctant readers in to read the book. I highly recommend the series.
Review posted on 1/4/2013
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