Beyond Jupiter: The Story of Planetary Astronomer Heidi Hammel (Women's Adventures in Science) [Library Binding]

Fred Bortz (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up | Series: Women's Adventures in Science

Heidi Hammel is an out-of-this world explorer. With her feet planted firmly on Earth, she takes trips millions of miles out into space. How does she do this? Heidi Hammel is a planetary astronomer, a scientist who uses the world's most powerful telescopes to learn about planets. By making remarkable discoveries in the farthest reaches of our solar system, Heidi also helps us better understand the planet we call home. The giant planets Neptune and Uranus are Heidi's specialties. She was on the team that first spotted Neptune's Great Dark Spot, a raging storm as big as Earth. Heidi also led a team of astronomers tracking the Great Comet Crash, a spectacular event in which a fragmented comet pounded Jupiter for an entire week. There's no telling what Heidi will find when she peers into a telescope. That's what makes her work exciting. "Beyond Jupiter" is the fascinating story of a scientist and her science. To tell this true tale of adventure, author Fred Bortz draws on firsthand accounts from Heidi and her friends, family, and colleagues. How did a down-to-earth girl grow up to be one of the world's most highly respected astronomers? The life story of Heidi Hammel will intrigue and inspire readers of all ages.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10–Engaging career biographies of contemporary scientists. Each volume offers a background profile of the woman, including her childhood interests. The sections about their early lives will pull readers into the books and help them related to these budding scientists. Once the biographical information is laid out, the individuals career arcs are profiled. For example, France is active with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) that helped excavate the 9/11 rubble. The books are well written and punctuated with full-color photographs from the womens personal albums, showing their honors and awards as well as their growing-up stages. Illustrations also include scientific diagrams and charts related to their research. As these women are currently on the job, their historical impact is not yet known. However, the fine writing and inspiring work of the scientists will reward those students who choose to read these books.–Cass Kvenild, University of Wyoming, Laramie
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Book Description

Heidi Hammel is an out-of-this world explorer. With her feet planted firmly on Earth, she takes trips millions of miles out into space. How does she do this? Heidi Hammel is a planetary astronomer, a scientist who uses the world’s most powerful telescopes to learn about planets. By making remarkable discoveries in the farthest reaches of our solar system, Heidi also helps us better understand the planet we call home. The giant planets Neptune and Uranus are Heidi’s specialties. She was on the team that first spotted Neptune’s Great Dark Spot, a raging storm as big as Earth. Heidi also led a team of astronomers tracking the Great Comet Crash, a spectacular event in which a fragmented comet pounded Jupiter for an entire week. There’s no telling what Heidi will find when she peers into a telescope. That’s what makes her work exciting. Beyond Jupiter is the fascinating story of a scientist and her science. To tell this true tale of adventure, author Fred Bortz draws on firsthand accounts from Heidi and her friends, family, and colleagues. How did a down-to-earth girl grow up to be one of the world’s most highly respected astronomers? The life story of Heidi Hammel will intrigue and inspire readers of all ages. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Library Binding: 110 pages
• Publisher: Children's Press(CT) (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531167755
• ISBN-13: 978-0531167755
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,265,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I love sharing science with young readers, and I use my books and website to do that. I also visit schools whenever I can. Sometimes I give a talk called "Our Next Planet," and invite my audience to travel with me to other worlds. I'm also developing a talk called "The Truth About Space Aliens." It's based on my new book about the "Cool Science" of Astrobiology.

My website, "Dr. Fred's Place," has sections called "Ask Dr. Fred," where you can discover some of my favorite questions. It also has pages about all my books, with updates and links for several of them. I have a special section about "Beyond Jupiter: The Story of Planetary Astronomer Heidi Hammel." That section includes the story of my trip to a major telescope on Hawaii's highest mountain with Heidi. It also includes her frequently asked questions about astronomy.

After you visit "Dr. Fred's Place," you will understand why I say that science is not about answers but rather about questions and the way we follow them to discoveries. Discover my books, follow your questions, and share in wonderful adventures.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientists are real people too, March 4, 2008

By 

Bruce Irving "Flying Singer" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beyond Jupiter: The Story of Planetary Astronomer Heidi Hammel (Women's Adventures in Science (Joseph Henry Press)) (Paperback)

Women can do anything, but in some fields such as science and engineering, there are still relatively few role models for women. You could point to woman astronauts like Eileen Collins and Peggy Whitson, but there are very few astronaut jobs for men or women. There are many women in non-astronaut space and astronomy roles, as Emily Lakdawalla pointed out in a recent Planetary Society blog post about an all-female team of NASA Mars Rover scientists, engineers, planners, and operators. Women are doing all these things and more in science and engineering, but how can girls find out about these possibilities?

There's a new series of books and a web site from the National Academy of Sciences, iwaswondering.org, that addresses this issue. The book series is Women's Adventures in Science, and I just bought and read one of them, Beyond Jupiter: The Story of Planetary Astronomer Heidi Hammel by Fred Bortz. Dr. Hammel has specialized mainly in the outer planets, especially Uranus and Neptune, though she also was the team leader for Hubble observations of Jupiter for the "Great Comet Crash" in 1994. The nice thing about this book is that it is not only about her science accomplishments, but it also talks about Heidi Hammel as a regular person. She was a smart girl who didn't really know what she wanted to do, was encouraged to apply to MIT, got accepted, struggled with physics classes there, got interested in astronomy, and went on to get a Ph.D. in astronomy. She has done breakthrough work and has received many awards. But she has also been a musician and a Grateful Dead fan and later a wife and mother of three children. The book includes quite a bit of information on planetary astronomy to help explain the work she has done.

This is a really good book, and I strongly recommend it to parents or teachers to share with their daughters and students.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, moving biography, March 8, 2007

By 

Phil Mercurio (Encinitas, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beyond Jupiter: The Story of Planetary Astronomer Heidi Hammel (Women's Adventures in Science (Joseph Henry Press)) (Paperback)

This is a moving, intimate biography of an important scientist. Very
inspirational.