Customer Reviews

Planets, Stars, and Galaxies: A Visual Encyclopedia of Our Universe

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book published by the National Geographic Society, known usually for their factual accuracy, is beautiful in its pictorial content as other reviewers have said, but contains serious errors in the text. If you are thinking of buying for your 3-year-old, or your 5-year-old, they'll love the pictures and won't care about the mistakes. If you're contemplating buying it for your 6th grader's report on anything within the bounds of the solar system, don't.

The text on Mars states in its opening paragraph that Mars is the same size as Earth and is the planet nearest us. Wrong! Twice! In fact Mars is barely over 1/2 the diameter of Earth, and Venus orbits closer to Earth than Mars. (Diameters: Earth,7926 miles; Mars, 4221 miles. Because orbits are elliptical, distances vary, so averages are given. Orbit of Venus is about 35 million miles from Earth's, Mars orbit is an average of about 49 million miles from us.)

On the Mars page, the text does not agree with the chart or illustrations, which are correct.

The asteroid / dwarf planet Ceres is described as being "roughly equal to the size of our moon". Not even close! Sparing you the math, let's just say the Ceres is approximately 1/4 the size of our Moon. The text is again in disareement with its own charts. As before, the charts are correct, the text is in error.

Those mistakes were found just in browsing. Extensive examination may find more - but the errors above are enough to cast doubt on the rest of the book.

(Reviewer is a librarian, amateur astronomer, parent of 4, grandfather of 3.)

David Aguilar describes the planets of our solar system as well as dark matter, neutron stars, nebula, and many other phenomena of space in this book.

What makes this book different from others on the subject, are the glowing illustrations that Aguilar created from NASA and telescope photographs . The photos are enhanced and Photoshopped to offer a "you are there" presence to the reader. What would it feel like to be in the middle of the Kuiper Belt? Well, pages 62 and 63 give us an idea. Imaginative space ships tour planets and space suited explorers stand on the surface of one of Jupiter's moons.

Aguilar fills the text with factual information. He explains how a star burns in a graphic that depicts the collision of two protons and the release of energy that is starlight. The location of supernova, nebula and other objects are marked in constellation maps when they are visible through binoculars.

The author has projected reader into the galaxy, traveling exploring and experiencing the wonders of the universe. We live in a time when the Space Shuttle program seems routine and low Earth orbit is the best we can do. The book could fire the imagination of kids who have seen the spectacular images of the space telescopes and now think, "been there-done that." Chapters, "Are we Alone?" and "Dreams of Tomorrow" ponder what is "alien life" and ideas for the future of space engineering.

This book fires the imagination and could also inspire a young person today to look skyward.

David Aguilar's "Planets, Stars, and Galaxies: A Visual Encyclopedia of Our Universe" is a beautiful and well-done book that does a very good job giving a general overview of the latest astronomical knowledge. This book even includes the latest on the new designation of dwarf planets and Pluto's demotion.

The book is full of beautiful photos and computer illustrations of the planets, nebulae, neutron stars, and galaxies. These illustrations really bring the book to life. They are enhanced by well-written, informative text.

Although this is a great book, I do have a couple of criticisms. The first is that the tour of the solar system is done through a narrative device: a spaceship that flies from Earth to the sun and then back out. Venus is thus covered first, followed by Mercury, the sun, then Mars, then (after the rest of the planets are covered) finishing with Earth. While that is consistent with the narrative device, it's confusing to anyone just scanning the book.

Also, there are a handful of errors in the book: The book states that Mars is the closest planet to the Earth; on one chart, Jupiter's moons are incorrectly labeled (my 3 year-old correctly identified the pictures, but I mistakenly corrected him based on the incorrect labels); Callisto is referred to in one place as "Saturn's moon;" and the book states that Voyager 1 and 2 visited Jupiter in 1973. I was surprised to see such obvious errors get past the editors and appear in a National Geographic book.

I bought for my three year-old, who has fallen in love with the planets and stars. Although the book is a bit advanced for him, the beautiful illustrations and straightforward text make this a wonderful book to own.

I purchased this book so my 8 year old son and I could spend some quality time together doing something we both love, learning about the stars. This book is excellent. It is filled with the most beautiful pictures and is written in a way that kids and adults can enjoy reading together or apart. My son and I enjoy learning about the planets, galaxies, stars, and everything in between. This book is very educational and fun. If you have a child(7-14)who is interested in space, they will love this book.

Bought this book for my 8 year old daughter and it was a BIG hit! Great pictures, very colorful and fun. Not too much information over load, just enough to keep her wanting to read and turn the pages. I would not classify this book as a child's book but it is a good book for 8 years old and up.

Bought this for my 9yr old grandson who has taken a real interest in the stars. Hope this will help him begin a real study of the heavens.