Astronomy For Children

Neil deGrasse Tyson's number-one New York Times best-selling guide to the cosmos, adapted for young listeners. From the basics of physics to big questions about the nature of space and time, celebrated astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the mysteries of the cosmos into bite-sized pieces.

Listen and relive the exciting tales from Highlights, now on audio! Learn how the Horsehead Nebula got its name and shape and what astronauts have to wear in space, along with other stories about outer space.

Have you ever wondered why the days are so long in the summer and short in the winter? Or why we have hot weather and colder weather? Read on to learn about the Earth, how it spins around the Sun, and the seasons!

Our sun is great at shining down light and heat on earth, but was the sun always that bright? With the help of gravity, the sun is eventually able to produce enough energy to give off light. Our sun has kept this up for four billion years and will keep shining for another five billion years!

Have you ever wondered what living in space would be like? Meet the Kellys who are identical twins and both astronauts for NASA. With one brother in space and the other on Earth, they are an experiment to learn how human bodies that share the same DNA are affected by living in space for a long time. What do you think NASA can learn from this twin science study?

Beliefs about the shape of the earth have varied over the millennia, but the Ancient Greeks were able to observe that our planet is round and even Eratosthenes attempted to measure its size. It was not until explorers had fully charted the globe that most people were really able to comprehend its spherical shape.

This edition of Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed book is perfect for young students. It's the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program. Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.

John Farrell takes kids on a rhyming tour of the night sky, from A to Z, with facts about the wonders of space. From distant Andromeda, a galaxy made up of billions of stars, to the constellation of the zodiac, Farrell covers the high points of outer space. How do you find Jupiter or Venus? How does the Moon cause the tides of Earth's shores? How can you find the North Star, and why do all other stars seem to go around it? The answers to these and many other questions are contained in this beautiful volume of science that will delight a young listener's imagination.

My beginner's book is your ticket to one of the coolest and most mysterious subjects out there. This isn't your average physics book. It's a portal to understanding the stuff that makes up... well, everything! Subatomic particles. Do not let their size fool you; they have a massive impact on the world around you—the fundamental part of how everything works and not as complex as you might fear.

Mars is famous for its coloring, but the fourth planet from the sun has more than that going for it. Discover more interesting facts and secrets about the famous "red planet."

Have you ever wished you could go to the moon? Learn about Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and their fellow astronauts on the Apollo 11 who took the first steps on the moon! Discover the process and challenges that NASA overcame to safely send people to the moon with engineering and physics. Understand how this historical moment affected space exploration for countries all over the world.

People have long been curious about the solar system. Since the 1960s, several probes, orbiters, landers, and rovers have been sent out to explore and study the planets and their moons. What incredible discoveries were made during these daring missions? And what will be needed for humans to visit the planets in person? Max Axiom and the Society of Super Scientists learn about various missions to other planets and the risks involved with sending people across the solar system and beyond.

Imagine taking a flight to the stars! Yo pretends to take a rocket into the sky to visit the stars–only he wonders if he will see the stars. Yo doesn’t want to crash into them if he can’t see them!

Of all the historic spacecraft vehicles displayed at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in New York–one remains special! On the Moon, it gave shelter to the astronauts. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lunar Module–also used as a communications center–the LM-13 was built to transport people from earth to outer space! Learn what else makes this aeronautical spacecraft special!

Tensions continue to rise between the Soviet Union and the United States as they engage in a Cold War. One of these battles was the space race. Learn how both countries began engineering and scientific effort to be the first to travel into space and back to Earth and the technology necessary to operate in it. See how scientists fight for peace as they begin their efforts to explore the unknown.

What’s inside a black hole? What are the sounds we hear from the depths of space? How did the moon form? When it comes to the realm beyond our planet, there are a whole lot of questions we’re still trying to answer.

Have you ever wondered why the sun is so bright? We know today that the sun is a giant star that is millions of years old, but this is a relatively recent discovery! Learn about the different theories that scholars throughout history developed about the sun and why it burns so brightly.

Saturn is famous for its rings. This very windy planet has another claim to fame—it has the most moons of all eight planets! Discover more amazing facts about the sixth planet in the solar system!

Could there be life forms on planetary moons such as Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon or Titian, one of Saturn’s largest moons? Although our moon is made of mostly rock, astronomers believe life may exist on other moons! Scientists know liquid water is needed to support life, and Europa has plenty of it. What other key ingredients are needed for life to exist in our solar system?

If a black hole is not a hole, then what is it? Find out what black holes are, what causes them, and how scientists first discovered them. Learn how astronomers find black holes, get to know our nearest black-hole neighbor, and take a journey that will literally s-t-r-e-t-c-h the mind.