Astronomy For Children

The smallest planet in our solar system is also the closest to the sun. That means on Mercury, one year is just 88 days long! Discover more facts about the small but mighty Mercury.

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!

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."

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and has a special feature, it tilts! Discover the mysteries of this ice giant that sits half in darkness for more than 40 years at a time!

Everything about Jupiter is big! Its size is big. Even its storms are big! Get the big and small facts about this gas giant that can be seen glowing in the night sky.

Learn about our solar system! Swift Walker loved to walk fast. His sister warned him, "One day, you'll walk so fast you won't be able to stop!" His speedy legs took him to see all the oceans of the world, and now his "superpowers" are taking him to a whole new level. Join Swift on an adventure to all the planets in our solar system. Swift Walker: A Space Adventure introduces kids to real facts about our solar system with a fun character they can relate to.

On January 31, 1961, a three-year-old chimpanzee named Ham made history. Strapped inside a Mercury capsule, the little chimp blasted off into the sky, becoming the first intelligent being to ride an American rocket into suborbital space. Ham made a vital contribution to the United States space program. Because there were so many unanswered questions about space travel, scientists could not risk sending humans on a journey into the unknown. Chimpanzees, however, are very similar to humans in the makeup of their skeletons and internal organs.

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.

On their journeys, they’ll discover volcanic moons, mysterious dwarf planets, and much more! This volume includes The Asteroid Belt, The Dwarf Planets, and The Inner Planets.

Let the mission begin with this far-out series. This volume includes Earth Satellites, The Hubble Space Telescope, The International Space Station, and Lunar Probes.

What causes Jupiter’s Great Red Spot? How have volcanoes shaped the land on many planets? How do space shuttles launch and dock with space stations? This series introduces young listeners to the objects within our solar system and the tools people use to explore the mysteries of space. This volume includes Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn.

Climb into your spaceship and blastoff for an adventure through our solar system! This exciting nonfiction series uses narrative text to inform early learners about the different planets, moons, and other celestial bodies in the solar system. On their journeys, they’ll discover volcanic moons, mysterious dwarf planets, and much more! This volume includes Moons, The Outer Planets, and The Sun.

What causes Jupiter’s Great Red Spot? How have volcanoes shaped the land on many planets? How do space shuttles launch and dock with space stations? This series introduces young listeners to the objects within our solar system and the tools people use to explore the mysteries of space. This volume includes The Sun, Uranus, Venus, Asteroids, Astronauts, and The Hubble Telescope.

What causes Jupiter’s Great Red Spot? How have volcanoes shaped the land on many planets? How do space shuttles launch and dock with space stations? This series introduces young listeners to the objects within our solar system and the tools people use to explore the mysteries of space. This volume includes The Moon, NASA, Pluto, The Solar System, Space Shuttles, and Space Stations.

Director Solomon gives a guided tour of Star City Planetarium, where he explains such things as what equipment is used in a planetarium show and what some of the different objects in the night sky are.

If I were an astronaut, I would zoom into outer space! I would help fix the International Space Station. Dream big, and see what fun it is to be an astronaut.

Benjamin Banneker wasn't just a scientist. He was also an author, astronomer, and mathematician. Young listeners will discover how this self-taught man came to be one of the first important African American intellectuals.

The story of Christa McAuliffe and six other NASA astronauts who lost their lives in the Challenger space shuttle disaster on January 28, 1986.

Did you know people live and work in laboratories in space? How are these space stations built? Find out more in Space Stations.

Let the mission begin with this far-out series. This volume includes Mars Rovers, Robonauts, Rockets, and Space Shuttles.