Our Moon: New Discoveries About Earth's Closest Companion

Gr 4–7—It has been more than four decades since anyone stood on the Moon, but scientific interest in our rocky neighbor has continued to kick out research satellites and probes designed to study its composition and history. Here Scott leads into a look at recent—relatively recent: the cutoff seems to be about mid-2014—discoveries about the Moon's origins, the presence of water, and the composition of its gaseous "exosphere" with broad overviews of lunar legends, early maps, and what scientists from Anaxagoras on have seen, guessed, and theorized. Along the way, she explains how the Moon was formed and covers basic facts; mentions Galileo; gives a well-deserved shout-out to the telescope's actual inventor, Hans Lippershey; and describes some Apollo missions. In side comments, she discusses diverse topics ranging from early spacesuits to the structure of different sorts of craters. Highlighted by a full-page version of the famous "Earthrise" photo near the end, the generous array of illustrations include old maps and images, color photos of scientists at work and of astronauts and spacecraft on the lunar surface, and dramatic renderings of the solar system's violent beginnings. Though the pace of discovery ensures that this survey will be at least a little dated by the time of publication, the list of websites at the end will well serve readers in search of the latest selenological scoops.