Cosmic Perspective, The

Jeffrey Bennett, a recipient of the American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award, holds a B.A. in biophysics (UC San Diego) and an M.S. and Ph.D. in astrophysics (University of Colorado). He specializes in science and math education and has taught at every level from preschool through graduate school. Career highlights including serving 2 years as a visiting senior scientist at NASA headquarters, where he developed programs to build stronger links between research and education, and proposing and helping to develop the Voyage scale model solar system on the National Mall (Washington, DC).

• I. DEVELOPING PERSPECTIVE 1. Our Place in the Universe 2. Discovering the Universe for Yourself3. The Science of AstronomyII. KEY CONCEPTS FOR ASTRONOMY 4. Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity5. Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos6. Telescopes: Portals of DiscoveryIII. LEARNING FROM OTHER WORLDS 7. Our Planetary System8. Formation of the Solar System9. Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds10. Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds11. Jovian Planet Systems12. Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts13. Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant WorldsIV. A DEEPER LOOK AT NATURE S2. Space and TimeS3. Spacetime and GravityS4. Building Blocks of the UniverseV. STARS 14. Our Star15. Surveying the Stars16. Star Birth17. Star Stuff18. The Bizarre Stellar GraveyardVI. GALAXIES AND BEYOND 19. Our Galaxy20. Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology21. Galaxy Evolution22. Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe23. The Beginning of Time