Can You Find a Planet?

by Sidney Rosen, Dean Lindberg (Illustrator)

Discusses in question and answer format the planets in our solar system and explains which planets and stars can be seen from Earth in the night sky

40 pages, Library Binding

First published July 1, 1992

About the author

Sid Rosen, a UI professor emeritus of astronomy (1958-94), grew up Jewish in Boston’s West End, and his father worked in the garment industry.

Married to Dorothy Rosen they write the mystery series starring Belle Appleman, a Jewish immigrant who lives in Boston's West End during the 1930s.

Sidney Rosen wrote the popular children’s book "Galileo and the Magic Numbers," published in 1958 and which still remains in print and in libraries all over the country. Rosen also has a series of children’s science books.

Reviews

[一般樓 · Rating 3 out of 5]

行星之旅。
新聞：傍晚時分出現「雙星拱月」天文奇觀。雙星是左金星、右木星，月相是「眉月」(蛾眉月)。金星與木星像眼睛，而眉月則像微笑的嘴，構成一幅有趣的圖案。從這個新聞可以拉到本書一個重點，那就是：如何在夜空找行星？本書提示的原則是：「找尋行星，要在即將日出前的東方，或是剛日落後的西方，靠近地平線的地方去找。」書上說，最常看到的是金星和水星，因為它們距離太陽最近、最亮。
還有一個新聞都略過的重點，那就是「木星位於人馬星座中」。沒錯，星座也是我們尋找行星的方式之一。例如，古代有個星占學上不吉利的天文現象：「熒惑守心」，就是指火星走(因為會移動，所以叫「行」星)到了天蠍座中(停住：守)。熒惑是火星，心是心宿，即現代的天蠍座。此外，天上有兩個半人半馬的星座，一是人馬，一是半人馬。其中，半人馬星座的α星，是距離太陽系最近的恆星。星座距地球4.2光年。其他介紹太陽系各行星都甚簡，不足提。至於冥王星在2006年被國際天文聯會摒除於太陽系之外，那已是本書出版後多年的事了。