Student Friendly Pedagogy
• ConceptChecks ask students to draw conclusions using applied thinking and synthesizing concepts.
• CalculationChecks give students the opportunity to solve mathematical problems relevant to chapter concepts.
• Cosmic Connections summarize key concepts in full page illustrations.
• Cautions alert the reader to conceptual pitfalls.
• Analogies—Bringing Astronomy Down to Earth relate new ideas to more familiar experiences on Earth.
• Chapter-ending Visual Literacy Tasks present students with a figure and a question they must defend or refute.
Tools of the Astronomer’s Trade
These worked examples guide students through problems with a step-by-step STAR strategy:
• Assess the Situation
• Select the Tools
• Find the Answer
• Review the answer and explore its significance.
Conceptual Approach to Comparative Planetology
Instead of asking students to memorize facts about the planets, the book focuses on the overall issue of how the formation of the solar system relates to the composition of each planet.