밤하늘의 아름다움을 중·고등학생이나 대학생들에게 전달하고자 할 때, 쉽게 가르칠 만한 책을 찾기가 어려웠다. 별에 대해 쉽게 배울 수 있고, 친근감을 느낄 수 있는, 그러면서도 학생 스스로가 무엇인가 해냈다는 뿌듯함을 느낄 수 있기에는 현재 나와 있는 책들은 너무 어렵기 때문이다. 또한 학생들 자신은 별을 관측하려 할 때, 어떻게 해야 하고, 무엇을 해야 하는지 몰라 무척 당황해 하는 경우가 많았다. 저자가 이 책을 쓰게 된 이유는 이러한 문제를 조금이나마 해결해 보고자 하는 데 있다. 또한 별을 직접 자기 자신이 찾고, 스스로 문제를 해결해 가는 과정에서 천문학에 보다 흥미를 가질 수 있도록 하자는 데 있다. 이 책은 천문학에 어떤 분야가 있는지 보다 쉽게 알 수 있도록 단원별로 나누어 문답 형식으로 설명해 놓았다. 그리고 각 단원의 끝에는 간단한 도구만으로도 학생 스스로 직접 실험을 할 수 있도록 하였다. 이번에 지구의 모양과 천구 부분을 떼어 서술하였으며, 지구의 모양 단원에서는 우주관의 변천사와 우리나라의 천문학 변천사 등을 새로 첨가하였다. 태양계단원에서는 명왕성의 행성 목록 제외, 카이퍼벨트와 오르트 구름, 외계행성계에 대한 내용을 추가로 서술하였다. 탐구활동은 학생들을 대상으로 직접 실시해 본 내용 위주로 일부 수정·보완하여 제3판으로 이 책을 새로 출간하게 되었다.

·머리말 / 9 제1강 지구의 모양과 운동 ·················································································17 ◆고대인들이 생각한 지구의 모양은 어떠했나요?···············································17 ◆지구의 모양에 대한 생각은 어떻게 변화했나요?·············································20 ◆지구가 평평하다는 관점에서 둥근 모양이라는 생각으로의 사고 전환은 어떻게 이루어졌을까?··········································21 ◆지구의 자전과 공전에 대해 자세히 알고 싶어요?···········································23 ◆지구가 자전과 공전을 한다는 사실은 언제, 어떻게 알게 되었나요?·············26 ◆천체는 왜 천구상에서 움직이는 것처럼 보일까?·············································30 ◆계절 변화는 왜 생기는가?·················································································32 ◆세차운동이란 무엇인가?····················································································33 ◆지구의 크기는 누가 알아냈나요?······································································34 ◆우리나라에 서양의 천문학이 소개된 것은 언제인가요?··································35 지구의 모양에 관한 실험························································································43 지구의 자전 실험····································································································58 지구공전실험··········································································································73 제2강 천 구·········································································································81 ◆천구(celestial sphere)란 무엇인가?··································································81 ◆천구와 관련된 여러 가지 용어 즉, 천정, 천저, 지평면 등은 무엇을 의미하는가?···································································82 ◆지평좌표계, 적도좌표계는 무엇인가?································································83 ◆북극성의 고도는 어떻게 측정하나요?·······························································85 ◆남중 고도란 무엇인가요?··················································································87 ◆어!!! 우리나라에서 안보이는 별도 있다던데요?···············································88 제3강 태양···········································································································95 ◆태양의 크기는 어떻게 재나요?·········································································95 ◆태양 표면에서는 어떤 일들이 벌어지고 있나요?·············································96 ◆태양의 질량은 어떻게 알았어요?······································································98 ◆태양은 자전을 하나요?······················································································99 ◆태양도 지구처럼 자석의 성질이 있나요?·······················································100 제4강 별과 별자리····························································································107 ◆별자리는 어떻게 만들어졌나요?······································································107 ◆각 계절을 대표로 하는 별자리에는 어떤 것들이 있나요······························108 ◆북극성은 어떻게 찾나요?················································································110 ◆별의 밝기는 왜 다른가요?··············································································111 ◆별의 등급이 1등급 차이가 나면, 광도로는 얼마만큼의 차이가 나는가요?·112 ◆별의 밝기는 거리와는 무관한가요?································································112 ◆별까지의 거리를 구하는 방법은 거리지수를 이용하는 것 외에는 없나요?·113 ◆별은 왜 색깔이 다른가요?··············································································115 ◆H-R도는 무엇인가요?·····················································································117 ◆별이 두 개가 같이 있는 것도 있다면서요?···················································118 제5강 태양계·····································································································125 ◆태양계란 무엇인가요?······················································································125 ◆태양계는 어떻게 만들어졌나요?······································································126 ◆행성들은 어떻게 나누어지고, 어떤 운동을 할까요?······································126 ◆내행성(금성)은 어떻게 운동할까?···································································128 ◆외행성(화성)은 어떻게 운동할까?···································································130 ◆회합주기(會合週期, synodic or sidereal periods)란 무엇인가?·················131 ◆지구중심설(geocentric theory)과 태양중심설(heliocentric theory)은 무엇이 다른가요?··················································132 ◆케플러(Kepler)의 법칙이란 무엇인가?····························································133 제6강 태양계를 구성하는 천체들 ····································································141 ◆수성(Mercury)은 어떻게 생겼어요?································································141 ◆금성(Venus)은 밤하늘에서 달 다음으로 밝게 보인다면서요?······················142 ◆우리가 살고 있는 지구(Earth)에 대해 궁금하네요?·······································143 ◆화성(Mars)에 물이 흘러간 흔적이 발견되나요?·············································144 ◆목성(Jupiter)이 태양계 내의 행성 중 제일 크다면서요?·······························146 ◆토성(Saturn)에는 유난히 아름다운 고리가 있는데 왜 생겼나요?·················147 ◆천왕성(Uranus)은 어떻게 생겼어요?·······························································148 ◆해왕성(Neptune)에도 목성처럼 큰 반점이 있다면서요?·······························148 ◆왜소행성 134340(명왕성)이 행성목록에서 사라진 이유가 무엇인가요?······149 ◆혜성(Comet)의 꼬리는 성분이 무엇이에요?···················································151 ◆유성(Meteor)과 운석(Meteorite)의 차이점은 무엇이에요?·····························152 ◆그럼 유성은 왜 빛나요? 그리고 유성우는 정말 비처럼 쏟아지나요?·········154 ◆유성 관측시에 나타나는 복사점은 무엇이에요?············································155 ◆소행성(Asteroid)대가 무엇이에요?··································································156 ◆카이퍼벨트와 오르트구름은 무엇이에요?·······················································157 ◆티티우스보데 법칙이라는 것이 있다는데 무엇인가요?······························158 ◆외계생명체는 존재하나요?···············································································158 제7강 달 ············································································································169 ◆달은 어떻게 만들어졌을까?·············································································169 ◆달은 어떤 운동을 할까?··················································································170 ◆달은 어떤 성질을 가지고 있을까?··································································172 ◆달은 왜 같은 면만 보일까?············································································172 ◆달이 매일 50분씩 늦게 뜨는 이유는?···························································173 ◆월식(일식)은 왜 생기는 것일까?·····································································174 ◆일식과 월식은 왜 매달 일어나지 않을까?·····················································175 제8강 망원기·····································································································181 ◆망원기(telescope)란 무엇인가?·······································································181 ◆광학망원기의 종류, 구조, 명칭, 장단점은 무엇인가?····································183 ◆좋은 망원기란 무엇인가?················································································185 ◆전파망원기는 무엇인가?··················································································185 ◆우주망원기는 무엇인가?··················································································186 ◆우리나라의 국립 천문대는 어디에 있을까?···················································186 ◆망원기로 관측하기 전에 해야 할 것들은 무엇일까?·····································187 ◆망원기 조작은 어떻게 하면 되는가?······························································188 제9강 별의 진화································································································191 ◆별은 어떻게 만들어지는가?·············································································191 ◆별은 대부분의 일생을 어느 단계에서 보낼까?··············································192 ◆주계열성 이후의 삶은 어떠할까?····································································194 ◆별이 진화하면서 그 내부구조는 어떻게 변화하는가?···································196 ◆별은 에너지를 어떻게 얻을까?·······································································197 제10강 은하계 ····································································································201 ◆우리 은하는 어떤 모양일까?···········································································201 ◆우리 은하는 지역에 따라 존재하는 별의 물리적인 특성이 다른가요?········203 ◆다른 은하는 없을까?·······················································································203 ◆외부 은하들에는 어떤 것들이 있을까?···························································204 제11강 우주 ········································································································211 ◆우주에 관한 이론의 변천과정과 현재의 이론에는 어떤 것들이 있는가?·····211 ◆우리 우주는 어떻게 생겼나요?·······································································213 ◆그러면 우리 우주의 미래는 어떻게 되나요?··················································214 참고문헌··············································································································217 찾아보기··············································································································218 부록····················································································································221 부록 1. 관측 일지································································································223 부록 2. 행성, 태양, 달의 스케치 일지·······························································224 부록 3. 계절별 별자리························································································225 부록 4. 별자리 찾는 법·······················································································229 부록 5. 성도········································································································233 부록 6. 세미로그 그래프(semi-log graph)····················································234 부록 7. 모눈 종이································································································235 부록 8. 여러 가지 상수와 단위··········································································236 부록 9. 10의 승수·······························································································237 부록 10. 성단 관측 자료(히아데스성단) 및 색등급도에 그려놓은 나이······237 부록 11. 북쪽을 찾는 방법·················································································240 부록 12. 큰 왜소행성 목록·················································································242 부록 13. 중요 외계행성계(최초발견사례) ···························································243