Beyond the Sky: The Solar System

Trubook: Integrating Concepts In Biology

by Dr. Phillip J. Flower
© 2016 Trubooks: Digital Textbooks and Digital Learning Solutions

Course Level: For one-semester college courses covering the solar system and the history of science
Audience: Non-science majors who have elected to take a course in astronomy

Everything you need to start teaching from day one!

✓ A complete digital learning solution.
✓ All videos, interactive learning, and course management tools are built into your textbook.
✓ At any time, you can customize and add your own content.
✓ Designed for minimal prep and easy teaching, so you can focus on what you love to do.
✓ Anywhere, anytime, on or offline.

"This is a book about science and presents astronomy as an example of the scientific approach to looking at the universe"

— The Author, Phillip J. Flower
"I do not present a purely descriptive account of astronomy but rather stress how our ideas about the universe have developed over the centuries"

— The Author, Phillip J. Flower
"I try to give the description of the solar system within the framework of the scientific approach, showing how our ideas and theories change"

— The Author, Phillip J. Flower

Explore Beyond the Sky

Textbook Overview
Features
Table of Contents
Teaching Method
Trubooks Platform
Meet the Author
Author Q & A

Tapping their curiosity, this textbook takes students on a journey of scientific discovery

The emphasis of this book is on the logical development of ideas and discoveries within the framework of the scientific method. Difficult topics are addressed directly, rather than oversimplified as is often done for the public and in some textbooks geared for non-science majors. The author keeps the terminology of astronomy intact to develop the appropriate vocabulary needed to understand the descriptions of the observations, models, and theories required to comprehend the subject. This book will challenge students not with detail after detail, but by carefully describing both easy and difficult concepts and observations.

Astronomy textbook cover - Beyond the Sky: The Solar System

	Key Features + MathTools - an accessible primer to help students with math proficiency + Practice problem sets with answers + Appendices with supplementary data and information + Chapter learning objectives, review questions, and key points



Simple to adopt and teach, plus cuts grading and administration time
This Trubook is designed to make class prep easy and teaching nearly effortless, while ensuring a rewarding active learning experience for your students. Each section of the Trubook includes interactive self-assessments allowing students to check on their own learning. The test banks and test functionality allows you to create and distribute quizzes and exams and provides you with auto-grading. All of this, directly from within the Trubook.



Gets great student feedback
Encompassing his active research experience with his love and passion for teaching astronomy, the author has developed a compelling textbook that will capture your students' imaginations and get you great reviews.



Trubooks can easily be tailored for a perfect fit.
Use the tools built into the Trubooks platform to customize Beyond the Sky: The Solar System, to meet the specific needs of your course, integrate other course curriculum, and keep it relevant with current astronomical events and follow any discoveries and new observations that happen to unfold.



Sharing the good stuff...
You and your students get access to the same authoring and content management tools available to all our authors and publishing partners. The resources you create can be seamlessly integrated into your coursebook(s) as needed for the classes you teach. They can also be made available for you to share with your colleagues or to be adopted by educators around the world who are using Trubooks in their classroom.

Start small or go big. Let's get started »

Structure, Features & Benefits

Beyond the Sky is filled with features that benefit students and instructors.
Request an evaluation copy and use this list to help guide your way through the book.

Focus on the Process of Scientific Discovery
A major difference from other textbooks is Beyond the Sky integrates the underlying process of scientific discovery throughout the text.

Focus on the Scientific Method
A full chapter is dedicated to the "scientific method" and how it relates to the history of astronomy.

Emphasizes How Science Changes
With the inclusion of two features, Astronomy of the Past and Astronomy of the Present, not found in any other textbook shows students how science continues to change.

Astronomy of the Past
Quotes, illustrations, and photos from astronomy textbook published over the last 170 years, illustrating how our understanding of astronomy has changed over the centuries

Chapter Overview
Brief narrative description of the chapter content

Section Learning Objectives
List of fundamental concepts covered in each section

Section Question
Major question each section answers – indicates what to keep in mind while reading as do the learning objectives

Section Self-Assessment
Questions checking the reader’s grasp of the objectives and section question

Bold Text
Key terms in bold that are used many times later in the text and are part of a searchable glossary

Chapter Capsules
Summary of the major concepts introduced in each chapter

Astronomy of the Present
Refers to the “Astronomy of the Past” opener and asks students to compare and contrast the old with what they learned in the chapter; shows that science is about change

Questions
Review and thought provoking questions arranged by section topic

Quantitative Science and Problems
Chapter problems mixed with worked out examples with similar questions following

How to Read a Science Textbook
A short chapter on reading and note taking to help students organize and summarize information as they read

MathTools
Several modules that review all the mathematical operations and concepts, such as powers of ten, graph reading and plotting, equation solving and many more; it is a handy reference that lists and explains mathematical principles used in the book

Appendices
Eight appendices giving a summary of scientific laws, equations, and principles, data on planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and physical constant as well as a history of spacecraft exploration

Glossary
List of all the definitions of bold text, including where in the text the term is first introduced

Scientific Laws, Equations, and Principles
A list of all laws, equations, and principles given at the end of the chapter they are introduce and collectively in Appendix A

Links
Links to other sections in a chapter, to other chapters, and to modules and appendices are in light blue; the links are relevant to the subject being covered or to Astronomy of the Past and open new tabs that readers can keep open for reference

Annotation Tool and Highlighting
Clicking on a word or phrase opens a window for readers to type comments, which are saved, and the word or phrase is highlighted in yellow in the text for future reference

High Resolution Images
Clicking on images and diagrams gives a new tab with the image in high resolution or diagrams are full size; exhibits much greater detail than the standard textbook image

Instructor Resources
Description of note taking techniques covered in “How to Read a Science Textbook,” summaries of the features Astronomy of the Past and Astronomy of the Present, and solutions to the problems in Quantitative Science and Problems.

(Request an evaluation copy to review the full Trubook)

About this Book: Preface

Chapter 1: Astronomy, Clocks, and Calendars
Astronomy of the Past
1.1 The Realm of Astronomy
1.2 How Big is the Universe?
1.3 Science: An Introduction
1.4 The Turning Earth
1.5 Locating Stars on the Sky
1.6 Cycles, Clocks, and Calendars
Chapter Closing

Chapter 2: Circles and Shadows
Astronomy of the Past
2.1 Stars in the Night Sky
2.2 The Sun Throughout the Day
2.3 The Moon – Day and Night
2.4 Shadows of Earth and Moon
2.5 Celestial Loops
Chapter Closing

Chapter 3: The Birth of Science
Astronomy of the Past
3.1 Competing Beyond the Sky
3.2   Master Observer: Tycho Brahe (1546 -- 1601)
3.3   Discoverer of Laws: Johannes Kepler (1571—1630)
3.4   Technology Master: Galileo Galilei (1564—1642)
3.5   Theoretician Extraordinaire: Isaac Newton (1642—1727)
Chapter Closing

Chapter 4: The Scientific Approach
Astronomy of the Past
5.1 The Scientist in Everyone
5.2   Observations of Nature
5.3   The Scientific Approach
5.4   Expanding Knowledge of the Natural World
5.5   Research and Publishing
5.6   Scientific Approach in Your Everyday Life
Chapter Closing

Chapter 5: Scientific Laws and Theories
Astronomy of the Past
6.1 Conservation Laws
6.2   Primary Theories and Laws in Physics
6.3   Fundamental Theories in Astronomy
Chapter Closing

Chapter 6: The Astronomical Observatory
Astronomy of the Past
7.1 Conservation Laws
7.2   Primary Theories and Laws in Physics
7.3   Fundamental Theories in Astronomy
Chapter Closing

Chapter 7: Earth: Our Planetary Reference
Astronomy of the Past
7.1 Light from the Universe
7.2   Telescopes
7.3   Recording Electromagnetic Radiation
7.4   Spacecraft Exploration and Sampling
Chapter Closing

Chapter 8: The Moon and Mercury
Astronomy of the Past
8.1 Exploration and Discovery
8.2   The Moon
8.3   Mercury
8.4   Planetary Histories
Chapter Closing

Chapter 9: Venus and Mars
Astronomy of the Past
9.1 Exploration and Discovery
9.2   Venus
9.3   Mars
9.4   Planetary Histories
Chapter Closing

Chapter 10: Rocks Between Planets
Astronomy of the Past
10.1 Discovery and Orbits
10.2   Collisions with Earth
10.3   Rocks and Rubble
10.4   Stones in the Air
10.5 Rocky Origins
Chapter Closing

Chapter 11: Jupiter and Saturn
Astronomy of the Past
11.1 Exploration and Discovery
11..2   Giant Globes
11.3   Numerous Moons
11.4 Millions of Moons
Chapter Closing

Chapter 12: Giants and Dwarfs
Astronomy of the Past
12.1 Discovery and Exploration
12.2 The Blue Planets
12.3 The Dwarf Planets
12.4 The Kuiper Belt
Chapter Closing

Chapter 13: Ice Beyond Planets
Astronomy of the Past
13.1 Early Observations
13.2 Showers in the Night
13.3 Heads and Tails
13.4 Beyond the Planets
Chapter Closing

Chapter 14: Origin of Solar Systems
Astronomy of the Past
14.1 Clues to the Origin of the Planets
14.2 Formation of the Planets and Moons
14.3 Other Planetary Systems
Chapter Closing

Teaching Strategy

Teaching Resources

This book emphasizes the logical development of ideas and discoveries within the framework of the approach used by scientists, usually called the scientific method. To this end, it devotes an entire chapter to the scientific method. Beyond the Sky is the only introductory astronomy textbook that does so.

Every chapter includes the following:

Astronomy of the Past: Quotes, illustrations, and photos from astronomy textbooks written over the last 170 years

Chapter Outline: Section headings

Chapter Overview: Brief narrative description of the chapter content

Section Learning Objectives: List of the fundamental concepts for each section

Section Question: Major question each section answers – indicates what to keep in mind when reading

Section Self-Assessment: Questions checking the reader’s grasp of the Learning Objectives

Bold Text: New terms

Chapter Capsules: Summary of the major concepts introduced in each chapter.

Astronomy of the Present: Refers to the “Astronomy of the Past” opener and asks students to compare and contrast the old with what they learned in the chapter

Questions: Review and thought provoking questions arranged by section

Quantitative Science (QS): Chapter problems mixed with the examples; examples are worked out and then similar problem questions follow

+ Astronomy of the Past and Astronomy of the Present guides
+ Chapter learning objectives, review questions, and key points
+ Quantitative Science and Problems Solutions
+ MathTools: primer to help students with math proficiency

A key teaching resource is "Closing" section of each chapter, which includes:
+ Chapter Capsules
+ Astronomy of the Present
+ Questions
+ Quantitative Science and Problems
+ Laws, Equations, and Principles

In addition, the features of the Trubooks platform integrated into Beyond the Sky is delivered include:
+ Ability to to distribute and auto-grade quizzes and exams
+ Ability to distribute and grade assignments
+ Customization by instructors (add/remove/reorg. content)
+ Student personalization: highlighting, annotation, bookmarks
+ Online glossary integrated into text

For a full list of Trubook enabled functionality, please view the "Trubooks Platform" tab in the left menu.

The flexibility of the Trubooks platform to enhance the learning experience

You and your students will have your own modern, cloud-based, easy-to-use Learning Management tools that come fully integrated with your Trubook textbook.

The Basics
+ Online access, on any browser, on any device
+ Offline access to content as needed with iPad app
+ Glossary definitions pop-up with a click
+ Highlight and annotate any text
+ Customize the textbook to your teaching needs
+ Quizzes and exams can be taken within the textbook
+ Assignments can be completed within or uploaded
+ Built-in gradebook linked to assignments & assessments
+ Self-Assessments are interactive, ungraded section review

Wherever it is possible you will have auto-grading and can set personalized auto-feedback! You will love how easy and efficient it is to manage even a class of 300 students.

Your students will appreciate getting your feedback to their assignments and assessments directly in the context of the content.

Question Pools & Assessments
+ Add to existing question pools or create your own
+ T/F, multiple choice, multiple answer, short and long answer
+ Develop new and even randomized assessments
+ Publish to class the moment you wish to make it available
+ Self-Assessments can be taken any number of times

Gradebook
+ Student profiles auto-populate on purchase/given access
+ Automatically tied to student submissions
+ Set grading weight for each assignment and assessment

You'll find it easy to adapt this book to fit your syllabus and your teaching style. Or, you can simply use it as it is.

Adapt to Fit
+ Keep everything you need in one place
+ Authoring tools allow you to create or add resources
+ Add your tried-and-true lessons and favorite assignments
+ Add content from other Trubooks, YouTube, etc.
+ Reorder/remove original textbook content segments
+ Add current event or local interest material anytime
+ all new content is automatically integrated with the LMS

Easy prep and readiness for this semester and the next.
+ Improve, modify, add to your course as you go or over time
+ Easily manage large or multiple classes of students
+ Easy management of all your teaching resources

New class, new semester
+ We clone your Trubook along with your customizations
+ You can relax

Sharing the good stuff...
+ Make resources you create available for others to adopt!

Learn more about the Trubooks platform . . .

Phillip J. Flower

Associate Professor
Clemson University
[email protected]
(864) 656-5302

Astronomer, PhD in Astronomy from the University of Washington
Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University

I became interested in astronomy through reading science fiction. I read all of the sci-fi books at the Central Branch of the Toledo Library System at an early age. The library was only a block away from my parents’ home on Kosciusko Street, just off Lagrange Street. By the time I was in high school I had purchased an Edmunds Scientific 3-inch reflecting telescope and surveyed the heavens from my backyard.

Although I went to a vocational high school, Macomber Vocational High School, and majored in electronics, I took a college prep option provided by the school. I then enrolled as a physics major at the University of Toledo. My tuition was partly paid by US Army ROTC, summer employment, and parents’ help. I was a planetarium operator at the Ritter Planetarium and helped with an observational program on Be stars using the university’s 40-inch Ritter Telescope under the guidance of Dr. Adolf Witt.

The University of Washington’s astronomy graduate program accepted me in 1970 and I studied Magellanic Cloud star clusters under Dr. Paul Hodge and the evolution of stars under Dr. Bohdan Paczinski at the Polish Academy of Sciences. My research involved observing runs at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile and an 18-month stay at the Polish Academy of Science in Warsaw Poland.

After receiving my PhD, I received a 2-year postdoc position at the University of Colorado in Boulder under Dr. John Cox. From there I obtained a position as an assistant professor at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina and I have been there for over 38 years. I began my career at Clemson teaching introductory astronomy, graduate astronomy, and continuing my research on star clusters and the evolution of stars. In 1990 I published my first textbook with West Publishing, Understanding the Universe. In 2000, I republished the book in two volumes with Pearson Custom Publishing. In 2015, I published the eBook Beyond the Sky: The Solar System with Trunity Publishers. Since 2004, I have been active in on-line learning and distance learning and teach introductory astronomy as a distance learning course to over 500 - 600 students a year.

Q & A - discussions with the Author and Trubook Team...

Change is an opportunity, an opportunity to be outstanding. Let's get started »

x close

"This is a book about science and presents astronomy as an example of the scientific approach to looking at the universe"
– The Author, Phillip J. Flower

"I do not present a purely descriptive account of astronomy but rather stress how our ideas about the universe have developed over the centuries"
– The Author, Phillip J. Flower

"I try to give the description of the solar system within the framework of the scientific approach, showing how our ideas and theories change"
– The Author, Phillip J. Flower

x close

Trubooks FAQ

Q: Do students have to pay for the software in addition to purchasing the content?
A: No. Students pay only for content. The use of the platform by students is free.

Q: Where can I find more information about the experience for authors, teachers, and students using Trubooks?
A: An overview can be found at Why Trubooks? More in-depth tutorials for using the Trubooks platform can be found at our Support Portal http://www.trunity.net/support/.

Q: Can I embed assessments such as assignments and quizzes into my content?
A: Yes. The Trunity platform enables authors and instructors to create their own test questions, assignments, and other assessment material, and place them in the content where appropriate.

Q: I have substantial lecture notes and a lab manuals that I would like to provide for my class. Can I include it in the Trubook for my course?
A: Yes. You can include types educational content, regardless of its form This includes lecture notes, lab manuals, training manuals, and so on. You can interleave your added materials in the content sequence of the textbook

Q: Can students access content when they do not have access to the Web?
A: Yes, the Trunity Mobile app enables a student to download select content or a complete digital textbook for offline use.

Q: Can students make PDFs of articles or chapters on the Trunity platform?
A: No. Our platform does not support PDF downloads due to the inability to control the dissemination of content once such a download is made. The ability to share electronic PDFs, and to print/copy physical forms of a PDF, render it impossible to control the copyright and royalty rights of both author and publisher.

Q: I want to use material (text, images, graphs, videos, etc.) created by other parties in my content. How does that work?
A: Instructors must insure that they have permission to use all content in the work that they do not own the rights to, or that the use of copyrighted material constitutes “fair use.” The fair use doctrine in the United States allows--under certain circumstances--the use of copyrighted material without permission. Here is a concise summary of fair use: https://www.teachingcopyright.org. If you are feeling especially ambitous, you can refer directly to Title 17 of the United States Code that describes fair use in the nation’s copyright law: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107
There is a large and growing quantity of content on the Web that is rights-free, or available through other licenses that are low or zero cost. We work with authors to help identify these sources

Q: How long do students have access to the content they have purchased?
A: Higher education students have access for two calendar year from the date of purchase, while K-12 students have access for one calendar year. Longer access times can be arranged on request.

x close

Trubook FAQ

Q: Do students have to pay for the software in addition to purchasing the content?
A: No. Students pay only for content. The use of the platform by students is free

Q: Where can I find more information about the experience of authors, teachers, and students for using the Trunbooks?
A: An overview of Trubooks features and functionality can be found at Why Trubooks? For more in-depth tutorials, visit our Support Portal at http://www.trunity.net/support/

Q: Can I embed assessments such as assignments and quizzes into my content?
A: Yes. The Trunity platform enables authors and instructors to create their own test questions, assignments, and other assessment material, and place them in the content where they are most appropriate

Q: I have substantial lecture notes and a lab manuals that I would like to provide for my class. Can I include it in the Trubook for my course?
A: Yes. You can include types educational content, regardless of its form This includes lecture notes, lab manuals, training manuals, and so on. You can interleave your added materials in the content sequence of the textbook

Q: Can students access content when they do not have access to the Web?
A: Yes, the Trunity Mobile app enables a student to download select content or a complete digital textbook for offline use.

Q: Can students make PDFs of articles or chapters on the Trunity platform?
A: No. Our platform does not support PDF downloads due to the inability to control the dissemination of content once such a download is made. The ability to share electronic PDFs, and to print/copy physical forms of a PDF, render it impossible to control the copyright and royalty rights of both author and publisher.

Q: I want to use material (text, images, graphs, videos, etc.) created by other parties in my content. How does that work?
A: Instructors must insure that they have permission to use all content in the work that they do not own the rights to, or that the use of copyrighted material constitutes “fair use.” The fair use doctrine in the United States allows--under certain circumstances--the use of copyrighted material without permission. Here is a concise summary of fair use: https://www.teachingcopyright.org. If you are feeling especially ambitous, you can refer directly to Title 17 of the United States Code that describes fair use in the nation’s copyright law: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107
There is a large and growing quantity of content on the Web that is rights-free, or available through other licenses that are low or zero cost. We work with authors to help identify these sources

Q: How long do students have access to the content they have purchased?
A: In higher education students have access for one calendar year from the date of purchase. In the K-12, business, and other markets, access is variable and is determined on a case-by-case basis

Beyond the Sky: The Solar System
Originally published: 2015
Last updated: 2016
ISBN: 978-1-63097-0130-0
Publisher: Trunity

Price per student*:
Higher Ed: $55
Bookstores: 5% discount
K12/AP: $35

*Price includes:
✓ all listed resources
✓ built-in LMS functionality
✓ powerful customization tools
✓ free instructor & TA access

This Trubook can be customized to fit your needs. You may select desired chapters and even combine with chapters from other Trubooks. The price is pro-rated based on content included in customized version. For more info, see our Trubook FAQ, or go straight to our Adoption Form.

Still have questions? Fill out the form below, or call us at 866-723-4114

Free digital evaluation copy

If you've received a pre-approval code, click here for instant access.

To request your free digital evaluation copy...

⒈ Simply fill out the form below. Evaluation copies are for educators only and are manually verified. To expedite the process, please use your .edu email.

⒉ We manually verify.

⒊ All set -- Look for email from [email protected]. We will send you a link to the evaluation copy with your username and password.

Note: This is an all digital textbook. All content can be taken offline with our mobile apps for tablets. The textbook offers highlighting and note-taking, as well as other learning management and social features.

Adopt for Your Class

Get up and running in 3 easy steps:

⒈ Fill out the form with information about your course.

⒉ We will set up a custom instance of this book, specifically for our course. The book will contain the title of your course. It may take us a couple of business days.

⒊ All set -- Look for email from [email protected]. We will send you a link that you give to your students so they can buy their own personal access online. (If you have students that need to purchase from your school bookstore, we will provide the bookstore with student access codes. Please ask your bookstore to contact [email protected]).

evaluate adopt

Price

Eval Copy

Adopt