"The moon appears to be a faraway, inert body that is alternately blistering hot and freezing cold. But the sunlight it reflects has affected man emotionally since the beginnings of his history.
Going beyond folklore and mythology, scientists have built up a body of knowledge about our natural satellite, and with clarity and enthusiasm Dr. Branley has distilled their findings.
There are clear discussions of the moon's motions and why the moon stays in orbit; the pull of the earth and moon on each other; temperatures on the moon (214° above zero, 250° below zero—and why); how these temperatures are measured (with directions for making your own thermocouple); atmosphere on the moon (none—and why); eclipses; features of the moon's surface; tides (ocean tides and tides of the moon's surface). Handsome pictures show the so-called seas, the craters, the mountains; interesting charts and diagrams explain the mass and density of the moon
What man will probably find on the moon when he gets there and the conditions he must adjust to in order to survive are described within the framework of true science. There is evidence that Babylonians thought about going to the moon thousands of years ago. Now that man is on the threshold of lunar landings, Dr. Branley provides background information essential to an understanding of the current and forthcoming news."
—from the dust jacket
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