Most of us are accustomed to the sight of the Moon in the evening sky, as well as the stars and the constellations they form. Occasionally, however, we glimpse something different among these familiar sights. A meteor may streak across the sky, or the bright slash of a comet will linger in the heavens for several days.
With a telescope, it is also possible to see some of the thousands of asteroids found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. A rare, luminous comet or a meteor shower may be more memorable than the well-known stars we see in the skies every night.

Using clear, distinctive prose and sixteen full-color photographs, award-winning author Seymour Simon explains all about these fascinating wanderers of space. You'll learn what makes up a comet's tail and how comets can cause meteor showers. Simon also shows how an asteroid may have caused the dinosaurs to become extinct, and what meteorites can tell scientists about the composition of other extraterrestrial objects. Whether they appear as distant specks in an astronomer's telescope or shoot brilliantly through the evening sky, comets, meteors, and asteroids will fascinate readers of all ages.

From the dust jacket