Ron Miller

Uncover seven wonders of the four rocky planets. From Mercury, we'll watch the Sun appear to perform wild acrobatics. We'll also explore Venus, a planet full of puzzles and beauty. On Mars, we'll visit the tallest mountain and the deepest canyon of all the planets. This planet has hints of water that may be the key to identifying life forms on other planets.

Known as the red planet, Mars is the closest planet to the sun. Easily seen from Earth, Mars has intrigued thousands of people throughout history. Many have wondered whether the planet could be inhabited by forms of life; many have dreamed of exploring the planet. Several successful space projects have revealed interesting facts about the history, make-up, and geology of Mars. Although much has been discovered, mysteries surrounding Mars and its moons...

In every age, science and technology have played an important role in advancing human civilization. From architecture to engineering, communication to transportation, humans have invented and developed extraordinary wonders. Engineers take the discoveries of scientists and mathematicians to make practical things, from roads and bridges to weapons and vehicles. Electronic engineers design and build everything from television sets to computers. Chemical...

Saturn is the crown jewel of the solar system. Admired for centuries for its beauty--a pale gold ball surrounded by gleaming white rings--modern astronomers have discovered that Saturn is one of the most amazing of all the planets. From the mysteries of its glorious rings to its dozens of unique moons, one of which is large enough to be a world in its own right, the story of Saturn is also the story of astronomy and the discovery of the solar system....

Thousands of years ago, humans believed that Earth was the center of the universe, that the world they lived on was all there was. Truthfully, the solar system extends almost halfway to the nearest star. And it is composed of not only planets, asteroids, and comets, but also powerful forces and vast fields of energy. This is our solar system's big backyard. The cold, dark world that lies at the farthest reaches of our solar system holds a vast collection...

At one time or another, just about everyone has talked about the end of the world. But what does this phrase really mean? Does it mean the end of the human race? The end of planet Earth? The end of our Sun and solar system? And if the world were to actually end, how and when would it happen? People have been asking these questions for thousands of years. Many religious prophets have predicted the end of the world. Science-fiction writers have created...

The most futuristic of humankind’s inventions is also one of the oldest. Author Ron Miller tells the story of rockets, from their humble beginnings as toys one thousand years ago to their initiation as fearsome weapons of war. Most recently, rockets have enabled human beings to escape the bonds of Earth, travel into space, and explore other worlds. This is a story of great geniuses, personal sacrifices, and grand adventure.

When the Gospel of Thomas was discovered in the sands of Egypt some sixty years ago, an earthquake hit New Testament scholarship. Evidence that Thomas might be earlier than the four gospels opened up some new doors. The author entered one of those doors in writing this book. He used Thomas's version of a parable whenever that existed. And the Jesus discovered through this method might surprise you.

In the sixth century B.C.E., the Greek philosopher Anaximander theorized that Earth was at the center of the cosmos. That idea became ingrained in scientific thinking and Christian religious beliefs for more than one thousand years. Defiance of church doctrine could mean death, so no one dared dispute this long-accepted idea. No one except a handful of courageous scientists. In the 1500s and 1600s, men like Nicolaus Copernicus, Johanned Kepler, Galileo...

From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them. Simple telescopes in the 1600s made possible descriptions of the wonders of Earth's Moon and the closer planets. It took the development of powerful telescopes and modern space probes to learn more about the more distant planets-Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of these four enormous planets-called the gas giants-and their moons. On Saturn,...