Other topics include making a refracting telescope, showing how the moon's phases occur, and plotting the life cycles of stars, as well as demonstrating how a rocket works. Each project includes sections on background information, a list of materials, an illustrated procedure, and a scientific explanation of the results. In a sample project, students learn about the differences between Ptolemy's geocentric model and Copernicus's heliocentric model of the universe, as well as the early cosmological stories of several ancient cultures such as India, China, and Egypt. Students then use a pendulum to conduct an experiment invented in 1851 by the French physicist Focault to prove that the earth rotates about a central axis. In another project, students construct a model of a black hole using an embroidery hoop, a black handkerchief, and a vacuum cleaner.
Students also build a sundial, make a Mayan calendar, and demonstrate the greenhouse effect.
Throughout the book, black and white photographs and illustrations complement information detailed in the text. The book also provides a collection of useful tables and charts, a glossary and an index.