As is true of a far more famous story, it all began a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. It even involved a binary star system. A small star, called a white dwarf, had become a burned out husk of its former self and it turned to gorging on hydrogen and helium from its bloated red giant neighbor. The transferred gas reignited the fires of…

Described are the history, formation, and observing techniques of meteors and comets. Provided are several pictures, diagrams, meteor organizations and publications, and meteor shower observation tables. (YP)

Describes a laboratory activity in a liberal-arts physics course entitled "Galileo to Newton and Beyond" in which students examine the orbits of Earth and Mars from heliocentric and geocentric viewpoints. (WRM)