“Behind the Book,” Caltech Public Programming’s new live series, will feature educator and astrophotographer Eric Garen and his new book, “Poems of the Planets: Solar System Science in Verse and Prose,” at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19.
Garen, a Caltech bachelor of science 1968 alum, will be in conversation with the book’s planetary science adviser Katherine de Kleer, Caltech assistant professor of planetary science and astronomy.
“Behind the Book” will explore how Garen combined his love of language and scientific training into “Poems of the Planets.”
Originally written with middle school students in mind, the book invites readers of all ages to delight in the wonders of the solar system, from the highly corrosive atmosphere of Venus to the wacky antics of the moons circling within the icy rings of Saturn, and everything in between.
“As the book explores the solar system, readers are introduced to important basic concepts in chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and oceanography as well as topics in geography, history and mythology,” Garen said. “The interrelationships between these disciplines create a more comprehensive understanding of each and of our amazing solar system. While I’ve tried to make every concept as clear as possible; I also tried not to oversimplify either the words or the science.”
The poems in the book explore the major solar system objects – the sun, the eight planets, many moons, the asteroids, the Kuiper Belt, and Oort Cloud. Each poem has reference numbers that lead to additional, often surprising facts and expanded information. The book includes a glossary with clear tutorial explanations of nearly 200 terms that appear in the poems.
Each poem also has a different focus. For example, while one poem examines the highly corrosive atmosphere of Venus, another explains the origin of 400 huge active volcanoes on a moon of Jupiter. Another spotlights the wacky actions of the tiny moons that circle within Saturn’s brilliant rings.
“After two decades producing fictional TV episodes and films designed to stimulate the imagination regarding our galaxy and beyond, it’s an utter delight to learn so much about the ‘real thing’ in ‘Poems of the Planets,’” Rick Berman, producer and co-creator of the “Star Trek” television series and feature films, said of the book.
“Combining poetry, lucid explanations, and spectacular images, Mr. Garen has composed a highly creative union of science and art that should fascinate everyone who reads it,” Berman said.
Charles Elachi, professor of electrical engineering and planetary science, emeritus, and former director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: “An ingenious and comprehensive presentation of our solar system, ‘Poems of the Planets’ teaches the kind of all-inclusive science that students need in order to understand how it all works.”
Garen pursues astrophotography in his observatory at his home in Park City, Utah. He has been deeply involved in education for nearly 50 years. In 1974, he co-founded and served as the president of Learning Tree International, a company that trained more than 2.5 million IT professionals and managers from over 60,000 companies in more than 100 countries.
Professor de Kleer and her research group at Caltech investigate the surface environments, atmospheres, and thermochemical histories of the solar system’s planets and satellites. Her research topics include the surface and atmospheric properties of Jupiter’s four large moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto; the volcanism and tidal heating of Io, the surface properties of M-type asteroids, and the seasonal evolution of planet and satellite atmospheres.
Registration is required to attend the online event. To register, visit https://events.caltech.edu/
For more information, email events@caltech.edu or leave a message at (626) 395-4652.
