Based on the most up-to-date astronomical research, The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fifth Editionretains all of the features that have made this text so popular with new features helping you learn about the process of science and how to interpret visual data. The textbook package also includes updated supplements to support the book's pedagogy, making it the most effective text in the one-semester astronomy market. The Fifth Edition focuses on building student appreciation of science by helping them understand how astronomers know what they know about the universe, and how information can be gleaned from looking at and interpreting images. To support these goals, the book features new See It For Yourself boxes, Process of Science end-of-chapter questions, Check Your Skills activities which help you learn how to read figures and photos, and five new Cosmic Context two-page figures on key topics throughout the text. Offered with The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fifth Editionis an unparalleled media package designed to help you seamlessly incorporate media into at-home study. MasteringAstronomy® ,the most easy-to-use, yet sophisticated astronomy tutorial and assessment system ever built, provides a self-study area with quizzes, Interactive Tutorials™, updated Interactive Figures and Photos ™, a brand new eBook, RSS news feeds that provide up-to-date articles from major astronomy news sources, and more. Package Includes: MasteringAstronomy with E-book Student Access Kit Sky and Telescope Special Student Supplement