“Why does the Earth spin?” —Sara H., age 5, New Paltz, New York A globe was the first thing I ever bought with my own money. I was maybe 5 years old, and I was really excited to take it home. As I quickly discovered, you can spin it in the direction that the earth …

“Why does the Moon look close some nights and far away on other nights?” —Gabriel H., age 7, Providence, Rhode Island Some nights the Moon seems really close and bigger than usual. One summer evening when I was a child, I remember being mystified and then startled at a huge round shape slowly creeping up …