With their best-selling astronomy textbook, UNIVERSE: SOLAR SYSTEM, STARS, AND GALAXIES, authors Mike Seeds and Dana Backman help you understand your place in the universe--not just your location in space but your role in the unfolding history of the physical universe. To achieve this goal, the authors focus on two central questions: ?What Are We?? which highlights your place as a planet dweller in an evolving universe, guiding you to better understand where we came from and how we formed; and ?How Do We Know?? which provides insights into how the process of science can teach us more about what we are. Each new copy of the text includes access to Virtual Astronomy Labs, an online, interactive way for you to explore astronomy from your own computer.