A deep dive into the origins of the universe! Explore the ways people have tried answering the fundamental question of how the universe began with STEM activities and research projects that bring out-of-this-world learning into your own hands! What exactly is the universe? Is it brilliant stars, distant galaxies, and giant black holes? What about the sun, the moon, or planet Earth? The universe is all these things--and more! But where did it come from? How did it get here? And where is it all going? Explore these questions and more in The Universe: The Big Bang, Black Holes, and Blue Whales. In this book, readers ages 12 to 15 embark on an exciting journey that starts with the Big Bang and takes them all the way to the end of the universe, with many thrilling stops in between. Take a look billions of years into the past and discover the mind-bending early moments of the universe, the rise of the first stars, and the formation of the earliest galaxies. Explore the birth our sun and solar system and the formation of the only place in the universe known to support life: the earth. Finally, we'll zoom billions of years into the future to learn about the death of the sun, a colossal collision of galaxies, and even the fate of the universe itself. * Throughout The Universe, kids encounter essential topics and questions to encourage critical thinking skills, hands-on STEAM activities that encourage creative thinking, graphic novel style illustrations and more! * Links to online resources provide a digital learning experience that integrates content with an interactive platform. * Investigations include using a diffraction grating or prism to examine the properties of light and how they relate to the sun, modeling different galaxy types and black holes, and exploring the effects of climate change locally. * Essential questions guide readers' investigations while hands-on activities promote critical and creative problem solving, and text-to-world connections highlight the way the past provides context for the present-day world. About the Inquire & Investigate series and Nomad Press Nomad Press books in the Inquire & Investigate series integrate content with participation, encouraging readers to engage in student-directed learning. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.