Posts Tagged ‘planets in our solar system’

Many parents are puzzled and taken aback by the number of topics and the complexity of today’s science lessons for kids. Sometimes parents look at their children’s notes and textbooks and think to themselves that they can not remember learning this lesson, or they remember learning it at a much later grade. Admit it, it happened to you! Do not worry, it is very normal for you to be surprised by your kid’s science class. Truth is that kids are learning concepts faster than before and with all the modern advances being made in science, there is always more to learn!

The life sciences which you probably remember as biology, focusing on cell reproduction and photosynthesis now introduces the concepts of cell division at the fifth grade. What you were learning in high school, your kid’s science class now teaches in the last year of elementary! To help tutor your kids with life sciences, always read their textbook a chapter ahead of them, and supplement your reading with some online research. You will find that you are learning some new and interesting concepts, and it will prepare you for the questions your child will throw your way!

Back when you were reading school books, earth science told us that there were nine planets in our solar system, and one asteroid belt. Well, nowadays, kid’s science teaches them that there are only eight planets in the solar system, four dwarf planets (Pluto included), and two belts that orbit the sun. Right, two belts, that is news to you, isn’t it? Like life science, earth science is constantly changing because of the new discoveries being made everyday. What was once a simple study on the different types of rocks, now discusses how to carbon date a rock!

One of the safer sciences in terms of how much new knowledge is added is physical science. This is because the laws of physics have held true for many generations, and when the complicated part of physics comes in, your kids will be in college and probably studying physics as their major. Also, developments in physics usually involve the very confusing and complicated formulas which no kid’s science class will discuss unless your kid is in a school for geniuses. This makes it rather safe for parents as long as you and your child can keep up with the pace in which it is being taught. Chances are that you will be able to do so, this is one science you need not worry too much about!

On a final note, keep up with your kid’s science class by keeping yourself up to date in the world of science. Try to read some science news online, and keep tabs on what your child is learning. Do not be afraid to speak to your child’s teacher either. Many teachers appreciate it when parents want to help their children learn more and better, so all your efforts will be very welcome. Remember that when you can teach something to your child, they are likely to learn it faster and better!

Author: Ethan Jeremy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Gadget reviews

We feel a special regard to the other planets in our solar system maybe because we have been watching a lot of science fiction stories about visiting the moon and other planets. We love to think about those planets do the processes that Earth does but in different ways.

The planets in our system have taken the names of mythical beings and have appealed in our literature and arts. It is easy to encounter artists who render their own vision of the planets. The names of the planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune derived their names from the Greek and Roman mythology. However, the solar system is not only composed of planets, it is composed of other celestial bodies too. Space is a very busy place indeed.

In 2006, Pluto became an overnight controversy as scholars and astronomers agreed to downgrade Pluto to a moon. You might have wondered what makes a planet worthy to be called planet and what happened to Pluto? A planet, by definition, is any object in orbit around a sun. The planet takes a round shape as well as it has cleared away other orbiting items around it. When you say “cleared away”, it does not mean destroying other objects in its path. For example, our planet has not “cleared away” the moon but it has captured it into its own orbit so we classify Earth as a planet.

Aside from the planets, there are other objects floating in our solar system. As a matter of fact, there are 165 moons orbiting around the nine planets. Some of those moons are believed to be advance that some scientist have suspected that they might have supported life at some point.

Aside from the planets and moons, there are also dwarf planets, asteroid belts and comets. Can you imagine that the solar system is bustling with celestial bodies moving everywhere? Two dwarf planets that exist in the outer rim of our solar system are called Eries and Ceres. So when Pluto’s status was changed to be removed from the list of planets, it was no longer considered as a major planet but simply joined those two dwarf planets but is still a solid citizen of the community of celestial bodies in our solar system.

Moreover, there are asteroid belts between Mars and Jupiter that most of the meteor showers that we see in our night sky came from this belt. There is another belt of large objects further out called the Kuiper belt as well as a “bubble” in space called a heliopause. There are additional belts suspected by the scientists that exists in the solar system. Another belt called the Oort belt was believed to be the origin of large asteroids and comets that frequent our solar system and also come into orbit around the sun.

It is also important to take note of the history of our solar system to understand why we have such neighbors around our planet. The universe was once a huge body of gas and clouds of matter eventually cooling and heating, exploding and spinning off stars and massive space giants that become more stars, more galaxies and more solar systems. It was from this activity that our sun separated from the gases and carried with it materials that will be the precursor of out solar system. Moreover, the gravity of the sun captured enough matter that it began to go through the process of forming, cooling, exploding and separating as a result giving birth to the planets that eventually established orbits around the sun.

When you think about it, it is amazing to step back and see the beauty and organization of our solar system today. The more details that you know about the history of the solar system, the more you will appreciate these celestial bodies and the more you will attached to them. Discovery is part of the fun of astronomy.

Author: Gregory McFadden
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news

The Long Count calendar of the ancient Mayans ends on the Winter Solstice of the year 2012. Many scientists and astrologists have been looking at Mayan astronomy for years now and are considering if the end of the world as we know it is at hand.

The Long Count calendar began mapping out the heavens on the day that this current age of Earth began over 5100 years ago. All of the scientific evidence points to the Mayan astronomy predictions to be accurate.

There is a huge significance in the year 2012 in that lunar-solar records, cosmic events and ancient knowledge all point to a Galactic alignment at the end of the year 2012. The Mayan astronomy accurately predicts this galactic alignment. All of the most up to date astronomical software shows that the galactic alignment is set to happen on December 21, 2012.

The center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, will align with the ellipses of our solar system in conjunction with an eclipse and a very irregular planetary crossing. The last time that this planetary alignment occurred was 26,000 years ago.

Even before any modern technical advances in astronomy, it was a known fact that there were other planets in our solar system. That evidence comes from ancient records. In 2008, an impression of a planet was found behind Pluto, and is thought to be the 10th planet in our solar system. Just how close it will come to Earth in 2012 is not yet known, but the ancient Mayans knew that it was there and are expecting its return in the year 2012.

Author: Rob Stouffer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Outer Space is comprised of the relatively empty regions of the universe out side the atmospheres of the celestial bodies (for instance, Earth, or the other planets in our solar system). Outer space is used to distinguish from airspace and terrestrial locations, it is not completely empty but contains low density particles as well as dark energy and dark matter.

Space is the closest form to a perfect vacuum that has been found. It has no friction, which allows all of the celestial objects within it to move along at whichever gravitational trajectory it is a part of.

The Celestial objects keep their atmospheres by adhering to their gravitational attraction. Every gravitational field has a different density. For instant, the Earth’s atmospheric gas simply decreases with distance from the object. The Earth’s atmospheric pressure drops to about 1 Pa (10-3 Torr) at 100 km of altitude, which is a common definition of boundary in the outer space. The observable universe is filled with photons which are the cosmic background radiation which has an equally correspondingly number of neutrinos.

The atmospheric density within outer space produces drag on satellites. Most artificial satellites stay in low Earth orbit to deal with this drag, and fire their engines every few days to maintain orbit. Planets are too massive to be affected by the drag of the Solar System.

A human exposed to the vacuum of space would not die from exposure, but would rather quickly asphyxiate due to the intense pressure and lack of air in outer space. Once the deoxygenated blood reached the brain, death would quickly follow. Cold or oxygen rich atmospheres can survive at as long as the oxygen density is similar to that of a standard-sea level atmosphere.

Author: Alexander Sutton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Hybrid and Electric Cars