Posts Tagged ‘saturn uranus’

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

Astronomy trivia is so interesting because the universe is something that we are constantly learning more about. It would be impossible for any one person to learn everything there is to know about astronomy, as the nearly endless night sky provides endless opportunities for the interested person to continue learning.

An Astronomy quiz might involve the study of the planets, the stars, or other heavenly bodies such as comets and meteors. A common place for the beginning student of astronomy to learn about is the planets in our own Galaxy. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Formerly, Pluto was known as a planet but it has since been declassified as such.

The study of astronomy often begins with an interest in the constellations that are visible in the night sky. A constellation is a configuration of stars that astronomers have grouped together into patterns which represent certain symbols as a way of recognizing or remembering them. One of the most commonly seen constellations that is recognized the most easily is the Big Dipper.

There are many other constellations which can be easily recognized even by someone with just a passing interest in Astronomy trivia. Orion’s belt, a series of three aligned stars is one of the easiest to see. There are actually 88 official constellations, which include those that represent all the signs of the zodiac.

An interesting point for any Astronomy quiz is that the constellations as humans have identified them are only a creation based on human perception. Our eyes are unable to differentiate the vast differences in distance between many of the stars which are part of the same constellations. Some times stars in the same constellation will actually be millions of light years apart, but our inability to perceive depth in the night sky makes them appear in such a way that we can imagine them as a pattern.

Another point worth noting for someone interested in astronomy is that it has been posited by astronomers that many of the stars that we see in the night sky are no longer even there. Because of the vast distances across space that separate the stars from earth, the light from the stars takes an incredibly long amount of time to reach earth. That period of time is such that many of those stars have likely burnt out since the time that they were actually light.

Author: Shawna S. Ruppert
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

Outer space and the solar system is one of the most interesting topics discussed in school because of the countless colorful heavenly bodies occupying the universe and the idea that there is actually something else outside of our world.

In the few decades since space exploration began, probes have reached the far regions of the solar system. The solar system is the group of celestial bodies, including Earth that orbits around the Milky Way galaxy. Some hundred billion stars can be found in the universe while more than 1,000 comets have been observed regularly through telescopes.

To give this topic a little twist, here are tips to have students get it.

1. As introduction to the subject, bring your students out of the classroom (at both daytime and nighttime if its possible) so they can see what makes up the sky. Explain that the solar system is made up of our sun and all of the heavenly bodies that travel around it. Once they have familiarized themselves to the concept of space and the solar system, you can start moving on.

2. The ten planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Xena) differ in characteristics. You can use a table to show these differences and characteristics. After showing how each is special from the other, you can let them pick a favorite planet, draw it the way they want it and explain why they chose it from the rest.

3. For more than 300 years there has been scientific discussions of the events that led to the formation of the solar system. And since it could be quite time-consuming to talk about the theories concerning the origin of life in the solar system, you may use film or other visual presentations as tools to better explain it.

4. A telescope is another effective device used to magnify or enlarge the image of a distant object. It is a very important tool for astronomers. It enables them to see much farther into space than is possible with the human eye. What you can do is bring a telescope you can share with your students so everyone can have a glimpse on whats out there in space through a very informal activity.

What is space exploration? The age of space exploration began in the sixth decade of the 20th century. Since that time, robot probes and human beings have ventured beyond the limits of the Earths atmosphere. Today, space explorations include the investigation of celestial objects ranging in size from cosmic dust to the giant planets of the solar system. Because of technology, humans are continuously discovering more about life and forces in space. The possibilities are endless.

Outer space and the solar system may be a very interesting topic but its long history of theoretical and practical developments can fuel a lot of questions. The key to space exploration lay in the production of the rocket engine, which made possible the lofting of objects beyond the Earths atmosphere. With this subject, remember you are teaching your students that the field of space exploration and the solar system relies heavily on communication and technology.

Author: Robert McKenzie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger