12/02/2022
You Can’t Directly See a Black Hole.
A black hole is called a black hole because of it’s color, especially since light can’t escape. What we can see, though, is the effects of a black hole. Analyzing the surrounding area of a black hole, we can see its effects upon its environment. For example, a star that’s close enough to a black hole can be seen being ripped apart.
Our Milky Way Probably Has a Black Hole.
But, don’t be alarmed, Earth isn’t in danger! The major black hole that astronomists believe to be within our Milky Way is light years away from Earth.
Dying Stars Lead to Stellar Black Holes.
The death of large stars lead to black holes, because a star’s gravity will overwhelm the star’s natural pressure that it maintains to keep its shape. When the pressure from the nuclear reactions collapses, gravity overwhelms and collapses the star’s core, and the star’s other layers are thrown off into space, and this process is also known as a supernova. The remainder of the core collapses, a spot overcome by density and without volume – a black hole.
10/02/2022
What is the Sun?
The Sun is what is known as a main sequence star; that is, a sphere composed primarily of the two gases hydrogen and helium such that certain conditions are met. The first condition is that it must have a mass falling within a certain range. Though debated, this range is generally accepted to be between approximately 1.4 x 1029 kg and 3.0 x 1032 kg. (This range is often describe as at least 75 times the mass of Jupiter and no more than 150 times the mass of the Sun itself.) The second and most important condition is that nuclear fusion must be present. Nuclear fusion is the process whereby two lighter atomic nuclei join or “fuse” together to produce a heavier atomic nucleus. In the context of stars, hydrogen is the lighter and helium the heavier.
Size of the Sun
The size of the Sun compared to the largest known stars (red giants) is not very big. However, if compared to the most common type of star in the universe, the red dwarf, the Sun is quite a bit larger. Thus, the Sun is not the biggest type of star in the universe, but it is definitely larger than most.
10/02/2022
cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
After all, Alan Shepard paved the way for American astronauts on May 5, 1961, while Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin stole a march by rocketing into Earth orbit a few weeks earlier on April 12. Or did he? Today Gagarin's name is cemented in the record books, and he instantly became a national hero across the Soviet Union.
08/02/2022
Mars is also known as the Red Planet. This is because Mars is covered in soil, rock, and dust made from iron oxide which gives the surface a red rusty colour.
Mars is named after the Roman god of war.
Mars has 2 moons called Deimos and Phobos. They are named after the two horses that pull the Roman god of war, Mars’, chariot. They may be asteroids captured by Mars’ gravity.
Mars is the 4th planet from the sun. It is 227,936,637 km (141 million miles) away from the sun. It would take 300 days (around 8 months) to get there from Earth.
Mars is smaller than Earth with a diameter of 4217 miles. This makes it the second smallest planet in our solar system.
A day on Mars lasts 24 hours and 37 minutes.
One year on Mars is 687 days long. That’s 1.9 Earth years. This is because Mars is further away from the sun so it takes longer to orbit it.
The tilt on the axis of Mars is 25 degrees which means that the planet experiences seasons like we do on Earth as different parts of the planet are closer to the sun at different times of its orbit.
Mars has a thin atmosphere made from 95.9% carbon dioxide and 2.7% nitrogen. The atmosphere is so thin that it’s not thick enough to trap the sun’s heat so it is very cold - ranging from -100℃ in winter to 20℃ in summer.
Mars has very weak gravity. Gravity on Mars is 37% less than on Earth. This means that on Mars you could jump 3x higher than on Earth.
Mars is a terrestrial planet because it has a hard and rocky surface. Its northern side is full of flat plains and the southern side has ridges and craters.
Mars’ surface has many channels, plains, and canyons which could have been caused by water erosion (water wearing away the surface). This could be evidence that open water in liquid form once existed on the surface billions of years ago.
Mars experiences violent dust storms powered by the sun which can last for months. The dust storms can completely cover the planet and continually change Mars’ surface.
Mars is home to Olympus Mons, a dormant volcano and the largest volcano and highest mountain in our solar system. It is 16 miles high and 600 km across the base, making it 3x the height of Mount Everest.
The biggest crater on Mars is Borealis Basin. It is 5300 miles from end to end and covers 40% of planet’s surface.
Mars has the largest canyon in our solar system, Valles Marineris. It is 4 miles deep and stretches thousands of miles long.
Mars has north and south poles like earth. The polar ice caps are covered in a layer of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice).
As it’s so close to Earth, Mars is the planet that humans will most likely step foot on and explore first.
We sent out Mars Rovers (which are like robots) on missions to explore Mars and collect samples and record scientific data for scientists on Earth to study. Some of these Rovers include Viking 1, Viking 2, Mars 2, Mars 3, Spirit, Phoenix, Pathfinder, Curiosity, and Opportunity.
08/02/2022
Interesting facts about the Moon
10 strange facts you didn't know about the Moon. What created the Moon? And what are moonquakes?
Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2017 photographers share their top facts about the Moon. Visit Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year
1. The Moon is Earth's only permanent natural satellite
It is the fifth-largest natural satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits.
2. The Moon is the second-densest satellite
Among those whose densities are known anyway. The first densest is Jupiter's satellite Io.
3. The Moon always shows Earth the same face
The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth. Its near side is marked by large dark plains (volcanic ‘maria’) that fill the spaces between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. Learn more about the Moon's phases
