After Pluto was discovered in 1930, it was regarded as the ninth major planet, although it was soon found to be very different from the others. It is smaller than Earth’s Moon and follows an elongated, titled orbit.
In the 1990’s astronomers began to discover small bodies similar to Pluto beyond Neptune. Some, such as Eris, were larger then Pluto. In 2006, astronomers decided to define a new category of dwarf planets, including Pluto.
In 2005, a search made with Hubble Space Telescope resulted in the discovery of two tiny moons orbiting Pluto in addition to Charon. They were called Nix and Hydra, names connected with Pluto and Charon in mythology, but which also have the same initials as New Horizons.
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The Milky Way in a Diagram
Home galaxy of Earth, the Milky way is a spiral – shaped system of a few hundred billion stars. Bright regions of recently formed stars highlight its arms, while older stars explode or expel their outer layers as beautiful planetary nebulae, then fade away and die. A thick swarm of orange and red stars marks the galactic bulge, encapsulating the star-packed galactic center.
Home galaxy of Earth, the Milky way is a spiral – shaped system of a few hundred billion stars. Bright regions of recently formed stars highlight its arms, while older stars explode or expel their outer layers as beautiful planetary nebulae, then fade away and die. A thick swarm of orange and red stars marks the galactic bulge, encapsulating the star-packed galactic center.
Farside of the Moon
The farside of the moon is always turned away from the Earth. Its appearance remained a mystery until 1959, when the Russian spacecraft Luna 3 was able to travel behind the Moon and send back the first photographs. Although the farside looks similar to the moon’s nearside, there are obvious differences. It has few maria, because the lunar crust is thicker than on the nearside, making it dif...
The farside of the moon is always turned away from the Earth. Its appearance remained a mystery until 1959, when the Russian spacecraft Luna 3 was able to travel behind the Moon and send back the first photographs. Although the farside looks similar to the moon’s nearside, there are obvious differences. It has few maria, because the lunar crust is thicker than on the nearside, making it dif...
Galaxy Facts
The largest galaxies have nearly billion stars. There are an estimated billion stars in the milky way, our galaxy. If you tried to count all the stars in just our galaxy at a rat of one star per second, it would take you about 3000 years.
The largest galaxies have nearly billion stars. There are an estimated billion stars in the milky way, our galaxy. If you tried to count all the stars in just our galaxy at a rat of one star per second, it would take you about 3000 years.
Black Holes Explained
The most Bizarre objects in the Universe, black holes are aptly named – they emit no visible light at all. And yet, most black holes are the end state of the most brilliant objects in the cosmos; giant stars that go supernova. The super compressed core that remains after the explosion has such strong gravity that even light cannot escape it – so the object is black.
The most Bizarre objects in the Universe, black holes are aptly named – they emit no visible light at all. And yet, most black holes are the end state of the most brilliant objects in the cosmos; giant stars that go supernova. The super compressed core that remains after the explosion has such strong gravity that even light cannot escape it – so the object is black.
How Far are the Stars
Until 1838, Astronomers had little idea of the true size of the Universe. But in that year, Friedrich Bessel used a technique called the parallax method to make the first successful measurement of the distance to a star. Modern astronomers have many different ways of figuring out how far away an object is, but they all depend ultimately on the parallax method. As the Earth orbits the S...
Until 1838, Astronomers had little idea of the true size of the Universe. But in that year, Friedrich Bessel used a technique called the parallax method to make the first successful measurement of the distance to a star. Modern astronomers have many different ways of figuring out how far away an object is, but they all depend ultimately on the parallax method. As the Earth orbits the S...
50 Years of Spaceflight
In this era of 50 years of Manned Space Flight, USA stands at the top of the list in the Nations with the most Astronauts who have been sent to the space. Russia stands at the third position with France and Germany following it. The farthest Manned Missions from Earth is Apollo 13 which has travelled around 401,056 km in 1970. Next farthest is Apollo 8 followed by Gemini 11 and Gemini 10. Yur...
In this era of 50 years of Manned Space Flight, USA stands at the top of the list in the Nations with the most Astronauts who have been sent to the space. Russia stands at the third position with France and Germany following it. The farthest Manned Missions from Earth is Apollo 13 which has travelled around 401,056 km in 1970. Next farthest is Apollo 8 followed by Gemini 11 and Gemini 10. Yur...
How the Moon Influences the Earth
Although the moon is much smaller than the Earth, it still has an influence on its bigger companion. Just as the Earth’s gravity pulls on the Moon, the gravity of the Moon pulls on the Earth, stretching it into a slight oval. This distortion barely affects the solid landmasses, but it makes the oceans bulge on either side of the planet, producing the tides on either side of the planet. ...
Although the moon is much smaller than the Earth, it still has an influence on its bigger companion. Just as the Earth’s gravity pulls on the Moon, the gravity of the Moon pulls on the Earth, stretching it into a slight oval. This distortion barely affects the solid landmasses, but it makes the oceans bulge on either side of the planet, producing the tides on either side of the planet. ...
Radio Astronomy
Radio waves are the same type of waves as light. They have less energy than visible light and so have a longer wavelength, but they travel at the same speed as light. At night our eyes and optical telescopes sees light from stars. But normal stars only produce radio waves very weakly.
Radio waves are the same type of waves as light. They have less energy than visible light and so have a longer wavelength, but they travel at the same speed as light. At night our eyes and optical telescopes sees light from stars. But normal stars only produce radio waves very weakly.
Viewing the Past in Space
The ancients had it wrong: the Earth is not the center of the universe. But the Earths is at the center of the part of the Universe that we can see. A being on a planet orbiting, say, a star in the galaxy M87 would see a different part of the Universe, one centered on him.
The ancients had it wrong: the Earth is not the center of the universe. But the Earths is at the center of the part of the Universe that we can see. A being on a planet orbiting, say, a star in the galaxy M87 would see a different part of the Universe, one centered on him.
Red Giant Stars Explained
A red monster is an iridescent monster star of level or halfway mass (harshly 0.5–10 sun oriented masses) in a late stage of stellar development. The external environment is swelled and tenuous, making the span monstrous and the surface temperature flat, an as yet undisclosed place from 5,000 K and easier. The manifestation of the red monster is from yellow orange to red, incorporating the unearth...
A red monster is an iridescent monster star of level or halfway mass (harshly 0.5–10 sun oriented masses) in a late stage of stellar development. The external environment is swelled and tenuous, making the span monstrous and the surface temperature flat, an as yet undisclosed place from 5,000 K and easier. The manifestation of the red monster is from yellow orange to red, incorporating the unearth...
NASA's Constellation Program Trips to the Moon
NASA’s Constellation program comprises a set of launch boosters, space vehicles and support modules that together will place humans on the moon by 2020. Plans call for astronauts to stay on the lunar surface for periods ranging from four days to more than six months.
NASA’s Constellation program comprises a set of launch boosters, space vehicles and support modules that together will place humans on the moon by 2020. Plans call for astronauts to stay on the lunar surface for periods ranging from four days to more than six months.
Explaining Gravitational Lensing
Light always leaves from a young, star forming blue galaxy near the edge of the visible universe. Some of the light passes through a large cluster of galaxies and surrounding dark matter, directly in the line of sight between earth and the distant galaxy. The dark matter’s gravity acts like a lens, bending the incoming light.
Light always leaves from a young, star forming blue galaxy near the edge of the visible universe. Some of the light passes through a large cluster of galaxies and surrounding dark matter, directly in the line of sight between earth and the distant galaxy. The dark matter’s gravity acts like a lens, bending the incoming light.
The Amount of Junk in Outer Space
How much damage can a space debris do ? An example of the damage caused, a tiny speck of paint from a satellite once dug, a pit in a space shuttle window nearly a quarter – inch wide. 1mm metal chip could do as much damage as a 0.22-caliber long rifle bullet. A pea-sized ball moving this fast is as dangerous as a 400 lb safe travelling at 60 mph. A metal sphere the size of a tennis ball is as l...
How much damage can a space debris do ? An example of the damage caused, a tiny speck of paint from a satellite once dug, a pit in a space shuttle window nearly a quarter – inch wide. 1mm metal chip could do as much damage as a 0.22-caliber long rifle bullet. A pea-sized ball moving this fast is as dangerous as a 400 lb safe travelling at 60 mph. A metal sphere the size of a tennis ball is as l...
Astronomy 101 Collection
According to Quantum mechanics, electrons bound to an atom can only have particular values of energy; they are unique to that element. Absorption or emission of a photon of light by the atom occurs when the energy of that photon matches the difference between two of these energy levels. The gravitational pull of any object gets weaker the further you move from the object. Thus, the Moon p...
According to Quantum mechanics, electrons bound to an atom can only have particular values of energy; they are unique to that element. Absorption or emission of a photon of light by the atom occurs when the energy of that photon matches the difference between two of these energy levels. The gravitational pull of any object gets weaker the further you move from the object. Thus, the Moon p...
Understanding Auroras
The gathering storm is formed when the solar wind’s magnetic field is pointing in the opposite direction to that of the Earth, it sets up a chain of events that leads to a substorm and produces a Spectacular Aurora. The Earth’s magnetic shield, or magnetosphere, protects the planet from the solar wind, which usually just passes around the earth.
The gathering storm is formed when the solar wind’s magnetic field is pointing in the opposite direction to that of the Earth, it sets up a chain of events that leads to a substorm and produces a Spectacular Aurora. The Earth’s magnetic shield, or magnetosphere, protects the planet from the solar wind, which usually just passes around the earth.
Interplanetary Travel
The planets are very far away. A spacecraft traveling at 60 mph a typical speed of a car on a highway – would take about 60 years to reach Mars. Fortunately, rockets travel much faster than this. The Voyager spacecraft sped from the Earth at 32000 MPH. But even at this speed, travel to the planets takes a long time. The Future space colonies will have to be self – sufficient, growing t...
The planets are very far away. A spacecraft traveling at 60 mph a typical speed of a car on a highway – would take about 60 years to reach Mars. Fortunately, rockets travel much faster than this. The Voyager spacecraft sped from the Earth at 32000 MPH. But even at this speed, travel to the planets takes a long time. The Future space colonies will have to be self – sufficient, growing t...
NASA's Future Capsule
NASA has decided that the MPCV, or Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle, will be America’s next crewed spacecraft following the retirement of the space shuttle. The MPCV program is a refocus of the Orion Crew Vehicle Program, which has been in development since 2005.
NASA has decided that the MPCV, or Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle, will be America’s next crewed spacecraft following the retirement of the space shuttle. The MPCV program is a refocus of the Orion Crew Vehicle Program, which has been in development since 2005.
Variable Stars and What They are
These maps show stars visible all year in the northern and southern hemispheres. They also mark the position of interesting objects, such as star clusters and galaxies. To see what is visible, face north in the northern hemisphere and south in the southern hemisphere. The Variable stars contains pulsating variables, the eclipsing variables and the rotating variables. Toward the end of their...
These maps show stars visible all year in the northern and southern hemispheres. They also mark the position of interesting objects, such as star clusters and galaxies. To see what is visible, face north in the northern hemisphere and south in the southern hemisphere. The Variable stars contains pulsating variables, the eclipsing variables and the rotating variables. Toward the end of their...
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