What’s an AU? An AU (Astronomical Unit) is a unit of length that is used to measure huge distances. One AU is equal to 150 million Km’s, which is on average the mean distance between the Sun and the Earth.
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The Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
The Kuiper Belt is a region located around the planets of our Solar System whereby icy comet-like objects and bodies are found. The largest object found in the Kuiper Belt so far is the dwarf planet Eris.
The Oort Cloud is a collection of an estimated one trillion long-period objects that surround, enter and leave our Solar System. Many of theses objects are left-over comets of Neptune and are on their way to the stars.
In 2003 when the object or planetoid Sedna was discovered, it was photographed as being the most distant object in the Solar System at 90 times further away from the sun than Earth was (90 AU’s).
The Oort Cloud is a collection of an estimated one trillion long-period objects that surround, enter and leave our Solar System. Many of theses objects are left-over comets of Neptune and are on their way to the stars.
In 2003 when the object or planetoid Sedna was discovered, it was photographed as being the most distant object in the Solar System at 90 times further away from the sun than Earth was (90 AU’s).
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Europa
Europa is one of 63 Jupiter moons located approximately 550 million Km’s from Earth. It is a ball of rock layered with water-ice and was discovered by Galileo in 1610. It is slightly smaller than our own moon but 5 times as bright. NASA’s Galileo space probe orbited the moon in 2003 revealing close-up images of scratch-like ridges and dark spots. The probe was low on fuel during its journey and was about to die so it was purposely put on a collision course towards Jupiter as not to contaminate the icy moon.
It is believed that beneath the surface of the ice which is 80-170 Km’s deep, that their could be: a) More ice but warmer or b) An ocean of liquid water with the potential of containing more water than that found in Earth’s oceans. However, the radiation from Jupiter is problematic and may cause the hindrance of life existing. Also, the pressures may be to extreme for harbouring life.
This moon is probably the most exciting moon of all. The unlimited possibilities that are offered in regards to a life-sustaining body in our solar system are endless. The fact that microbial life similar to that found in deep oceans of Earth would blow all theories of ‘there’s no life out there’ proverbially out of the water. NASA and ESA have proposed sending a probe to Europa to continue further tests of the moon by the year 2020.
It is believed that beneath the surface of the ice which is 80-170 Km’s deep, that their could be: a) More ice but warmer or b) An ocean of liquid water with the potential of containing more water than that found in Earth’s oceans. However, the radiation from Jupiter is problematic and may cause the hindrance of life existing. Also, the pressures may be to extreme for harbouring life.
This moon is probably the most exciting moon of all. The unlimited possibilities that are offered in regards to a life-sustaining body in our solar system are endless. The fact that microbial life similar to that found in deep oceans of Earth would blow all theories of ‘there’s no life out there’ proverbially out of the water. NASA and ESA have proposed sending a probe to Europa to continue further tests of the moon by the year 2020.
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FAR OUT FACT #04
Planetary Rotation: Every planet in the Solar system rotates anti-clockwise except for Venus, which rotates clockwise. It takes the Earth 24 hours to rotate on its axis but it takes Venus 243 Earth days to rotate on its axis.
Star Forming Nebulae
Some of the most beautiful visions in the night’s sky are stars and star forming nebulae. The formation of stars (suns) can be seen throughout our Galaxy, the Milky Way, and it is at the spiral arms and the Galactic centre that we can see an abundance of the ingredients, such as gas (mainly Hydrogen) and dust, required to make the nebulae. Molecular clouds form from the ingredients, or interstellar matter, and collapse due to cooling and gravitational pressure. Through nuclear fusion, a star is born and the beautiful shape and colours are created.
There are many beautiful nebulae in the sky such as, the Great Orion Nebula, the Elephant’s Trunk, the Eagle Nebula and the Crab Nebula (pictured at bottom of the page) are all stunning images.
I find the Horsehead Nebula (pictured above), which resembles a knight on a cheesboard, to be the most stunning of them all. It is located in the Orion constellation and it was discovered in 1888. It unique shape was probably caused by magnetic fields within the dark and cold nebula, and radiation from a nearby hot young star called Sigma Orionis.
There are many beautiful nebulae in the sky such as, the Great Orion Nebula, the Elephant’s Trunk, the Eagle Nebula and the Crab Nebula (pictured at bottom of the page) are all stunning images.
I find the Horsehead Nebula (pictured above), which resembles a knight on a cheesboard, to be the most stunning of them all. It is located in the Orion constellation and it was discovered in 1888. It unique shape was probably caused by magnetic fields within the dark and cold nebula, and radiation from a nearby hot young star called Sigma Orionis.
FAR OUT FACT #03
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Planetary Orbits of the Solar System
In order to measure the orbits of the Solar System, the easiest way is to use Earth days and years as units. The distance of each planet from the Sun determines the time for a planet to fully orbit the sun. For example, a year (the time it takes for a planet to orbit the Sun) on Mars takes 687 Earth days to complete. The inner planets, such as Mercury and Venus, orbit a lot faster than the outer planets, such as Uranus and Neptune, and therefore cause a difference in the speed of the orbits of each planet. The planets vary in solar orbit and distance from the sun as follows:
Mercury- 88 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 5.9 million km’s from the Sun.
Venus- 224.7 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 108.2 million km’s from the Sun.
Earth- 365.26 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 149.6 million km’s from the Sun.
Mars- 687 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 227.9 million km’s from the Sun.
Jupiter- 11.86 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 778.4 million km’s from the Sun.
Saturn- 29.46 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 1.4 billion km’s from the Sun.
Uranus- 84.01 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 2.9 billion km’s from the Sun.
Neptune- 164.8 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 4.5 billon km’s from the Sun.
Mercury- 88 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 5.9 million km’s from the Sun.
Venus- 224.7 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 108.2 million km’s from the Sun.
Earth- 365.26 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 149.6 million km’s from the Sun.
Mars- 687 Earth days to orbit, at an average of 227.9 million km’s from the Sun.
Jupiter- 11.86 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 778.4 million km’s from the Sun.
Saturn- 29.46 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 1.4 billion km’s from the Sun.
Uranus- 84.01 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 2.9 billion km’s from the Sun.
Neptune- 164.8 Earth years to orbit, at an average of 4.5 billon km’s from the Sun.
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FAR OUT FACT #02
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Dwarf Planets
There are three known dwarf planets in our Solar System: Pluto, Eris and Ceres. Up until the year 2006 Pluto was considered to be a regular planet as it has the similar traits of a planet. It has sufficient mass, Gravity, is not a satellite (moon), and it orbits the Sun. However, the International Astronomical Union officially defines a planet as 'a body that has cleared the neighbourhood round its orbit'. These three dwarf planets do not satisfy the latter and are therefore considered to be dwarves.
Pluto is small and cold with a diameter of 2,304 km’s and a temperature of -230 degrees Celsius. It is composed of rock and ice (methane and water) and has a Nitrogen rich atmosphere (99.97%). Pluto has 3 moons; Charon, Hydra and Nix. Eris, which has a diameter of 2,400 km’s (slightly larger than Pluto), also has a moon named Dysnomia and is found in the regions of the Kuiper Belt. Ceres is a spherical Asteroid with a diameter of 960 km’s. Very little is known about these dwarf planets and the first spacecraft to visit Pluto has been launched but will only arrive there in the year 2015.
FAR OUT FACT #01
Trip To Mars: It would take a manned space shuttle only 6 months to reach the planet Mars one way. However, the team would have to wait 1 & 1/2 years on the planet for Mars to realign with Earth so that they could take the same 6 months journey home.
The Planet Uranus
Uranus is the third largest planet in the Solar System and it lies twice as far away from the Sun as its neighbouring planet Saturn. It is grey-blue in colour and has very little surface features and it has a diameter width of 51,116 km. Like Saturn, Uranus has a ring system and a large family of moons around it. The planet however, is tipped on its side (98 degrees), and from Earth the rings appear to wrap around it from top to bottom.
In fact, Uranus was the first planet to be discovered by Telescope by Astronomer William Herschel in the year 1781. However, it was the NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft that provided our first close-up images of the planet. It takes Uranus 84 Earth years to complete one Uranian year or one full orbit of the Sun. Uranus is a very big planet and has the mass of 14.5 times that of the Earth’s. It is made mainly of water, rock, methane, ammonia ices and a layer of gases. The planet has no solid surface so its atmosphere is most of its make-up. The composition of its surrounding atmosphere consists of Hydrogen (82.5%), Helium (15%), Methane (2.3%) and other (0.2). Its average distance from the Sun is approximately 2.87 billion km’s. A Uranian day takes 17.24 hours to dawn as opposed to an Earth day of 24 hours.
When observing Uranus in the night sky, it has a magnitude of 5.5. The planet has 11 rings around it, measuring from about 12,500 km to 25,500 km and these are composed of a charcoal carbon-rich material and also of dust. The planet has a cloud top temperature of -215 degrees Celsius. Uranus has 27 known moons, which are all named after the characters of William Shakespeare plays and Alexander Pope’s poems. More discoveries are expected when NASA launch more missions such as their Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer which tends to study our Solar System, Milky Way and Universe.
