EARTH'S Seasons - Zoom Astronomy Advertisement. EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.Click here to learn more. (Already a member? Click here.) EnchantedLearning.comThe Seasons and Axis Tilt The Earth's seasons are not caused by the differences in the distance from the Sun throughout the year (these differences are extremely small). The Earth's axis is tilted from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic by 23.45°. Summer is warmer than winter (in each hemisphere) because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer than during winter and also because the days are much longer than the nights during the summer. Solstices The solstices are days when the Sun reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations. EquinoxesEquinoxes are days in which day and night are of equal duration. Related Pages:
The Solar System The Solar System Listen to an audio version of this page. Solar System Activities The StarChild site is a service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), Dr. Alan Smale (Director), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/GSFC. StarChild Authors: The StarChild Team StarChild Graphics & Music: Acknowledgments StarChild Project Leader: Dr.
Your Age on Other Worlds Want to melt those years away? Travel to an outer planet! <div class="js-required"><hr> This Page requires a Javascript capable browser <hr></div> Fill in your birthdate below in the space indicated. (Note you must enter the year as a 4-digit number!) Click on the "Calculate" button. The Days (And Years) Of Our Lives Looking at the numbers above, you'll immediately notice that you are different ages on the different planets. The earth is in motion. The top-like rotation of the earth on its axis is how we define the day. The revolution of the earth around the sun is how we define the year. We all learn in grade school that the planets move at differing rates around the sun. Why the huge differences in periods? Johannes Kepler Tycho Brahe Kepler briefly worked with the great Danish observational astronomer, Tycho Brahe. Here you see a planet in a very elliptical orbit. Kepler's third law is the one that interests us the most. The Gravity Of The Situation Isaac Newton ©2000 Ron Hipschman
Science Projects for Kids: The Incredible Universe" Science projects for kids: the incredible universe takes you to worlds just waiting to be discovered. With simple instructions and everyday materials, you'll be learning more about constellations with the kids. You can start with star gazing and watching shooting stars -- and then make a planetarium or star theater to bring what you've learned back home. Learn more about the planets and star brightness, and make an astrolabe. Follow the links below to find science projects for kids: the incredible universe that you can do with kids: Make a PlanetariumUse planetarium to show constellations on a wall in your house. Star GazingStart by finding the North Star, and then see more. Umbrella Full of StarsTurn your umbrella into a star-studded private planetarium. Star TheaterMake constellation punch-outs and then a star theater. Scale Down the Solar SystemUse peas, fruit, and nuts in a true scale model of the solar system. Spot the PlanetsLearn to find Venus, Jupiter and other wandering stars.
How did the solar system form? The solar system is a pretty busy place. It’s got all kinds of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets zipping around our Sun. But how did this busy stellar neighborhood come to be? Our story starts about 4.6 billion years ago, with a wispy cloud of stellar dust. This cloud was part of a bigger cloud called a nebula. At some point, the cloud collapsed—possibly because the shockwave of a nearby exploding star caused it to compress. When it collapsed, it fell in on itself, creating a disk of material surrounding it. Finally the pressure caused by the material was so great that hydrogen atoms began to fuse into helium, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. Even though the Sun gobbled up more than 99% of all the stuff in this disk, there was still some material left over. Bits of this material clumped together because of gravity. Rocky planets, like Earth, formed near the Sun, because icy and gaseous material couldn’t survive close to all that heat.
Interactive 3D model of Solar System Planets and Night Sky Planets For Kids - Solar System Facts and Astronomy The Solar System Our solar neighborhood is an exciting place. The Solar System is full of planets, moons, asteroids, comets, minor planets, and many other exciting objects. Learn about Io, the explosive moon that orbits the planet Jupiter, or explore the gigantic canyons and deserts on Mars. What Is The Solar System? The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. How Did The Solar System form? This is an important question, and one that is difficult for scientists to understand. Scientists believe that the Solar System evolved from a giant cloud of dust and gas. At the center of this spinning cloud, a small star began to form. Further away from the center of this mass where the star was forming, there were smaller clumps of dust and gas that were also collapsing. A Great Storm Once ignited, the Sun's powerful solar winds began to blow. The Solar System Has Over 100 Worlds It is true that there are only eight planets.
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