June 2009 - Posts

Interesting Facts about the Moon
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 6:25 PM

• Diameter is 1/4 the size of Earth's diameter.
• Gravity is about 1/6 of Earth's gravity. This is too weak to maintain an atmosphere.
• The Moon's gravity is still enough to affect the tides on the Earth.
  
• The same side of the Moon is always facing Earth because the Moon's rotation is synchonous with its revolution around Earth.
• The Moon is slowing moving away from Earth about 4 centimeters a year.
• The footprints left on the surface by astronauts will last at least 10 million years.
• Temperatures can range from +300° F to -270 F./li>

by Amaryllis Place | 5 comment(s)

Filed under: Moon, Interesting Facts

Interesting Facts about The Asteroid Belt
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 5:05 PM

• The Asteroid Belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
• The asteroids are also called minor planets and are irregularly shaped.
• A fifth planet could have formed in this region, but Jupiter's massive gravitational pull stops this from happening.
• The asteriods are composed primarilyy of rock and range in size from dust particles to about 590 miles across.
• A few asteroids have moons of their own.
• If all of the asteroids in the belt were lumped together, it would be smaller than Earth's moon.
• This belt is not like the asteroid fields in movies; these asteroids are very far apart.
• Ceres, the largest object in this region, now qualifies as a dwarf planet like Pluto.
  

by Amaryllis Place | with no comments

Filed under: Interesting Facts, Asteroid Belt

Interesting Facts about Neptune
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 2:13 PM

• smallest of the gas planets
  
• average temperature -210 °C
• fastest winds in the solar system, up to 1,200 mph
  
• has very faint rings
• Neptune's gravity is the closest to Earth's gravity, only 17% more
  
• Neptune was not discovered by a telescope. When looking at Uranus' orbit, scientists realized another planet must be farther out that was affecting the orbit of Uranus. They calculated mathematically where this unknown planet would be located, then they looked for it with telescopes.
  
• Triton, its biggest moon, is even colder than Neptune at -230 °C and the only moon in the solar system to orbit in the opposite direction of the planet's rotation
  
• The Great Dark Spot, probably a giant storm, is about the size of Earth
  
• one day on Neptune is about 16 hours Earth
• one year on Neptune is 165 Earth years

by Amaryllis Place | with no comments

Filed under: Interesting Facts, Neptune

Interesting Facts about Uranus
Monday, June 08, 2009 1:55 PM

• rotates on its side, possibly due to a collision with another space object
  
• coldest planet in our system, can get down to -224 °C
• farthest planet that can be seen by the naked eye, but you need extremely dark skies and you have to know exactly where to look
  
• also has rings but they are dark and not easily seen
  
• rotates in the opposite direction as Earth
• only planet with a Greek name, all others are Roman
  
• one day on Uranus is about 17 hours Earth
• because it rotates on its side, a day at the poles last 42 Earth years
  
• one year on Uranus is 84 Earth years
  

by Amaryllis Place | with no comments

Filed under: Interesting Facts, Uranus