OUR UNIVERSE

  Earth is unique in the Solar System as being the only planet which is able to support life in all its forms: from basic living micro-organisms to highly sophisticated and intelligent human beings. There are many reasons why this happens. REASON ONE: ATMOSPHERE Earth has a breathable atmosphere. Oxygen is the gas that is required for the life of most creatures. This is present in Earth's atmosphere and also in water. Oxygen is constantly put into the atmosphere by plants and trees. Earth's atmosphere also contains a small amount of carbon dioxide. This is a poisonous gas which makes up most of the atmosphere of planets like Venus and Mars and makes them unable to support human life. However, its smaller presence on Earth is useful as it helps to moderate the planet's temperature and is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis to produce oxygen. Earth's atmosphere is kept on the planet by its pull of gravity. Mars and Mercury are too...

In August 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto to that of  "dwarf planet."  This means that from now on only the rocky worlds of the inner Solar System and the gas giants of the outer system will be designated as planets. The “inner Solar System” is the region of space that is smaller than the radius of Jupiter’s orbit around the sun. It contains the asteroid belt as well as the terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The “gas giants” of course are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus.  So now we have eight planets instead of the nine we used to have. What is a Dwarf Planet? A “dwarf planet,” as defined by the IAU, is a celestial body in direct orbit of the Sun that is massive enough that its shape is controlled by gravitational forces rather than mechanical forces (and is thus ellipsoid in shape), but has not cleared its neighboring region of other objects . So, the three criteria of the I...

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun making it the most distant in the solar system. This gas giant planet may have formed much closer to the Sun in early solar system history before migrating to its present position. Planet Profile Mass: 102,410,000,000,000,000 billion kg (17.15x Earth) Equatorial Diameter: 49,528 km Polar Diameter: 48,682 km Equatorial Circumference:  155,600 km Known Moons: 14 Notable Moons: Triton Known Rings: 5 Orbit Distance: 4,498,396,441 km (30.10 AU) Orbit Period: 60,190.03 Earth days (164.79 Earth years) Surface Temperature: -201 °C Discover Date: September 23rd 1846 Discovered By:  Urbain Le Verrier & Johann Galle Size of Neptune Compared to the Earth Facts about Neptune Neptune was not known to the ancients: It is not visible to the naked eye and was first observed in 1846. Its position was determined using mathematical predictions. It was named after the Roman god of the sea. Neptune spi...

  Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It’s not visible to the naked eye, and became the first planet discovered with the use of a telescope. Uranus is tipped over on its side with an axial tilt of 98 degrees. It is often described as “rolling around the Sun on its side.” Uranus Planet Profile Mass: 86,810,300,000,000,000 billion kg (14.536 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter: 51,118 km Polar Diameter: 49,946 km Equatorial Circumference:  159,354 km Known Moons: 27 Notable Moons: Oberon, Titania, Miranda, Ariel & Umbriel Known Rings: 13 Orbit Distance: 2,870,658,186 km (19.22 AU) Orbit Period: 30,687.15 Earth days (84.02 Earth years) Surface Temperature: -197 °C Discover Date: March 13th 1781 Discovered By:  William Herschel Size of Uranus Compared to the Earth Facts about Uranus Uranus was officially discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1781: It is too dim to have been seen by the ancients. At first Herschel thought it was a ...

  Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the most distant that can be seen with the naked eye. It is best known for its fabulous ring system that was discovered in 1610 by the astronomer Galileo Galilei. Planet Profile Mass: 568,319,000,000,000,000 billion kg (95.16 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter: 120,536 km Polar Diameter: 108,728 km Equatorial Circumference:  365,882 km Known Moons: 62 Notable Moons: Titan, Enceladus, Iapetus, Mimas,  Tethys, Dione & Rhea. Known Rings:  30+ (7 Groups) Orbit Distance: 1,426,666,422 km (9.58 AU) Orbit Period: 10,755.70 Earth days (29.45 Earth years) Surface Temperature: -139 °C First Record: 8 th century BC Recorded By: Assyrians Size of Saturn Compared to the Earth Facts about Saturn Saturn can be seen with the naked eye: It is the fifth brightest object in the solar system and is also easily studied through binoculars or a small telescope. Saturn was know...

The Great Red Spot is the most noticeable feature on Jupiter's surface — a storm about 12,400 miles (20,000 kilometers) long and 7,500 miles (12,000 km) wide, about two to three times larger than Earth. Winds at its oval edges can reach up to 425 mph (680 km/h). This giant storm was first recorded in 1831 but may have first been discovered in 1665. Vortices like the Great Red Spot can dissipate because of many factors. For instance, waves and turbulence in and around the storm sap its winds of energy. It also loses energy by radiating heat. Moreover, the Great Red Spot rests between two powerful jet streams in Jupiter's atmosphere that flow in opposite directions and may slow down its spinning. Some researchers suggest that large vortices such as the Great Red Spot gain energy and survive by absorbing smaller vortices. However, "this does not happen often enough to explain the Red Spot's longevity," researcher Philip Marcus, a fluid dynamicist and planetary s...

  The planet Jupiter is the fifth planet out from the Sun, and is two and a half times more massive than all the other planets in the solar system combined. It is made primarily of gases and is therefore known as a “gas giant”. Jupiter Planet Profile Mass:  1,898,130,000,000,000,000 billion kg (317.83 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter:  142,984 km Polar Diameter:  133,709 km Equatorial Circumference: 439,264 km Known Moons:  67 Notable Moons:  Io, Europa, Ganymede & Callisto Known Rings: 4 Orbit Distance:  778,340,821 km (5.20 AU) Orbit Period:  4,332.82 Earth days (11.86 Earth years) Surface Temperature:  -108°C First Record:  7th or 8th century BC Recorded By:  Babylonian astronomers Size of Jupiter Compared to the Earth Facts about Jupiter Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the solar system: Only the Sun, Moon and Venus are brighter. It is one of five planets visible to the naked eye f...

  Mars Mosiac – astrogeology.usgs.gov Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Named after the Roman god of war, and often described as the “Red Planet” due to its reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide. Mars Planet Profile Mass: 641,693,000,000,000 billion kg (0.107 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter: 6,805 Polar Diameter: 6,755 Equatorial Circumference:  21,297 km Known Moons: 2 Notable Moons: Phobos & Deimos Orbit Distance: 227,943,824 km (1.38 AU) Orbit Period: 686.98 Earth days (1.88 Earth years) Surface Temperature: -87 to -5 °C First Record: 2 nd millennium BC Recorded By:  Egyptian astronomers Size of Mars compared to the Earth Facts about Mars Mars and Earth have approximately the same landmass: Even though Mars has only 15% of the Earth’s volume and just over 10% of the Earth’s mass, around two thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Martian s...

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is the second brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Venus is the second largest terrestrial planet and is sometimes referred to as the Earth’s sister planet due the their similar size and mass. The surface of the planet is obscured by an opaque layer of clouds made up of sulfuric acid. Planet Profile Mass: 4,867,320,000,000,000 billion kg (0.815 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter: 12,104 km Polar Diameter: 12,104 km Equatorial Circumference: 38,025 km Known Moons: none Notable Moons: none Orbit Distance: 108,209,475 km (0.73 AU) Orbit Period: 224.70 Earth days Surface Temperature: 462 °C First Record: 17 th century BC Recorded By: Babylonian astronomers Size of Venus Compared to the Earth Facts about Venus A day on Venus lasts longer than a year: It takes 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis. The planet’s orbit around the Sun takes 225...

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and due to its proximity it is not easily seen except during twilight. For every two orbits of the Sun, Mercury completes three rotations about its axis and up until 1965 it was thought that the same side of Mercury constantly faced the Sun. Thirteen times a century Mercury can be observed from the Earth passing across the face of the Sun in an event called a transit, the next will occur on the 9th May 2016. . Planet Profile Mass: 330,104,000,000,000 billion kg (0.055 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter:  4,879 Polar Diameter: 4,879 Equatorial Circumference: 15,329 km Known Moons: none Notable Moons: none Orbit Distance: 57,909,227 km (0.39 AU) Orbit Period: 87.97 Earth days Surface Temperature: -173 to 427°C First Record: 14 th century BC Recorded By:  Assyrian astronomers Size of Mercury Compared to the Earth   Facts about Mercury A year on Mercury is just 88 days long: One solar day...

When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide   Lunar eclipses look approximately the same all over the world and happen at the same time. The times displayed are accurate to around 2-3 seconds. Event UTC Time Time in Mumbai* Visible in Mumbai Penumbral Eclipse began 28 Sep, 00:11:47 28 Sep, 05:41:47 Yes Partial Eclipse began 28 Sep, 01:07:13 28 Sep, 06:37:13 No, below horizon Full Eclipse began 28 Sep, 02:11:12 28 Sep, 07:41:12 No, below horizon Maximum Eclipse 28 Sep, 02:47:09 28 Sep, 08:17:09 No, below horizon Full Eclipse ended 28 Sep, 03:23:05 28 Sep, 08:53:05 No, below horizon Partial Eclipse ended 28 Sep, 04:27:05 28 Sep, 09:57:05 No, below horizon Penumbral Eclipse ended 28 Sep, 05:22:31 28 Sep, 10:52:31 No, below horizon * The Moon was below the horizon in Mumbai some of the time, so that part of the eclipse was not visible. The magnitude of the eclipse is 1.276. The total duration of the eclipse is 5 hours, 11 minutes. The total duration of the partial phas...

Animation of the September 28, 2015, total lunar eclipse. Moon passes through southern half of the Earth’s shadow from west to east. Horizontal yellow line depicts the ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected onto the dome of sky. The inner bull’s-eye shadow depicts the umbra (dark shadow). The penumbra (faint shadow) encircles the umbra

Following are the 10 things to know about the rare 'supermoon' eclipse: 1 .The 'blood moon' will be the result of the Sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright Moon lining up for just over an hour from 0211 GMT. If skies are clear, the phenomenon will be visible from North and South America, Europe, Africa and parts of West Asia and the eastern Pacific. 2 .The Moon will be at its closest orbital point to Earth, called perigee, while also in its brightest phase. 3 .The resulting 'supermoon' will look 30 per cent brighter and 14 times larger than when at apogee, the farthest point - which is about 49,800 kilometres from perigee. 4 .Unusually, Earth will take position in a straight line between the Moon and the Sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that usually makes the Moon glow whitish-yellow. 5 .But some light will still creep around the Earth's edges and be filtered through its atmosphere, casting an eerie red light that creates th...

Neutron stars are ancient remnants of stars that have reached the end of their evolutionary journey through space and time. These interesting objects are born from once-large stars that grew to four to eight times the size of our own sun before exploding in catastrophic supernovae. After such an explosion blows a star's outer layers into space, the core remains—but it no longer produces nuclear fusion. With no outward pressure from fusion to counterbalance gravity's inward pull, the star condenses and collapses in upon itself. Despite their small diameters—about 12.5 miles (20 kilometers)—neutron stars boast nearly 1.5 times the mass of our sun, and are thus incredibly dense. Just a sugar cube of neutron star matter would weigh about one hundred million tons on Earth. A neutron star's almost incomprehensible density causes protons and electrons to combine into neutrons—the process that gives such stars their name. The composition of their cores is unknown, but t...

Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) taken from Victoria, Australia 2007 The Great Comet of 1882 is a member of the Kreutz group Great Comet 1861 SOHO spots a Kreutz Sungrazer with a prominent tail, plunging towards the Sun Comet Hyakutake (X-ray, ROSAT satellite) "Active asteroid" P/2013 P5 (PANSTARRS) with several tails. Comet Siding Spring to pass near Mars on 19 October 2014 (Hubble; 11 March 2014) List of discovered comets by the WISE space telescope C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) heads towards the Sun View from the impactor in its last moments before hitting the comet in the Deep Impact mission

COMET HALE-BOPP On July 23, 1995, an unusually large and bright comet was seen outside of Jupiter's orbit by Alan Hale of New Mexico and Thomas Bopp of Arizona. Careful analysis of Hubble Space Telescope images suggested that its intense brightness was due to its exceptionally large size. While the nuclei of most comets are about 1.6 to 3.2 km (1 to 2 miles) across, Hale-Bopp's was estimated to be 40 km (25 miles) across. It was visible even through bright city skies, and may have been the most viewed comet in recorded history. Comet Hale-Bopp holds the record for the longest period of naked-eye visibility: an astonishing 19 months. It will not appear again for another 2,400 years.       COMET SWIFT-TUTTLE 1992 This co...

Nucleus The solid, core structure of a comet is known as the nucleus. Cometary nuclei are composed of an amalgamation of rock, dust, water ice, and frozen gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and ammonia. As such, they are popularly described as "dirty snowballs" after Fred Whipple's model. However, some comets may have a higher dust content, leading them to be called "icy dirtballs". Research conducted in 2014 suggests that comets are like "deep fried ice cream", in that their surfaces are formed of dense crystalline ice mixed with organic compounds, while the interior ice is colder and less dense. The surface of the nucleus is generally dry, dusty or rocky, suggesting that the ices are hidden beneath a surface crust several metres thick. In addition to the gases already mentioned, the nuclei contain a variety of organic compounds, which may include methanol, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, ethanol, and ethane and per...