For more than a century, we’ve dreamed of sending huge solar arrays into space and beaming their energy down to earth. Now, that dream is beginning to become a reality. Despite the potential benefits of space-based solar power, however, there are many challenges. One is the environment out in space, which could damage panels and…
Every scrap of matter in our solar system originated as part of a giant interstellar cloud. As it grew hot and dense, gravity began to pull dust and gas inwards. Gravity sculpted this material into the planets, as well as smaller bodies such as asteroids, comets and meteoroids. Some of these objects are still tumbling…
The Solar System is made up of eight planets and a variety of other objects that orbit the Sun. These include rocky planets, gas giants, dwarf planets and asteroids. The entire planetary system moves around the Sun in a prograde motion – one that is in the same direction as the Sun’s rotation. This motion…
The Sun is the central star of our solar system and all other planets, moons, asteroids, comets and satellites revolve around it. The planets can be divided into two categories: terrestrial (rocky) and jovian (gaseous). Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are terrestrial planets; Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are jovian planets. Sun The Sun is…
The solar system consists of the Sun and eight planets. It also includes the four gas giants and a disk of icy objects known as the Kuiper Belt. Astronomers are still looking for an extraterrestrial planet called Planet Nine that could explain the unusual orbits of distant Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). This hypothetical planet is…
Mars has been a mysterious planet to astronomers for centuries. It’s always been thought to be moonless but in 1877 astronomer Asaph Hall discovered two natural satellites called Deimos and Phobos. These were the first observations of a planet outside our solar system. Over time, more and more discoveries have helped to change our understanding…
Earth is a planet in our solar system. It is the only planet not named after a god and is the most dense planet in the solar system. About 4.5 billion years ago, the Earth was a hot molten ball of rock and minerals. Rivers of lava rushed across its surface. 1. The Earth is…
Weather satellites take a picture of the world every 5 to 15 minutes, depending on location. This provides the basis for this satellite animation, allowing you to watch the weather over New Mexico in real-time. We evaluated the performance of five precipitation products (PDIR-Now, IMERG Final, Stage IV, ERA5-Land and IMERG Late) over Arizona and…
If you’re a fan of Mars chocolate bars, then you’ll no doubt be sad to learn that they’ve gone the way of the dodo. However, you’ll be relieved to know that you can still find some Mars-themed products on sale. For example, we’ve been able to buy Mars Bars in Australia and there is also…
