Planet viewing is one of the most exciting aspects of astronomy. It’s easy to do in any location regardless of light pollution, and with the right telescope you can see the dazzling detail that planets, moons, and stars offer. The best telescopes for planet viewing will have a long focal length and a high focal…
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, and it’s also known as the Red Planet because of its blood-red appearance. It’s been a target for space exploration since hundreds of years. Its thin atmosphere is mostly made of carbon dioxide, argon, and nitrogen, with a small amount of oxygen and water vapor. Its surface…
Mars is a planet that’s been attracting a lot of attention lately. The Red Planet has been home to many robotic spacecraft, including NASA’s Opportunity and Spirit rovers. Those rovers found signs that water once flowed on the Martian surface. Scientists are still trying to determine if that means there was life on the Red…
Take a musical tour of the Solar System with composer Gustav Holst. Listen to seven movements based on astrological interpretations of Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Composed between 1914 and 1916, The Planets was Holst’s first large-scale work. It was premièred in London in 1918. Mars When Holst began composing his Planets…
Mars is one of the smallest and driest planets in the solar system, with a year that’s almost twice as long as Earth’s. But it also has a fair share of water—mostly in the form of ice. Seasonal ice caps and gullies abound, along with evidence that the Red Planet once had an atmosphere rich…
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System. It has a thin atmosphere and surface features such as impact craters, valleys and dunes. Mars governs metals, copper, brass, iron, tea, coffee, cholam, shellac, tobacco, hemp, walnut, cashew, groundnut and betel nuts. It is also associated with chemists,…
With Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars lining up in the southeastern pre-dawn sky this week (April 2020), space fans will be spoilt for choice. However, Neptune and Uranus are still a bit tricky to spot. “Jupiter, in particular, will shine in fine detail from summer until the end of 2022, with oppositions at both…
Planet Vs Star – What’s the Difference? Stars and planets are two different types of celestial bodies that can be seen in our skies. Understanding the differences between them is important if you want to get a clear understanding of how the universe works. Stars are much larger and brighter than planets. They also have…
A Guide to Distinguishing Between Stars and Planets in the Night Sky The night sky is illuminated with millions of stars and other celestial bodies, but identifying them can be challenging. Distinguishing between stars and planets can be done through several techniques, one of which is observing the celestial objects over multiple nights. Identifying Stars…
