Astronomy for Kids


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Showing Tag: "system" (Show all posts)

Tightly Orbiting Binary Stars

Posted by Warren Wong on Saturday, December 31, 2011, In : binary star systems 
Could be host to habitable planets

Star Astronomy News
Photo courtesy of NASA

Binary star systems – Astronomers taking part in the human journey to the beginning of space and time have found star systems the human mind never imagined out among the stars. In fact, they have found that star systems with multiple stars are more common than star systems with a single star, like our own solar system. Star systems with multiple stars of varying sizes have also been viewed during the human journ...


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To be a Planet, or Not to be a Planet?

Posted by Warren Wong on Thursday, November 11, 2010, In : Pluto 
 
Count the planets in the solar system and make an assessment of their various sizes and distances from Sol and the Earth as you leave on your journey to the beginning of the universe. You'll find that the line between planet and smaller planetoids, like asteroids and meteorites, has yet to be firmly set in place in the astronomy books, and in the universe.
 
We were all taught during our school indoctrination of nine planets circling Sol at varying distances. Mercury and Venus lie clos...

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The Moving Universe

Posted by Warren Wong on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, In : the moving universe 
The Earth is moving relative to everything else in the universe

Everything on your journey to the beginning of the universe is moving relative to everything else in the universe

The Earth rotates on its axis
Staring upward at the night sky above you at first get the notion you're stationary in the universe, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Earth beneath you is spinning on its axis at 1000 km/hr, orbiting Sol at 100,000 km/hr, the Milky Way Galaxy at 800,000 km/h...


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Navigating the Universe Using the Stars as Your Guide

Posted by Warren Wong on Friday, November 5, 2010, In : astronomy coordinate systems 

Astronomers use coordinate systems to plot the position of stars in the night sky

Looking up into the night sky you probably wonder how ancient star gazers were able to navigate using the stars in the night sky as their guide. One of the first things ancient star gazers did to help them navigate the night sky, and the surface of the Earth, was to create a coordinate system to pinpoint relative positions of the stars in the night sky in relation to one another.

Looking upward into the night ...


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Warren Wong
Prince George, British Columbia

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