According to the astronomers first everything was an incredibly solid, heavy ball of a matter. This heavy ball exploded billion of years ago and as a result the Universe was formed. The moment of the explosion of this ball is known as “Big-Bang”. After this explosion the early universe was very small and too hot but later it got cooled and it exploded and spread out into the small pieces. Small pieces formed the ...]]>

According to the astronomers first everything was an incredibly solid, heavy ball of a matter. This heavy ball exploded billion of years ago and as a result the Universe was formed. The moment of the explosion of this ball is known as “Big-Bang”. After this explosion the early universe was very small and too hot but later it got cooled and it exploded and spread out into the small pieces. Small pieces formed the basic elements called hydrogen and helium. Then the pieces join together which results object formed. Over billion of years the object becomes Galaxies, Stars and Planets. How the universe was formed is still only an idea.

A binary star is a stellar system consisting of two stars orbiting around their center of mass. For each star, the other is its companion star. Recent research suggests that a large percentage of stars are part of systems with at least two stars. Binary star systems are very important in astrophysics, because observing their mutual orbits allows their mass to be determined. The masses of many single stars can then be determined ...]]>

A binary star is a stellar system consisting of two stars orbiting around their center of mass. For each star, the other is its companion star. Recent research suggests that a large percentage of stars are part of systems with at least two stars. Binary star systems are very important in astrophysics, because observing their mutual orbits allows their mass to be determined. The masses of many single stars can then be determined by extrapolations made from the observation of binaries. There are several subcategories of binary stars, classified by their visual properties including Eclipsing binaries, visual binaries, spectroscopic binaries and astrometric binaries.

Eclipsing Binary Stars.

Eclipsing binary stars are those whose orbits form a horizontal line from the point of observation; essentially, what the viewer sees is a double eclipse along a single plane.

Visual Binary Stars.

Visual binary stars are systems in which two separate stars are visible through a microscope that has an appropriate resolving power. These can be difficult to detect if one of the stars’ brightness is much greater, in effect blotting out the second star.

Spectroscopic binary stars.

Spectroscopic binary stars are those systems in which the stars are very close and orbiting very quickly. These systems are determined by the presence of spectral lines – lines of color that are anomalies in an otherwise continuous spectrum and are one of the only ways of determining whether a second star is present. It is possible for a binary system to be both a visual and a spectroscopic binary if the stars are far enough apart and the telescope being used is of a high enough resolution.

Astrometric Binary Stars.

Astrometric binary stars are systems in which only one star can be observed, and the other’s presence is inferred by the noticeable wobble of the first star. This wobble happens as a result of the smaller star’s slight gravitational influence on the larger star.

What is a Neutron Star.

A neutron star is a stellar remnant–a super-compressed object left over when stars with a mass between 1.4 and about 3 times the mass of our Sun exhaust their nuclear fuel and collapse inwards. The result is a condensed sphere of matter about 20 km across, with a gravitational field approximately 2 x 10^11 times stronger than that of Earth’s.

How Neutron Stars formed.

Neutron stars are formed when large stars ...]]>

What is a Neutron Star.

A neutron star is a stellar remnant–a super-compressed object left over when stars with a mass between 1.4 and about 3 times the mass of our Sun exhaust their nuclear fuel and collapse inwards. The result is a condensed sphere of matter about 20 km across, with a gravitational field approximately 2 x 10^11 times stronger than that of Earth’s.

How Neutron Stars formed.

Neutron stars are formed when large stars run out of fuel and collapse inward on itself. The protons and electrons of atoms are forced together into neutrons. Since the star still has a lot of gravity, any additional material falling into the neutron star is super-accelerated by the gravity and turned into identical neutron material.

Just one teaspoon of a neutron star would have the mass of over 5 x 1012 kilograms. A neutron star actually has different layers. Astronomers think there’s an outer shell of atomic nuclei with electrons about 1 meter thick. Below this crust, you get nuclei with increasing numbers of neutrons. These would decay quickly on Earth, but the intense pressure of the gravity keeps them stable.

When neutron stars form, they maintain the momentum of the entire star, but now they’re just a few kilometers across. This causes them to spin at tremendous rates, sometimes as fast as hundreds of times a second.

Formation of Earth.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest. The Planet Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago from the same nebula cloud of gas and dust that the Sun and the eight other planets were formed.

Definition of Earth

Earth is the only planet whose English name does not derive from Greek/Roman mythology. The name derives from Old English and Germanic. There are, of course, hundreds of other names ...]]>

Formation of Earth.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest. The Planet Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago from the same nebula cloud of gas and dust that the Sun and the eight other planets were formed.

Definition of Earth

Earth is the only planet whose English name does not derive from Greek/Roman mythology. The name derives from Old English and Germanic. There are, of course, hundreds of other names for the planet in other languages. The Earth is the only planet where life exists.

The Earth’s surface is very young. In the relatively short (by astronomical standards) period of 500,000,000 years or so erosion and tectonic processes destroy and recreate most of the Earth’s surface and thereby eliminate almost all traces of earlier geologic surface history (such as impact craters). Thus the very early history of the Earth has mostly been erased. The Earth is 4.5 to 4.6 billion years old, but the oldest known rocks are about 4 billion years old and rocks older than 3 billion years are rare. The oldest fossils of living organisms are less than 3.9 billion years old. There is no record of the critical period when life was first getting started.

71 Percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. The heat capacity of the oceans is also very important in keeping the Earth’s temperature relatively stable. Liquid water is also responsible for most of the erosion and weathering of the Earth’s continents, a process unique in the solar system today.

Formation of stars can be of two ways: it can either collide with another dense molecular cloud or it can be near enough to encounter the pressure caused by a giant supernova. Several stars can be born at once ...]]> A Star can be defined as a massive and luminous ball made of Plasma. Basically, a star is formed out of cloud of cool, dense molecular gas. To become a potential star, the clouds need to collapse and increase in density.

Formation of stars can be of two ways: it can either collide with another dense molecular cloud or it can be near enough to encounter the pressure caused by a giant supernova. Several stars can be born at once with the collision of two galaxies. In both cases, heat is needed to fuel this reaction, which comes from the mutual gravity pulling all the material inward.

We can also say that a star is born from Dust and Gas that are in the same vicinity. Gravity pulls in the dust and gas until they are all together. The gravity turn up the heat due to all the close dust and gas. Then it heats up to 18 million degrees F. The Hydrogen turns to Helium and the star is born.

What is a Shooting Star.

A shooting star is another name for a meteoroid that burns up as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere. In other way we can say that a shooting star is the common name for the visible path of a meteoroid as it enters the atmosphere. A shooting star is also broken pieces of meteors that have become broken off in space.

Most of the shooting stars that we can see ...]]>

What is a Shooting Star.

A shooting star is another name for a meteoroid that burns up as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere. In other way we can say that a shooting star is the common name for the visible path of a meteoroid as it enters the atmosphere. A shooting star is also broken pieces of meteors that have become broken off in space.

Most of the shooting stars that we can see are known as meteoroids. These are objects as small as a piece of sand, and as large as a boulder. Smaller than a piece of sand, and astronomers call them interplanetary dust. If they’re larger than a boulder, astronomers call them asteroids.

A meteoroid becomes a meteor when it strikes the atmosphere and leaves a bright tail behind it. The bright line that we see in the sky is caused by the ram pressure of the meteoroid. It’s not actually caused by friction, as most people think.

When a meteoroid is larger, the streak in the sky is called a fireball or bolide. These can be bright, and leave a streak in the sky that can last for more than a minute. Some are so large they even make crackling noises as they pass through the atmosphere. If any portion of the meteoroid actually survives its passage through the atmosphere, astronomers call them meteorites.

When we see planet Mars from our earth it appears to be Red. For most of the planets, the red layer only covers a couple of millimeters & at its deepest, two meters. The red color comes from various oxides of iron in very, very fine particles, and trace amounts of other elements including titanium, chlorine and sulfur.

One possible way the dust was created was by harder basalt rocks, which contain ...]]>

When we see planet Mars from our earth it appears to be Red. For most of the planets, the red layer only covers a couple of millimeters & at its deepest, two meters. The red color comes from various oxides of iron in very, very fine particles, and trace amounts of other elements including titanium, chlorine and sulfur.

One possible way the dust was created was by harder basalt rocks, which contain more feldspar, grinding against the softer basalt to create fine dust particles. All of that iron had to come from somewhere: volcanoes. The best information that we have is that the surface of mars below the red layer is made up of hardened, low viscose lava: basalt. The concentration of iron in Mars’ basalt is higher than that of Earth, which is why Earth is much less red and that is why Mars is red.

Brilliant flashes of light in the solar atmosphere, lasting less than an hour, or even perhaps only a few seconds, are called Solar Flares. The brightest are visible in white light, but they are easier to see in the light of hydrogen or calcium lines. A flare is a highly concentrated, explosive release of energy, usually in the vicinity of an active region. Flares spring up in active regions where the magnetic field ...]]>

Brilliant flashes of light in the solar atmosphere, lasting less than an hour, or even perhaps only a few seconds, are called Solar Flares. The brightest are visible in white light, but they are easier to see in the light of hydrogen or calcium lines. A flare is a highly concentrated, explosive release of energy, usually in the vicinity of an active region. Flares spring up in active regions where the magnetic field has been stressed into a strong, unstable & configuration. A major puzzle in solar physics is the reason for the sudden release of energy through the flare mechanism. Once they have started to release energy at a particular place they may flash on & off several times. Simultaneously X-ray & ultraviolet detectors register intense blasts. In the hard X-ray region, the total emission from the Sun may rise by 100 times during a flare. For this reason it is considered hazardous to send astronauts into space at times when strong flares are likely to erupt on the Sun. Flares also eject copious bursts of energetic charged particles, such as protons & electrons, from the sun. After a major outburst it is not uncommon to see material crashing back to the Sun in the form of a loop prominence.

Flare studies expanded considerably once engineers had developed instruments that could be launched in rockets & satellites. The copious X-rays (wavelength shorter than 0.1 nm) is detected, followed by a gradual rise & fall of soft X-rays (wavelength between 0.1 & 2nm). In the soft spectrum are emission lines from highly ionized species. Flares have observable consequences for Earth. The energetic particles streaming into our atmosphere about two days after a flare excite atoms & electrons, causing them to emit light when they do-excite; the results is the auroral displays, which are strongest at high latitudes where the magnetic field emerges vertically from the Earth’s surface & at solar maximum. The
X-rays bursts indirectly cause the fadeout of shortwave radio communications on the sunlit side of Earth & cause geomagnetic disturbances. Powerful surges in the Sun’s radio emission also occur.

The sun is a typical star which is about 150 million km away from the Earth. Solar ennergy provides virtually all the heat & light which are received by our planets & it therefore sustains every living entity. The character of our own environment is strongly influenced by solar radiation which has been a major factor in determining the course of natural evolution on earth. The Sun is important to Astronomers & physicts ...]]>

The sun is a typical star which is about 150 million km away from the Earth. Solar ennergy provides virtually all the heat & light which are received by our planets & it therefore sustains every living entity. The character of our own environment is strongly influenced by solar radiation which has been a major factor in determining the course of natural evolution on earth. The Sun is important to Astronomers & physicts because it enables them to investigate physical conditions, which are typical of most stars, in detail. Historically, the study of the sun led to significant advances in atomic physics, nuclear physics, magnetohydrodynamics & plasma physics. An understanding of solar processes is therefore of biological & physical interest & several several fundamental areas of scientific research are furthered by observing this local astrophysical laboratory. Satellites have enabled space scientists to probe more closely the interaction between the Sun & the earth, especially the influence of the sun on the magnetic field of the Earth.

Before describing the Sun in detail we must issue an important warning about observing the Sun: imtense solar radiation permanently damages the tissue of the human eye. The Sun must never be viewed directly with a telescope, whcih would have the effect of concentrating a massive dose of radiation on to the delicate tissue. The solar filters sold with many cheap telescopes are not an adequate safeguard because they may admit a dangerous dose of invisible ultraviolet light or may shatter unexpectedly. They should be destroyed in order to remove the temptation to use them. With a little experimentation, good images of Sun can be produced by projecting through an eyepiece on to a piece of stiff card. This arrangement is adequate for viewing sunspots or the progress of an eclipse. An eclipse may also be observed by the unaided eye by looking at the Sun through a really dark filter or looking at the reflection in a dark container of still water, but even these methods require caution.

The Sun & major nine planets are the main bodies of our Solar System. In order of increasing distance from the Sun these are Mercury, Venus, earth, mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Nepyune & Pluto. Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781 during a review of the entire sky which was so systematic as to be virtually certain to reveal any such object. A planet more distant from the Sun than Uranus ...]]>

The Sun & major nine planets are the main bodies of our Solar System. In order of increasing distance from the Sun these are Mercury, Venus, earth, mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Nepyune & Pluto. Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781 during a review of the entire sky which was so systematic as to be virtually certain to reveal any such object. A planet more distant from the Sun than Uranus was predicted independently by John Adams in 1843 and by Urbain Le Verrier in 1846. These predictions enabled Johann Galle and Heinrich d’Arrest to find and identify the planet which is now known as Neptune. In 1915, Percival Lowell published calculations predicting another planet beyond Neptune; this ninth planet was found in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh and named Pluto.

Several of the planets have systems of satellites, or moons, in orbits round them which is several ways mimic the system of Suns and Planets. There is also a whole host of lesser objects: minor planets or asteroids, comets, meteorids & dust, as well as the solar wind.

Thw word planet is derived from a greek word which means wanderer. This name arose because of the way in which the planets wander against the backcloth of distant stars. According to Ptolemy, the Earth lay at rest at the centre of the Universe, while the moon, Sun & planets moved in orbits around it. This view was generally accepted until the middle of the sixteenth century when Nikolaus Copernicus argued that it was the Sun which should be at the centre of the Universe. This view was bitterly opposed at the time but gradually became accepted. Copernicus followed Ptolemy’s views in one respect; he built planetary orbits up from circles. The theories of both Copernicus and Ptolemy suffered from a great defect, they didnot predict the positions of the planets with sufficient accuracy. The true nature of planetary orbits was eventually elucidated by Johannes Kepler in the early seventeenth centuary when he published three relationship describing planetary motion.