Why comets and asteroids are so important to understand our solar system
Why comets and asteroids are so important to understand our solar system
It is believed that comets and asteroids are the relics of the material that formed the solar system. They would not have evolved and could inform us about the chemical composition, the size, and the formation process of the protosolar nebula. It was long thought that the water found on Earth came from comets, but […]
Continue ReadingWhy is Pluto not a planet anymore?
Pluto has long been considered the 9th planet and the farthest away from the sun. But since the discovery of another body with a comparable size to Pluto beyond the orbit of Neptune, the classification of Pluto was reconsidered by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Pluto is spherical and revolving around the sun, however it […]
Continue ReadingWhat is the definition of a planet?
The word “planet” originally discribed “wanderers” that moved over the sky in contrast to the “fixed stars”. Only since 2006 there has been an official scientific definition. According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to be considered a planet, a celestial body must meet three conditions: Be spherical (in hydrostaticequilibrium) Turn around its star Be […]
Continue ReadingHow many dwarf planets do we know in our solar system?
At the moment, only five celestial bodies were defined as dwarf planets by the International Astronomical Union (IAU): Pluto, Makemake, Haumea and Eris in the Kuiper Belt (beyond Neptune) and Ceres, in the asteroids belt between Mars and Jupiter. Candidates are Sedna, Orcus, Quaoar and Varuna, all trans-Neptunian objects. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Dwarf
Continue ReadingHow are planets formed?
At the beginning there is a cloud of dusk and gas, as theory goes. The cloud collapses to form a star in the centre surrounded by a rotating disk. (Think of a spinning clump of dough flattening into the shape of a pizza.) Eventually small bits of the material in the disk begin to stick […]
Continue ReadingHow are planets and moons named?
Who is Miranda? She is the heroine in Shakespeare’s last play “The Tempest”, but Miranda is also the name of a moon of planet Uranus belonging to a set of exceptions. Whereas all of the planets in our solar system and most of the moons are named after Greek and Roman mythology the satellites of […]
Continue ReadingHow are asteroids and comets named?
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the formal authority for naming celestial bodies. Newly detected minor planets or asteroids get a provisional designation: For example 1989 SG1 was the 32nd object detected in the second half of September 1989. If the object’s orbit is confirmed it receives a permanent number and the discoverer is invited […]
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