SOLAR SYSTEM & ASTRONOMY.

Niyati Thammana
May 21, 2021
6 min read

SOLAR SYSTEM.

"There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self "- Aldous Huxley.

Solar System - a whole new world above us has always fascinated me! It is a very important and interesting topic to know about.. There are so many things even the scientists and astronauts are not able to understand.. I was not aware of some discoveries which are worth sharing here. Probably some of you are also not aware. As I learned about new things, I ended up doing more research and found some very interesting info. So, sit back and enjoy this 6 minutes read!

What is the Universe?

Every person, living thing, planet, star, and galaxy is part of the Universe - and even every empty space! The Universe is the biggest thing we have a word for..

What's outside the Universe?

It's impossible to say. Scientists are still trying to guess, by using clues left behind from the birth of our Universe. They are many theories around this. There is a super universe // our universe is keep expanding // there is nothing beyond our universe... all types of theories are floating on google.

Where are we in the Universe?

People once thought Earth was at the center of the Universe. Now we know through the available research on space, it's hard to tell where we are because we can't see the Universe's edges.

When did the Universe begin?

Scientists have argued about this for centuries. At the moment most people agree that the Universe began between 12 and 15 billion years ago. It all started with a mind-boggling explosion called the 'Big Bang'

What was the Big Bang?

It was a huge explosion, that created all the mass and energy in our Universe in less than a second! The effects of the blast are so strong that the Universe is still expanding.

What is a Black Hole?

A black hole is a place in space that forms when a really huge star collapses. Everything around a black hole sucked into it, like water down a plug hole! The force of gravity in a black hole is so strong that nothing can escape from it - not even light.

What is a Galaxy?

A galaxy is a group of stars, dust, and gases that are held together by gravity. Our galaxy is the Milky Way and contains about 100 billion stars, one of which is our Sun.

How many Galaxies are there?

No one knows for sure. There might be hundreds of billions of galaxies - and new ones are forming right now at the edges of the Universe.

Are there different kinds of Galaxies?

Yes - each galaxy is unlike any other. Some are bright and some are dim. There are three basic galaxy shapes- spiral, irregular and elliptical (egg-shaped).

What shape is our Galaxy?

Our galaxy, Milky Way, is a spiral galaxy. Viewed from above it looks like a giant Danish pastry with swirls of white icing. From the side, it looks like more two fried eggs stuck back - to - back.

What's at the middle of Milky Way?

The center is called the nuclear bulge. There's probably a monster black hole there, more than a million times bigger than the Sun. Scientists call it the Sagittarius A*.

How big is the Milky Way?

The Milky Way is almost too big to imagine. It would take the world's fastest jet - the Blackbird, about 30 BILLION years to cross the galaxy.

What is Gravity?

Gravity is one of the basic forces in the Universe, like electromagnetism. It makes things with mass pull towards each other. More massive objects, such as you, towards them until they stick together.

What is the Great Attractor?

It's a strange knot in space, that has the pulling power of 50 BILLION SUNS, but is not a black hole.

Could time stand still?

Only if you travelled as fast as the speed of light - which most scientists agree is impossible! Some scientists think that time must stand still inside a black hole.

Is time travel possible?

Not as far as per the research. If you could invent a time machine which seemed to take you back or forward in time, it would probably be taking you to different universes.

Is anybody out there?

No clues yet! Life might be such a fluke that it only exists on Earth. But if scientists can find out just one other place where there is life, we'll know life's no accident - and that there could be millions of aliens.

How will scientist ever find out if anybody is out there?

People around the world have joined the Search for Extra - Terrestrial Intelligence (SESTI). They spend their spare time on computers, studying waves from space, hoping to find alien messages.

Do aliens know about us?

It's unlikely. Humans have only been making radio waves for about a century, so aliens would have to live very nearby to tune in.

Will we ever live on other planets?

It will take a lot more probe missions before we could consider building bases on other planets. But if travel to other stars ever became possible, the outer planets could act as useful 'gas stations'

FACTS!

I also did find some interesting facts!

There are more stars than humans.
Scientists thought pulsar signals were messages from aliens
Neutron stars weight 50 times more than planet Earth!

Black Hole turns you into a spaghetti.
All galaxies don't have names.
Our galaxy (Milky Way) has a twin - Andromeda
Some astronauts get space sick.
There are so many footsteps on the Moon
You can see the moon craters through binoculars.
You can also see Saturn rings through a telescope.

ASTRONOMY

Astronomy in simple words is the study of space. It in popular perception is about stars, planets, sun, moon, eclipses, comets, meteorites and associated observable phenomena. Since the 20th century there have been two main types of astronomy, observational and theoretical astronomy. Observational astronomy uses telescopes and cameras to observe or look at stars, galaxies and other astronomical objects.

Basics of Observational Astronomy:-

Celestial Sphere
Important Points and Circles on the Celestial Sphere
Difference between a Star and a Planet
Paths of the Sun and the Moon in the Sky
Waxing and Waning of the Moon
Eclipse
Specifying the position of a heavenly body on the celestial sphere
Precession and Nutation

These were the Basics of Observational Astronomy, which means they are the basic essentials of observational astronomy. Astronomy had been taught in different ways in different mythologies like in:-

Indian Astronomy - In India it is believed that the earliest roots can be dated back to the Indus Valley Civilization or earlier, Indus Valley Civilization appeared to be about 2500–1700CE. Professor of history of science, Brahmagupta known as the "Father Of Ancient Indian Astrology". He wrote the book "Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta" which is a book on mathematical astronomy. We had many remarkable and renowned astronauts like:-

Varahamihira
Aryabhatta
Bhāskara II
Parameshvara Nambudiri
Lalla, and many more.

Greek Astronomy - The ancient Greeks were in fact the first known people to study astronomy. They found that all the planets orbit the sun. They believed the natural forces/elements such as : water, air and fire. They also found that the Earth was a sphere, or a three - dimensional circular object.. Back, to when the world started, people believed that the earth was flat. The Greeks, then, proved that the earth was a circle.

Roman Mythology - Galileo Galilei was the "Father Of Roman Astronomy". Eratosthenes measured the size of Earth with exact precision which is still a wonder for the astronauts till date. Hipparchus carried out many astronomical observations, making a star catalog, defining the system of stellar magnitudes, and discovering precession from the apparent shift in the position of the north celestial pole. Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury were given their names thousands of years ago. Those were the planets that the ancient Romans could see in the sky without a telescope. The other planets were then discovered with the help of the invention of Telescope.

Chinese Astronomy - The ancient Chinese astronomer Shi Shen was aware of the relation of the moon in a solar eclipse, as he provided instructions in his writing to predict them by using the relative positions of the Moon and the Sun. They also believed that giant beings—either a dog or a dragon—were eating the sun. The Chinese also invented the Magnetic Compass which made navigation easier.

Astronomy is a huge topic, in fact what I have written is only a fraction of it! There is so much more we need to know.. And there are so many more things to be discovered....

Before I conclude one small but significant info on ancient Indian knowledge.

Have you ever wondered why 108 is a significant number for Hindus?

108 has been held as a significant number in Indian culture. There is something called as the Surya Siddantha, an ancient text about the science of the sun. It says that the distance between the sun and earth is 108 times the diameter of the sun. The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the earth. The distance between the earth and the moon is 108 times the diameter of the moon. The human system is also in sync with this.....

Surya Siddantha, is a book by Varahamihira written in the year 800CE, which is a Sanskrit treatise in Indian astronomy in fourteen chapters. The Surya Siddhanta describes rules to calculate the motions of various planets and the moon relative to various constellations, and calculates the orbits of various astronomical bodies

Well, you have come to the end of my blog. I realised, that there is no end to this topic. Hope you enjoyed reading it! If you have any suggestions to improve my blog please do comment..!