Venus, the second planet away from the sun, completes one revolution in about 225 earth days. It is a very bright heavenly body, which has a peak apparent magnitude of -4.6. This brightness is enough to cast shadows on earth. Because it shines most brightly right before the sun rises and right after the sun […]
Redshift is an important concept in astronomy that is used to describe the distance of a far away object. As a term in physics, redshift refers to the change in the frequency of a photon from higher to lower energy and accordingly from shorter to longer wavelength. In simple terms though this just means that
The Poynting-Robertson effect is the radiation pressure produced by the Sun’s rays striking the small particles orbiting it, causing them to slow down and spiral towards the gigantic ball of fire. More specifically, this refers to the Sun’s radiation and gravity working together to form an interstellar giant vacuum that sucks in tons and tons
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In astronomy, the term occultation means the obscuration or obstruction of light, usually that of a star, by another celestial body that can either be a planet or satellite. This is also defined as the general term for the words eclipse or transits.
There are many terms in astronomy, and there is no doubt about that. One of which is the concept of Obliquity, more commonly known as the axial tilt. The angle between a certain rotational axis of an object and the specific perpendicular line in regards to the object’s orbital plane is better known as its
Extrasolar planets are planets outside our Solar System. Astronomers have confirmed 464 extrasolar planets as of 2010, but it is believed that there are billions of extrasolar planets in our galaxy alone. Majority of these planets are detected through radial velocity observations, usually without actual imaging. Most of these planets are giant planets that resemble
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Most celestial bodies can be observed as entities resembling a definite shape when the proper equipment is used. The Sun, when viewed under a solar filter resembles a great big ball without the harmful rays. Most of the stars can be viewed the same way, where it can be seen as a sphere. However, numerous
Stars are decorative fixtures in the night sky. Constellations make great wallpaper as it resembles an artwork crafted in the vast universe. But within these bodies are revelations of mystery, beauty and creativity. The vast number of stars in the universe, there are binary or multiple systems. These are essential for astronomers to be able
It was the Astronomer Edwin Hubble that was able to describe in numerical terms at which the rate of the universe is expanding, this is known as the Hubble’s Law. In 1929, he was able to observe that almost all galaxies seemed to be moving away from the Earth. This is illustrated in mathematical terms
Libration refers to the movement of orbiting bodies in relation to one another. For instance, the movement of the Moon Relative to the Earth is an example of a Libration. One of the common examples of Libration is Lunar libration. The moon consists of a singular hemisphere, which faces the earth. Over time more of
