A short-period comet is a comet that has a relatively short lifespan for any observation can be made for comparative studies. That period is known to be shorter than two hundred years. Recently, short-period comets have been subdivided into the Jupiter-type comets, like that of Temple 2 and Encke, which typically have periods of just […]
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The prime meridian is considered as the middle point of earth. It is also commonly known as the Greenwich Meridian and is a component that forms the International Date Line, which then divides the Western and Eastern Hemispheres of the Earth.
The plasmasphere is that region of dense, cold plasma surrounding the Earth. It is a part of the plasma-containing magnetosphere and is located just outside the upper ionosphere, extending to about 8000 to 25,000 miles into space. This donut-shaped volt of energy around our planet is the result of a process jumpstarted by the Sun’s
A polar ice cap is that region at either poles of a planet or natural satellite that is permanently covered in ice. It is different from an ice cap in that there are no specifications on the size or composition of a body of ice for it to be considered a polar ice cap. Whereas
The Sun, Moon, stars and other celestial objects are beyond the reach of any instrument that can be used by observers here on Earth. Measuring the distance of a celestial object from the Earth might seem to be complicated. But measuring the distance of these remote entities have been simplified by the concept of parallax.
Comets are spectacular sights in the night sky. Despite their burning appearance, comets are actually made of ice, small rock particles, and dust. But comets, unlike meteors, are rarely seen in the night sky. Comets have different orbital periods, which can range from several years to hundreds of thousand years. Comets are classified according to
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
The Oort cloud is an enormous spherical cloud composed of comets and dust. Its size is hypothesized to be at 2000 or 5000 to 50,000 astronomical units (AU)-an AU equals the distance between the earth and sun. The sphere is so huge that its border is closer to the Earth’s nearest star as opposed to
The Nebulae and Clusters of Stars NGC, or New General Catalogue is a list or catalogue of deep sky objects. It was first compiled by a person named J. L. E. Dreyer in 1888, using observed data from various astronomers, among them William Herschel and his son, and James Dunlop. Dreyer was commissioned by the
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All of us may have considered what if we aren?t the only intelligent form of life in the universe. What if, light years away, are living beings who think and act like us? Or maybe beings with way, way advanced technology, and are studying us from afar? Some people doubt the existence of extraterrestrial life,
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