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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The word interplanetary is associated with various space terms. It may mean a medium, an established theory, or even space, much like the term intergalactic. This term also means, between or across planets and is considered the lowered version of the word intergalactic.
The word intergalactic in astronomy may mean different things. It can be associated to travel, mediums, or space itself. From the word itself, the prefix ?inter-? means in between or across, and ?galactic? means galaxy. Basically, the term means between galaxies, and it may be an interaction or other activity when two galaxies meet and
Ever wonder why this colorless, odorless, tasteless non-toxic gas is named strong>Helium? The name Helium comes from a Greek word Helios meaning sun. It was in the Sun that this element was first discovered. In 1868 a French Scientist, Jules Janssen was observing a total solar eclipse. He noticed a bright yellow spectrum and thought
The Sun’s astrosphere is composed of several layers that include the heliosphere, heliosheath, heliopause and the termination shock. Heliosphere can be thought of as a bubble in space surrounding the sun. It shields and helps protect the earth from harmful intergalactic radiation. These radiations can destroy DNA and can make climate not suitable for existence.
Two different numbers, namely the Latitude and the Longitude, usually characterize various locations on Earth. This helps people in determining specific locations on the map, and the respective distances between two points on the Earth.
The universe is continuously being explored by astronomers and scientists. This exploration and research endeavors have led to the discovery of many other galaxies and celestial phenomena that had been unknown to us for many years. Now, the Milky Way galaxy, which is our galaxy, is now part of a Local Group, where about thirty
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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
Tidal force is a secondary effect of gravitational force and its most common manifestation, at least on the planet Earth, are tides. Tidal force, by technical definition is the differential force of gravity which arises because the force exerted on one body by another is not constant across the diameter in that the side which
The Milky Way is not the only galaxy existing in the vast universe. In recent years, more galaxies have been discovered. Our Solar System can be found on the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy is part of a group of about 30 to 35 galaxies in one neighbourhood and are collectively called as
