Orbit
Orbits have become relatively common in every aspect of the universe. It is essential in understanding the dynamics of celestial bodies. So what exactly is an orbit?
Planets
Orbital Period
Orbital period is defined as the amount of time an object travels around another object. This is in respect to the sidereal period, which is the time required for a celestial body to orbit. In the succeeding paragraph, you will find the varying orbital periods and their respective explanations.
Libration
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
Tremolite
Photo by: Archaeodontosaurus Creative Commons Tremolite is a member of a group of silicate minerals containing molecules of Calcium, Magnesium, Silicon and Oxygen. It is formed by the metamorphism of sediments with high amounts of dolomite and quartz. Its color ranges from creamy white to dark green, depending on magnesium or iron content. In fact,
Tidal Force
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
Trans Neptunian Object
A TNO or Trans Neptunian object is any minor planet orbiting the sun in our solar system beyond Neptune, or at a distance which is more than Neptune’s (on average). Known divisions of bodies beyond Neptune which are still part of the solar system are the Kuiper belt, the scattered disk and the Oort cloud.
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Astronomical Transit
Astronomical transit is the passage of a small astronomical body across the disk or face of a significantly larger body as opposed to an eclipse where significant occultation occurs. Note that the word refers to events where the nearer and smaller object actually appears significantly smaller instead of completely hiding the other.
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Volatiles
Photo by: RJHall Creative Commons Volatiles are chemical elements and compounds that have small boiling points and are found or connected to the atmosphere and crust of both a moon and a planet. Elements such as hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and methane are types of volatiles. Water is also a perfect example as well
Terrestrial Planet
A terrestrial planet is a planet which has solid surfaces and is primarily composed of silicate racks and/or metals. There are 4 known terrestrial planets in our solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, which are all inner planets and one terrestrial dwarf planet, Ceres, located in the asteroid belt. These planets share similar
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Ionized Gas
There are three states of matter we are familiar with: solid, liquid, and gas. We don?t even need to define them anymore; their names are their definitions. But there?s the fourth state of matter which many aren?t too knowledgeable about (some may not even know there?s such a thing). It?s called plasma or ionized gas.