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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When someone mentions astronomy, what often comes to mind are planets and stars seen through a telescope. Astronomy is indeed the study of heavenly bodies, but it need not be with the use of telescopes and sophisticated instruments. Astronomy can also be studied using just the naked eye, and this was how the early pioneers
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.
The Earth and other planets in the Solar system do not own a particular lot in the universe. With no permanent address in space, thus they were termed as wanderers. Positioning has an apparent effect on the planetary observation.
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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,
Conjunction, when used in positional astronomy and astrology refers to the position of two heavenly bodies in relationship to their distances with one another. When observed from a certain point, such as the Earth, two heavenly bodies seem to be near each other and sometimes their nearness to one another can form patterns. The phenomenon
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Are there planets that are not composed of rock, like Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars? Are there planets where there is no land, just all nothingness? Yes, there are, they are known as a Gas Giants, they are large celestial bodies that are instead made up of gases. They may have a solid core, and
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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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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To better understand what inferior conjunction is, it is important to mention first how the planets are positioned in the Solar System according to how they orbit the Sun. Here is how the planets are arranged from the closest to the Sun outwards, these are the orbits of:
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