A Moment of Science
If you were standing on the moon would you really get to see the earth rise and set?
Nowadays everybody knows there are nine planets in our solar system, but that information was hard won.
You’re out on a clear, starry night with your best friend, looking for shooting stars. Look, there’s one, your friend shouts, but by the time you look, it’s gone. There’s another, she cries. Too late, you missed it. Then one comes along that seems to just amble across the sky, nice and slow. Why is it that some shooting stars are so fast and others are much slower? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
On last count, there were nine planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Soon, however, we might need to add a tenth planet to the solar lineup. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
A geostationary satellite orbits the equator in the same direction and speed the earth turns. That means the satellite stays stationary with respect to the ground. It seems to be hanging in mid-air, if by mid-air, you mean 22,500 miles high. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
In 1987 an asteroid measuring a half a mile in diameter came by, missing our planet by a measly six orbital hours. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Why does earth only have one moon, while other planets have many? Jupiter alone has nearly 40 moons! Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Arthur C Clarke's predictions come true! Learn about the stationary satellite on this Moment of Science.
Ever wonder what it's like on other planets? On this Moment of Science, find out what it's like on Mercury.
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