Saturday, May 15, 2010

Antimatter

Antimatter are particles that have the opposite charge of matter particles. An example is a proton, which has a positive charge. An antiproton has a negative charge.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Jupiter - facts 5

Jupiter would have to be 50 to 100 times bigger in order to become a star.

Planets - facts 11

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have planetary rings.

Jupiter - facts 4

Jupiter is named after the supreme Roman god of the sky.

Venus - facts 6

After the Sun and Moon, Venus is the third brightest object in the sky.

Venus - facts 5

Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love.

Sun - trivia 6

1) How much total mass does the Sun make up in the Solar System?

a) 99%
b) 10%
c) 50%

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Sun - trivia 5

1) What will the Sun eventually become?

a) a black hole
b) a red giant
c) a supernova

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Jupiter - trivia 2

1) What is the Great Red Spot?

a) sand
b) a giant storm
c) giant rocks

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Planets - trivia 13

1) What is a gas giant?

a) a very large solid planet
b) a solid planet
c) a planet that has no solid surface

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Mars - facts 8

The surface of Mars is covered with sand and dust.

Mars - facts 7

It is believed that Mars once had a lot of water on its surface.

Particle physics

Particle physics is a branch of physics that deals with subatomic particles. An example are quarks and leptons and their interactions between them.

Astrophysics

Astrophysics is the study of the physics of celestial bodies. Stars, galaxies, and planets in the Universe.

Physics

Physics is the study of matter, energy, and its motion.

Astronomy

Astronomy is the study of celestial bodies. Examples are planets, moons, stars, and galaxies.

Cosmology

Cosmology is the study of the structure of the entire Universe.

Multiverse

A multiverse means more than one Universe. Besides our Universe, others may or may not exist.

Meteorite

A meteorite is a rocky like object that survives passage through the Earth's atmosphere and impacts with the Earth's surface.

Meteoroid

A meteoroid is a very small sand size to larger rock sized celestial bodies in interplanetary space. Meteoroids are smaller than asteroids.

Comet

A comet is a generally small celestial body made up of ice, rock, and dust. A comet tail is seen when a comet passes close to the Sun.

Asteroid

An asteroid is a rocky celestial body that orbits around the Sun. They are smaller than planets. In the Solar System, the asteroid belt is located between Mars and Jupiter.

Planetary nebula

Planetary nebula are the gaseous outer layers of a star that have been ejected into space from a star later in its life. This happens as a star forms into a white dwarf.

Star

A star is a massive celestial body made up of gas and plasma that is held together by gravity. Stars shine because of nuclear fusion.

White dwarf

A white dwarf is a small star (its mass is not high enough to become a neutron star) that has exhausted all of its nuclear fuel.

Red giant

A red giant is a very bright giant star in its late phase of evolution, when no hydrogen remains in the core and thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen happens in a shell surrounding the core. A red giant is yellow-orange to red in color.

Gamma-ray burst

Gamma-ray burst are released from supernovae and hypernovae. Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest events in the Universe.

Gas giant

A gas giant is a planet that has no solid surface.

Black hole

A black hole is an area in space that has extreme high gravity. Nothing can escape a black hole, including light.

Hypernova

Hypernovae are produced from the largest dying stars in the Universe. A hypernova is larger than a supernova.

Supernova

A supernova occurs when a giant star explodes. It is a giant burst of extremely bright light. They are more energetic than a nova.

Black dwarf

A black dwarf is when a white dwarf cools enough that it no longer emits much heat or light. Since the Universe is approximately 13.7 billion years, no black dwarfs are thought to exist yet, since white dwarfs can still emit heat.

Sun - facts 8

The Sun was formed from a giant nebula cloud.

Hypernovae - facts 1

Hypernovae are produced from the largest dying stars in the Universe. A hypernova is larger than a supernova.

Sun - facts 7

The Sun is not large enough to explode as a supernova or hypernova.

Stars - facts 3

Not all dying stars will become a supernova or hypernova.

Supernovae - facts 1

A supernova occurs when a giant star explodes. It is a giant burst of extremely bright light. They are more energetic than a nova.

Galaxies - facts 6

A supermassive black hole may lie at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Globular cluster

A globular cluster is many stars in one area that are tightly bound by gravity.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Sun - facts 6

The Sun contains approximately 99% of the total mass of the Solar System.

Big Bang

The Big Bang is a cosmic explosion that marks the beginning of the Universe. It is believed to have happened 13.7 billion years ago.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Sun - facts 5

The Sun will eventually become a red giant.

Jupiter - facts 3

The Great Red Spot is a giant storm south of Jupiter's equator.

Asteroids - facts 3

The asteroid belt is a region in space between Mars and Jupiter where many asteroids are found.

Planets - facts 10

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the gas giants in the Solar System.

Planets - facts 9

A gas giant is a planet that has no solid surface.

Galaxies - trivia 3

1) How many stars are in the Milky Way galaxy?

a) billions
b) millions
c) thousands

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Sun - trivia 4

1) How far is the Sun along in its lifespan?

a) 10%
b) 50%
c) 90%

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Stars - trivia 1

1) What are stars mostly made up of?

a) hydrogen and helium
b) hydrogen and oxygen
c) helium

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Black holes - trivia 2

1) What are the largest type of black holes called?

a) intermediate-mass
b) supermassive
c) stellar-mass

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Universe - trivia 4

1) Is the Universe still expanding, contracting, or remaining the same?

a) expanding
b) contracting
c) remaining the same

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Galaxies - trivia 2

1) How many galaxies are in the Universe?

a) thousands
b) millions
c) billions

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Black holes - trivia 1

1) How is the gravity near a black hole?

a) no gravity
b) extremely high gravity
c) extremely low gravity

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Sun - trivia 3

1) What is the approximate distance of the Sun from Earth?

a) 9,000 miles
b) 93,000,000 miles
c) 93,000 miles

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Moon - trivia 2

1) What is the approximate distance of the Moon from Earth?

a) 2,000 miles
b) 239,000 miles
c) 24,000 miles

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Universe - trivia 3

1) What is the most common element in the Universe?

a) carbon dioxide
b) oxygen
c) hydrogen

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Galaxies - facts 5

The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way galaxy.

Galaxies - facts 4

There are hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

Sun - facts 4

The Sun is approximately half way through its lifespan.

Stars - facts 2

Stars are made up of mostly hydrogen and helium.

Black holes - facts 4

Some dying stars can become a black hole.

Black holes - facts 3

Supermassive black holes are the largest type of black holes, with some on the order of billions of solar masses.

Universe - facts 4

The Universe is still expanding from 13.7 billion years ago.

Galaxies - facts 3

The Universe contains billions of galaxies.

Black holes - facts 2

Nothing can escape a black hole, including light.

Gamma-ray burst - facts 2

Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest events in the Universe.

Gamma-ray burst - facts 1

Gamma-ray burst are released from supernovae and hypernovae.

Stars - facts 1

A star is a massive celestial body made up of gas and plasma that is held together by gravity. Stars shine because of nuclear fusion.

Black holes - facts 1

Black holes are areas in space that have extreme high gravity.

Sun - facts 3

The Sun is approximately 4.5 billion years old.

Supernovae - trivia 1

1) How is the light near a supernova?

a) no light
b) extremely bright
c) extremely dim

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Sun - facts 2

The Sun is approximately 93 million miles from Earth.

Moon - facts 6

The Moon is approximately 239,000 miles from Earth.

Universe - facts 3

Hydrogen is the most common element in the Universe.

Nuclear fusion

Nuclear fusion is when atomic nuclei fuse into one larger nucleus and in the process release a large amount of energy.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Venus - trivia 2

1) What is the atmosphere on Venus mostly made up of?

a) carbon dioxide
b) sulfur dioxide
c) nitrogen

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Uranus - trivia 2

1) What is the atmosphere on Uranus mostly made up of?

a) methane
b) helium
c) hydrogen

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Saturn - trivia 2

1) What is the atmosphere on Saturn mostly made up of?

a) helium
b) hydrogen
c) methane

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Neptune - trivia 3

1) What is the atmosphere on Neptune mostly made up of?

a) hydrogen
b) helium
c) methane

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Mars - trivia 6

1) What is the atmosphere on Mars mostly made up of?

a) nitrogen
b) carbon dioxide
c) oxygen

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Planets - facts 8

Mars has the tallest volcano and mountain of all the planets in the Solar System.

Planets - facts 7

Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System.

Planets - facts 6

Mercury is closest to the Sun.

Planets - facts 5

Earth's atmosphere is made up of mostly nitrogen.

Venus - facts 4

The atmosphere on Venus is made up of mostly carbon dioxide.

Uranus - facts 3

The atmosphere on Uranus is made up of mostly hydrogen.

Universe - trivia 2

1) What is the approximate age of the Universe?

a) 5.5 billion years old
b) 9.8 billion years old
c) 13.7 billion years old

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Saturn - facts 3

Saturn's atmosphere is made up of mostly hydrogen.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Neptune - trivia 2

1) How high are the winds on Neptune compared to the other planets?

a) fastest in the Solar System
b) slowest in the Solar System

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Neptune - facts 3

Neptune's atmosphere is made up of mostly hydrogen.

Mars - trivia 5

1) How long is a Martian day compared to a Earth day?

a) longer
b) shorter

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Mars - trivia 4

1) How long is a Martian year compared to a Earth year?

a) longer
b) shorter

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Mars - trivia 3

1) How much would weigh if you were standing on Mars compared to Earth?

a) weigh more
b) weigh less

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Mars - trivia 2

1) What is Mars also called?

a) Blue Planet
b) White Planet
c) Red Planet

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Mars - facts 6

The atmosphere on Mars is mostly carbon dioxide.

Jupiter - facts 2

Jupiter's atmosphere is made up of mostly hydrogen.

Galaxies - trivia 1

1) What is the approximate diameter of the Milky Way galaxy?

a) 5,000 light years
b) 100,000 light years
c) 20,000 light years

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Earth - trivia 8

1) What is the Earth's atmosphere mostly made up of?

a) nitrogen
b) oxygen
c) argon

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Earth - trivia 7

1) What is Earth also called?

a) Red Planet
b) Blue Planet
c) White Planet

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Earth - trivia 6

1) What is the tallest mountain on Earth?

a) Cho Oyu
b) Makalu
c) Mount Everest

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Asteroids - facts 2

The asteroid belt is located between Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroids - facts 1

Asteroids are small rocky celestial bodies that orbit around the Sun. They are smaller than planets.