Comets, asteroids, and meteors are all astronomical bodies that orbit the Sun. How do they differ from each other? Let’s find out. Comets vs asteroids vs meteors Comet Comets are small, icy astronomical bodies that orbit around the Sun in highly elliptical orbits. The duration of one revolution around the Sun for comets varies greatly. […]
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The brief overview of the solar system that we read online or in academic books does not explain its complexity. Most of us think of the sun and the eight planets when we think of the solar system. But, what if I tell you some of the natural satellites (moons) have sizes comparable to the
Ganymede, the largest moon of the solar system | Top 5 largest moons Read More »
Moon is the fifth-largest natural satellite in our solar system. It is the brightest and the biggest celestial body that we see in the sky. But, have you ever wondered how much exactly is the distance between Earth and Moon? Moon is actually the closest celestial body from Earth. Still, it is quite far away.
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The moon is our closest neighbor and Earth’s only natural satellite. It does not have its own light. It reflects the sunlight that falls on it. We see different phases of the moon, i.e., sometimes we see a full moon; sometimes a half, gibbous, or a crescent; and sometimes we don’t see it at all.
The different phases of the moon | Why the moon has phases? Read More »
A solar eclipse takes place when the sun, moon, and earth align in such a way that the moon is between the sun and the earth and the sun is partially or fully obscured by the moon. This obscurement of the sun is only visible at places where the moon’s shadow falls. A solar eclipse
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Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called “Earth’s sister planet” or “Earth’s twin planet” because of its comparable mass and size. In this article, we will learn some interesting facts about Venus. Let’s read. Orbit Average distance of Venus from Sun = 67 million miles = 108 million kilometers =
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Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. It is the closest planet to the Sun and is the fastest to complete one revolution around the Sun. Let’s learn some interesting facts about Mercury. Orbit 36 million miles = 58 million kilometers Physical Overview Diameter (km) Mass (kg) Mercury 4,879 0.33011 * 10^24 kg
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Perihelion and Aphelion are the nearest and farthest points respectively of an object’s orbit around the Sun. The following table shows the distances of Perihelion and Aphelion of solar system planets. Distance of Perihelion (×106 km) Distance of Aphelion (×106 km) Mercury 46 69.82 Venus 107.48 108.94 Earth 147.09 152.1 Mars 206.62 249.23 Jupiter 740.52 816.62 Saturn
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This article provides all the basic information about the solar system planets. Let’s read. Position from the sun Diameter rank Mass rank Planet type Named after Number of moons Mercury 1 8 8 Terrestrial Roman God of commerce 0 Venus 2 6 6 Terrestrial Roman Goddess of love, sex, and beauty 0 Earth 3 5
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Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is the most studied planet of the solar system besides our Earth. Every space agency is working on at least one ambitious project on Mars exploration. Based on what we know so far here are some fun facts about Mars, the “Red Planet”. Fun facts about
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