Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is also often referred to as the “Red Planet.” It is a favorite among science fiction writers and stargazers. As an interesting note, Mars was the Roman god of agriculture before becoming associated with the Greek god Ares. Those in favor of terraforming and colonizing Mars … [Read more…]
Often called “Earth’s twin” or “Earth’s sister planet,” Venus is the terrestrial, or rocky, planet that is closest to Earth in size, gravity, and composition. It can be seen in the sky shortly after sunset or before sunrise and is typically one of the first “stars” to appear. For this reason, it is called the … [Read more…]
Named for the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, Mercury is the innermost planet of the solar system. If you have a good eye or a telescope, you can usually see it right after sunset or right before sunrise. (It’s dimmer than Venus and usually a bit lower in the sky.) Because it is closer to … [Read more…]
Earth. You might think of your home planet in terms of where you’re living right now, or in terms of exotic landscapes like deserts, rain forests and the glaciers of Antarctica. It’s constantly changing and moving pretty fast, to the tune of 66,660 miles per hour in our solar orbit. How often do you think … [Read more…]
The U.N. General Assembly has declared April 12th the International Day of Human Space Flight. Why this day? Well, on April 12, 1961, a Russian cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin was launched on a single orbit around Earth. It was an important breakthrough and one in a series of Space Race firsts on the Russian side. … [Read more…]
So you want to participate in a triathlon but that’s a little hard to do when you’re orbiting at an altitude of 370 kilometers. It’s not like the International Space Station has a swimming pool and your favorite athletic activities become a little challenging when you and everything around you are weightless. What should you … [Read more…]