Why Education About Light Pollution Is Important

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Light pollution is a term that is hardly heard by people. There are many kinds of pollutions that are common these days. Water pollution, air pollution and other kinds of pollutions are very commonplace. In spite of the fact that these kind of pollutions are common, people do not bother about this. One other pollution that is rarely thought about is the light pollution. You can go to the website canada 411 to learn about the relevant information and places that can help you understand this fact.

The reason for the rarity with which light is heard about is because the light pollution is not something that can be very life threatening unlike the water and air pollutions. In spite of this, education about light pollutions is important because the light pollution has the potential to destroy the sight of people. These days, there are so many lights that in the night, if one is able to see the buildings that dot the landscape, it looks as if it is still day time.

There are many reasons for the education about light pollutants is important. As the increase in the intensity of the lights increase, it can lead to severe eye strain to the people. The eye strain can lead to early eye damage in any person who is exposed to continuous bright lights.
Other than the eye strain, the bright lights can also cause other problems in the person. They can lead to accidents because of the blinding lights that shine in the face of the person who is driving a vehicle. In fact, the number of accidents has increased because of the fact that there is a lot of light pollution.

Education about light pollution is important also because the night lights in various parts of the world cause the observatories not to be able to identify the starts and the other celestial bodies not to be observed properly. The high intensity lights have caused them to be difficult to identify.

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Our Tiny Dot

Most everyone knows that the galaxy is an absolutely gargantuan place. Because of this tremendous size, it’s very easy to see how tiny we really are on this microscopic dot that we call the earth. While it may seem huge to us, on the cosmic scale it’s little more than a speck of dust.

The cosmic ballet around us stretches so far, but it can show us many interesting things about our own tiny dot. We can observe how massive amounts of things formed up by tracing their chemical components and watching them slowly spread apart. While a human lifetime is nothing to the stars above, our civilization can watch things change in the heavens and learn about how our own planet formed up all those billions of years ago. Of course, there are also some other lessons we can take in from all of this.

The most important lesson we will ever learn from the cosmos is the utterly beautiful nature of our own tiny pebble. While some people don’t think much about what the earth does for everyone and how hard it is to create such a planet, keep in mind that without earth no one you know could possibly survive. Also, considering how rare planets like earth are, doing anything to hurt the planet is more than just cruel and unjust. It’s more than a little stupid to purposely abuse your own ecosystem when you could be doing something far more constructive with your life.

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Have A Hobby ? It Will Help You Understand Yourself Better

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Why is it important to have a hobby? A person who focuses on earning money and enjoying materialistic benefits will often forget how important other things are. Having a hobby will help the person understand that there is something more important than just enjoying material benefits in life.

One does not have to opt for grand hobbies like astronomy. Of course, the idea of peering into a telescope is a lesson in humility. You will understand how small we are and how we have been chosen by destiny to enjoy our time here. Small matters that often irritate us will become minuscule when we realize how small we are.

Or take the idea of collecting stamps. Once you start collecting stamps, you realize that there is an inexhaustible supply of new ideas in this hobby. Each and every new stamp promises to bring forth another new unknown stamp which may revolutionize the collection. We realize how much time it takes to master something as insignificant as a collection of pieces of paper with the designs printed on it.

Many persons criticize hobbies as being a waste of time. Well, the truth is that time that is spent on trying to earn money can be classified as a waste of time. However, time that helps us understand ourselves and our role on the planet better is definitely not a waste of time. Of course, you have the option of ignoring the philosophical aspects and focusing only on the fun and joy of having a hobby where you can spend some time on productive purposes for some fun and relaxation.

 

 

 

 

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Solar Flares and the Potential for Problems

C3-class Solar Flare Erupts on Sept. 8, 2010 [...

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The next time you drop a call on your cell phone or experience problems with your GPS or satellite dish, consider that the culprit just might be solar flares.

In February 2011 Earth’s sun was quite active, launching three solar flares in succession. More of these flares are sure to follow: Scientists note that storms on the sun follows an 11-year cycle and last crested in 2002. This means that a peak is expected to be reached during the years 2012 and 2013.

What does this mean? No one is quite sure; many experts are quick to note that there is no reason to panic, but the potential for widespread disaster is clearly evident:

Power Outages

Solar flares are capable of overloading circuits and causing sporadic power outages. In 1989 Quebec was victim to a nine-hour blackout caused by solar flares.

Communication Interruptions

Electromagnetic storms can knock out satellites and cause communications systems such as pagers and cell phones to be rendered inoperable.

GPS Malfunctions

If satellites are knocked out, GPS receivers will be unable to lock onto signals and will not be functional. This would not only affect the millions of GPS users throughout the United States, but also air traffic.

Domino Effect

Scientists have issued warnings that everything from transportation to government to finance to food and water supplies could be affected as a result of the “domino effect” that could take place if the electric grid were to be compromised.

Fortunately, the Earth is well-protected from these solar storms by its atmosphere and magnetic fields; however, it never hurts to be prepared.

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Jupiter and the Spacecraft Galileo’s Legacy

Image of Io taken by the Galileo spacecraft

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Without the spacecraft Galileo, we wouldn’t know nearly as much as we do about the planet Jupiter.

Launched in 1989, the unmanned spacecraft was tasked with probing and gathering data regarding Jupiter and its surrounding moons, of which there are 63 confirmed.

Named after famed astronomer Galileo Galilei, who discovered the four largest moons surrounding Jupiter, the spacecraft completed 35 orbits around Jupiter and provided scientists at NASA with a wealth of information.

Although Galileo’s mission was terminated in 2003, data analysis is still underway and new information is still being discovered.

Studying Galileo’s data has given us a much better understanding of Jupiter, the largest and one of the most fascinating of the planets that make up our solar system. Some of the more interesting and notable discoveries attributed to the spacecraft Galileo include the following:

  • Volcanic activity present on Jupiter’s moon Io is similar to volcanic activity found on our own planet (although there is a lot more of it on Io). This activity is a result of an ocean of magma located below the moon’s surface.
  • There may be oceans located beneath the layers of ice that make up the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa.
  • Jupiter is home to violent thunderstorms considerably larger than the ones we experience on Earth.

Galileo’s mission to Jupiter was ended in September of 2003 when scientists deliberately sent the spacecraft hurtling into Jupiter’s atmosphere, destroying it. This was done because Galileo was nearly out of the propellant needed to remain operational, and scientists at NASA were concerned that the spacecraft, if not intentionally destroyed, might accidentally cause damage to Jupiter’s moon Europa.

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Learn About Dwarf Planets

Many people know at least most of the planets in our solar system but dwarf planets are a mystery. Most of the public did not know they existed until Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet. The International Astronomical Union recognizes five dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto Eris, Makemake and Haumea.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was founded in 1919 to endorse and preserve all phases of astronomical science. The IAU has over 10,000 members and is headquartered in Paris, France.

The IAU has created a three part definition of what is a dwarf planet. The first criterion to be considered a dwarf planet is that the celestial object must orbit around the Sun. Secondly; it must keep a rounded shape due to its own gravitational pull. Lastly, it can not be a satellite or clear its region of neighboring planets. There are five documented dwarf planets, but there is believed to be over thirty more objects considered to be dwarf planets in the solar system.

Ceres was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi and was first categorized as a planet. It is the smallest of all the dwarf planets and only one located in the asteroid belt.

In 1930, Clyde W. Tombaugh discovered Pluto and was considered a plant until 2006. Pluto is the largest entity of all components in the Kuiper belt.

Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz discovered Eris and Makemake in 2005. Eris is the ninth largest body to orbit the sun and Makemake is the third largest dwarf planet.

Haumea was discovered in 2004 by teams in the United States and Spain. Haumea location is beyond Neptune’s orbit, which makes it a plutoid.

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Learn About the Kuiper Belt

The public knows very little about an interesting part of the Solar System called the Edgeworth-Kuiper or Kuiper Belt. Interest has peaked in this area because it houses dwarf planets and moons. The number of objects in the Kuiper Belt is believed to be more than a thousand.

History

The Kuiper Belt was formally discovered in 1992, but astronomy work from 1930 has helped to support its discovery. Gerard Kuiper is credited with discovering the part of space located beyond the orbit of Neptune. Kenneth Edgeworth is recognized for proposing the notion that celestial bodies exist.

Contents

There are over 70,000 objects located in the belt that are composed of different materials including methane and ammonia. The region was originated due to the expansion of Neptune billions of years ago. The contents within the belt continue to increase and expand.

Pluto is the most recognized KBO (Kuiper Belt Object) due to its former designation as a planet. Triton, a moon of Neptune, and Saturn’s moon Phoebe are located in the belt. Three dwarf planets – Pluto, Haumea and Makemake, reside in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Some of the belt’s contents have satellite sized objects or smaller.

Exploration

Scientists believe they have found configurations similar to the Kuiper belt. Observations from the Hubble space telescope have reported new information. These over 200 million year old, debris discs are clustered around nine stars.

Conclusion

Although the Kuiper belt is an unknown science phenomenon to most, it has an interesting future regarding exploration. Advances in technology should bring more information on the belt and its objects for the future.

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Interesting Facts About Stars

Everyone knows that the Sun is a star, but few know other characteristics about the fiery balls. Stars are more than objects that inspire nursery rhymes and twinkle at night. The subject of stars can be very fascinating and informative. The passage below will reveal some interesting facts about stars.

Stars are large amounts of plasma bonded together by gravity. Most stars are estimated to be about 12 billion years old. Stars are made up of hydrogen, helium and other elements. They can be as small as twenty kilometers to over six hundred times bigger than the sun.

Stars are measured in units called a solar mass. One solar mass is equivalent to one Sun from our galaxy. The most massive star is R136a1 that is about 260 solar masses. OTS44 is the least massive star with a solar mass of .013.

A star’s brightness is calculated by their magnitude on the visible spectrum. Sirius is twice as bright as Canopus, the second brightest star.

Most people know that stars that form a pattern are called a constellation. The Big Dipper is debated as being the most popular constellation. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the entity that deems the definition of a constellation.

An interesting fact is that the IAU designates what is a former constellation. Former constellations are not on current star charts but are used for chronological study. Argo Navis is a former constellation that was divided into four constellations. Quadrans Muralis originated in 1795, and then was separated into the constellations Bootes and Draco.

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Information on Observational Astronomy

Most people know that astronomy is the study of objects whose beginnings are from outside the earth’s atmosphere. Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences and acquires information by observing and collecting data about the formation and development of celestial bodies. The majority of information about space objects is retrieved from a type of astronomy labeled observational.

Observational astronomy is the study of viewing and scrutinizing bodies in space with astronomical equipment. This area of astronomy can be divided into subfields due to location on electromagnetic spectrum. Continue to read to view some of these fields in observational astronomy.

Radio Astronomy

A branch of astronomy that uses radio waves to study space. Karl Jansky made the first radio wave discovery in the 1930’s. Radio emissions have been found in stars and galaxies.

Infrared Astronomy

Infrared astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies objects viewable infrared radiation. William Herschel’s discovery of infrared light led to this branch of discovery in 1830’s.

Optical Astronomy

Visible Light or Optical is the oldest form of astronomy. This type of astronomy uses telescopes to observe and collect data.

Ultraviolet Astronomy

This subfield of astronomy uses ultraviolet wavelengths observed by earth’s atmosphere to record information. Ultraviolet astronomy is used for blue stars supernova remnants.

X-ray astronomy

X-ray wavelengths are used to study celestial bodies. High-altitude balloons and spacecrafts are used in X-ray astronomy.
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Observatories

The activity of viewing space happens in an observatory. Observatories are constructed for studying meteorology, geology and astronomy among other sciences. There are three main categories of observatories: ground -based, space- based and airborne.

Ground-based locations use radio telescopes and are positioned on Earth’s surface. They outnumber all other kinds of observatories.  Space-based types are launched into outer space and used in X-ray astronomy. Balloons or airplanes released with astronomical equipment are airborne observatories.

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A Brief Overview of Comets

Comets are celestial bodies that travel close to sun; they have a tail and leave a visible path in the atmosphere. Ancient records have estimated the first appearance of comets before the year 1267. Scientists have reported more than 3,000 occurrences of comets, but believe thousands more are in the outer solar system. They estimate that only one comet per year is visible without the help of a telescope.

Comets are composed of ice, dust and carbon-based materials. They contain a nucleus, coma and tail. Comets can be seen only when traveling near the sun. Their rough exterior has gained comets the nickname of “dirty snowballs”.

Their orbit identifies the two types of comets periods; short and long. Short period comets finish their orbit cycle around the sun in 200 years or less. The long period comets orbits range from 200 to thousands of years.

The results for comets are based on a variable of factors. Some comets collide with planet, moons or descend within the sun. Others shatter into smaller pieces due to gravity of large planets and explosive materials within. Lastly, fast moving comets exit the solar system when interacting with other celestial bodies.

Historically comets were known less for their splendor but as a symbol of bad luck. Great comets are bright in appearance and noted in popular culture. Noted below are a few great comets noted by astronomers in the past.

Caesar’s Comet

The Great Comet of 44 BC was viewable for seven whole days. Caesar’s Comet is known as one of the brightest daytime comets on record.

Halley’s Comet

This short term celestial body is viewable from earth every 75 years. The first record of this incident appeared in a Chinese chronicle from 240 BC.

Comet Hale -Bopp

The Hale-Bopp comet is recognized as the brightest comet viewed since the Great Comet of 1811. Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp independently discovered the comet in 1995.

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