Did You Know: Space – What is a shooting star? A shooting star isn’t really a star, it is a meteor. This is a piece of rock or dust from space that enters the Earth’s atmosphere. As it moves through our atmosphere, it heats up and leaves a streak of hot gas behind it in … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What would happen if a meteor hit the Earth? Many pieces of space rock and dust enter the Earth’s atmosphere every day, but most burn up before they reach the surface. Sometimes small pieces survive and hit the ground. Very rarely, large rocks hit the Earth, and they can make … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Do other planets have moons? Our moon is not the only one in the solar system. Except for Venus and Mercury, all of the other planets have moons. Some asteroids have moons and the dwarf planet Pluto has five moons. Miranda Tiny Miranda orbits Uranus. This moon looks like it … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Can it be dark in the daytime? A solar eclipse can cause it to be dark on Earth during the daytime. This is when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun. The moon blocks out the sunlight, making some places on Earth become dark. How a solar … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Why does the moon change its shape? The moon can be seen in the night sky from almost anywhere on Earth. Sometimes it is a bright, round circle, and other times it is a crescent shape. The moon itself isn’t really changing, it just looks different from Earth. This is … Read more
Did You Know: Space – How hot is the sun? The sun is a sizzling ball of gas. It is our closest star and the hottest thing in our solar system. If you were able to stick a thermometer on its surface, it would read a scorching 11,000°F (6,000°C). The hottest part of the sun, … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Is Pluto a planet? For many years Pluto was known as a planet, but this is no longer the case. Pluto is now called a dwarf planet. It is much smaller than other planets, but it does still have a lot in common with them—it is round, has moons, and … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What are Saturn’s rings made of? When you look at Saturn through a telescope, you can see beautiful rings circling the planet. They are made of icy rock and dust. No one knows for sure why Saturn has rings. They may be the remains of a moon that was destroyed … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Is there life on Mars? Long ago, Mars was warmer and wetter than it is now, with a thicker atmosphere, or layer of gas, surrounding the planet. This means there could once have been life on it. There may even be tiny life forms there today. Olympus Mons The largest … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Why is Jupiter striped? Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system. It has several stripes, or bands, of different colors. These bands are caused by chemicals in Jupiter’s clouds and also by winds that whip around the planet, moving in different directions. Rapid rotation Jupiter is the fastest … Read more
