Astronomy For Kids

The definition of astronomy is utterly complex for kids considering the vast universe and byzantine galaxy.

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But in this article, everything is explained in a straightforward manner yet it has been made sure that all pertinent information about astronomy is well explained here. 

The Solar System.
The solar system inhibits the nine planets and other tiny objects which include minor planets, meteoroids, comets and cosmic dust.  Everything in our solar system orbits the sun.  Scientists believed that it is over 4.6 billion years. 

The Sun
Solar System.  It is just a medium sized star and is approximately 1.4 million kilometers in diameter.  It is made up mostly of hydrogen and is very gaseous.  It was formed from a cloud of gas and dust.

The Meteorites
Meteorites are rocks from space that clobber the Earth and are oftentimes perplexed as meteors and meteoroids.  Meteors or the so called shooting stars are similar to meteorites but they are still in space.  Meteoroids are small particles left behind by a comet or an asteroid.  Meteorites are commonly branded as irons, stones or stony irons.

The Stars
Stars are made originally from dust and gas and are made up mainly of the hydrogen gas.  They are very hot and exude enormous amounts of energy in the form of light and heat.  Stars have a life-span of about 10 billion years and have gone through stages in their lifetime.  Red Giant, Planetary Nebulae, White Dwarf, Neutron and Black Holes are some of these phases.  It has been said that the closest star is about 23.5 trillion miles away.

The Galaxy
The galaxy is a collection of gas, dust and stars.  There are over 200 billion stars that made up the whole galaxy which are vastly far from each other though they seem so close together.  The Milky Way Galaxy was the only acknowledged galaxy until 1924.  A galaxy is normally grouped by its shape.  The major types are spiral, elliptical, lenticular, and irregular.  We are part of a spiral galaxy.

The Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are the first four inner planets.  They are small and resemble the Earth in composition which is rocky.  The next four planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.  These are larger planets and are very gaseous.  The smallest planet and the farthest away from the sun is Pluto.

The Moon
The moon is the only object in space that has been visited by man and has a diameter of about 3476 kilometers.  It takes the moon 27.3 days to finish one rotation on its axis and 27.3 days as well to make one orbit around the earth.  We can see the moon clearly with our own eyes, binoculars or a telescope.

The Comets
Comets are made up of gas, ice and dust and travel around the sun in an orbit.  They are warmed up when they approach the sun, as a result the comet form a head and a tail.  The cloud-like mass we see in the front is the head and the trailing part which is composed of small particles and ice is the tail.  Halley’s Comet and Hale-Bopp Comet are the two famous comets discovered which are named after the person who discovered them.

The Asteroids
Asteroids are also referred as the minor planet.  They are difficult to discern because of their tiny size which usually range from one kilometer to 1000 kilometers across.

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• Astronomy For Kids
• Astronomy Predictions In 2012
• Early Chinese Astronomy
• History Of Astronomy
• What Is A Nova In Terms Of Astronomy ?
• What Is The Definition Of Astronomy ?
• What Is The Difference Between Astrology And Astronomy ?

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