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Sir Christopher Wren
The Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a wonder of engineering and ingenuity. The idea for building a telescope in space that could see far beyond our own solar system was conceived in 1962 by the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. It wasn't until 1977 that the Congress of the United States finally voted to actually fund the project.
The Hubble telescope is named for Edwin P. Hubble. Hubble was a trailblazing astronomer who was born in 1889 and died in 1953.
The Hubble telescope has given astronomers unprecedented access to views of deep space. It has actually revolutionized the science of astronomy in many ways. The Hubble Telescope can "see" far beyond our own solar system and beyond our own galaxy into deep space, where fledgling galaxies are only just beginning to form.
The Hubble telescope wasn't launched until 1990 even though it was originally scheduled to launch in 1983. The launch experienced many delays, the most notable of which was the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. The Hubble telescope was launched into space on April 25, 1990, and was sending pictures back to earth in a matter of days -- but the pictures were out of focus. The problem was found to be a flaw in the giant mirror -- it was too flat on one edge by 1/50th the width of a single human hair.
In 1993, the problem with the Hubble was resolved when the space shuttle Endeavor captured the Hubble Space Telescope and added a camera to correct problems with the telescope's primary mirror.
There have been other problems with the Hubble over the years, but it is still one of the wonders of the world and is providing astronomers with information that they could never have gained access to without it.
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The Planet Venus
The Planet Neptune
Adams and Leverrier predicted the existence of the planet Neptune back in 1845. Neptune is very difficult to observe from the earth because of (1) the distance, and (2) the earth's atmosphere. The closest and best look that we have had at Neptune was provided by the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989.
Neptune is the most distant planet from the sun. It was once believed that Pluto was a planet Pluto beyond Neptune, but astronomers have declared that Pluto is not a planet but one of many dwarf planets in our solar system.
Neptune has a diameter that is about four times larger than earths. Computer models suggest that Neptune has a rocky core that comprises about 15 earth masses at the center, but there is no confirmation of this theory. Neptune has a rotation period of about 16 hours. Neptune has an internal heat source, and it produces about 2.7 times more heat than it absorbs.
Strong winds, bright, high-altitude clouds, and two large dark spots attributed to long-lived giant storm systems were reveled by the 1989 Voyager flyby. Wind speeds are as high as 739 miles per hour. The larger of the two dark spots that Voyager reveals is called the "Great Dark Spot."
Neptune's rings were first detected from Earth in 1983, but no real study could be conducted at that time. It wasn't until the data supplied by the Voyager 2 flyby was available that any determination about the rings could be disseminated. There are two bright rings and two fainter rings. The rings rotate in the same direction as Neptune, and they are all close to the equator.
Triton and Nereid are the two large moons of Neptune and are visible from Earth. Voyager 2 discovered six more moons, and one of them is actually larger than Nereid; but it is difficult to see because it orbits so close to Neptune. |
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The Planet Jupiter
Our Solar System
Our solar system consists of our sun, eight planets, the 166 known moons that orbit these eight planets, 3 dwarf planets and the four known moons that orbit them. Our solar system also includes billions of other small bodies such as asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, comets, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust.
In short, our solar system is made up of our sun and all the celestial objects that are gravitationally bound to it.
The general outline of our solar system is (from the center outward):
1. The sun
2. Four terrestrial inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars)
3. An asteroid belt (made up of rocky objects)
4. Four outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus)
5. The Kuiper belt (made up of icy objects)
6. Scattered disc (poorly understood region)
7. Heliopause (where the sun's solar wind is stopped by the interstellar medium)
8. And finally, a hypothetical Oort Cloud (there is a lot of ongoing debate about the Oort Cloud).
Yes, there was another planet called Pluto, but it is no longer considered a planet. Back in August 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Prague decided that Pluto did not meet the requirements to be designated a planet, and it is now classified as one of many dwarf planets.
In the dim and dusty past, it was believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and that everything else revolved around it, including the sun. That theory changed as knowledge was gained. The telescope was invented, and men could see farther and farther.
The formation of our solar system remains a basis of contention between some religious leaders and some scientists. There are some of each who believe that God created the universe in six days, just the way creation is described in the book of Genesis in the Bible. There are others who subscribe to the "Big Bang" theory. The debate has been raging for decades and shows no signs of abating. But however our solar system came into being, it is magnificent!
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Famous Meteorites, The Planet Venus
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