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History of Astronomy
Space Travel
Since the beginning of time, people have looked to the heavens with wonder. In the book of Genesis in the Bible, the people decided to build a tower that would reach heaven. According to the scriptures, God saw that people could do anything they wanted to do if they worked together, so He caused people to speak different languages and scattered them around the earth -- He later destroyed the tower as well. The attempt to build the Tower of Babel happened after the great flood, but before Abraham's covenant with God. Yes, humans have always been fascinated by the sky…the heavens….and the desire to reach out and touch it.
Back in the 1960s, President John Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon before any other nation could accomplish the feat. On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. aboard; the destination was the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon. He uttered the historic words, "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Space travel became a reality.
Since that historic day in 1969, we have sent unmanned space craft to Mars and Saturn. They have sent back some truly amazing photographs. We are learning more and more about our solar system and the other plants that circle our sun.
America's space program is still at work and the possibility of space travel is a very real possibility. There are many problems that must be overcome before a manned space craft can be launched and sent to other planets, but I do believe that someday it will happen -- maybe not in my lifetime, but someday.
See Also:
Keith's Moon Planting Page
Famous Astronomy Quotes
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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More articles:
Saturn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Astronomy Clubs world wide
The Sun
NGC 4676: Colliding Galaxies
Buying a Telescope
Planting by the Moon
Inspired by Maria Mitchell
Generations of women scientists in all of the scientific disciplines have been inspired by Maria Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell was a woman ahead of her time who left an indelible mark on science and the role that women play in scientific research and discovery.
Maria Mitchell was born in 1818. A Quaker couple, William and Lydia Mitchell, had 10 children; Maria was the third child. She attended Cyrus Peirce's School for Young Ladies in her early years, then was taught mostly by her father. After that she was mostly self-educated, but she was the first woman to ever have an advanced degree awarded. It was awarded by Indiana Hanover College in 1853 after she had already discovered a comet, which is named after her. She was also the first woman ever appointed to the Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Maria Mitchell was the most famous American scientist of either sex in the nineteenth century. She was a most remarkable woman who left her mark on astronomy long before women gained the right to vote. In 1847, Maria discovered what we know today as the Comet Mitchell 1847VI, and that was just the first in a long list of accomplishments.
Maria Mitchell is still inspiring young astronomers today. The Maria Mitchell Observatory was established next to her home in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1908, and it is still very much operational. There is an extensive public education program, and the observatory sponsors research by undergraduate students. The Maria Mitchell Observatory is funded by the National Science Foundation.
The Maria Mitchell Observatory is also home to over 8,000 historic photographic glass plates. The plates were taken by observatory astronomers and students between 1910 and 1995 and span nearly a century of the Nantucket night skies.
Related Topics: The Hubble Space Telescope,
Astronomy Clubs, The Demotion of Pluto
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