Space
LET'S EXPLORE Space
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Let's explore space
Space is everything that lies beyond the Earth's atmosphere, sometimes called the "heavens". This includes the Moon, the planets, the Sun, comets and asteroids, stars, black holes...
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What can we see in the night sky?
A clear, windless night is the best time to observe space from Earth. On many nights, the Moon is the brightest and largest object in the night sky. Up to 10,000 stars may be...
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What are constellations?
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. People once thought they looked like gods, heroes or animals from legends. The ancient Greeks knew of 48 constellations. When...
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What is the Solar System?
The Solar System consists of the Sun and all the objects that orbit (move around) it. They are: the planets, their moons, asteroids, meteoroids and comets. There are eight major...
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How hot is the Sun?
The star we call the Sun lies at the centre of the Solar System. Although fairly small when compared to many other stars, the Sun is massive compared to the planets. Its diameter...
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What is it like on the Moon?
The Moon is our nearest neighbour in space. It is the brightest object in the night sky, although the light it “shines” is actually reflected from the Sun. The Moon is a ball...
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A trip across the Solar System: Mercury
Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun. It is the smallest planet in the Solar System. Named by the Romans after the winged-foot messenger of the gods, Mercury orbits the Sun...
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A trip across the Solar System: Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. About the same size as Earth, Venus is sometimes called our sister planet. But these sisters couldn’t be more different. Named after the...
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A trip across the Solar System: Earth
Our own planet, Earth, is the third planet from the Sun. It is the largest of the four inner, or terrestrial, planets and the fifth largest planet of all. Earth’s distance from...
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A trip across the Solar System: Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury. It is named after the Roman god of war. Although it is completely barren...
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A trip across the Solar System: Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. It is the largest planet in the Solar System. Large enough to contain more than 1300 Earths, Jupiter is greater than all the other planets...
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A trip across the Solar System: Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is famous for its huge and magnificent rings. Three broad rings...
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A trip across the Solar System: Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest planet in the Solar System. It is named after the Greek god of the sky. A gas giant, Uranus has almost no surface...
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A trip across the Solar System: Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the fourth largest planet in the Solar System. Like Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, it is a gas giant. A rich blue colour, clouds and...
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A trip across the Solar System: Pluto
Pluto was once known as the ninth planet of the Solar System—the smallest and most distant planet. Then, in 2006, astronomers agreed it should be called a “dwarf planet”...
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What are comets?
Comets are small lumps of dust and ice. Like the planets, comets orbit the Sun. When they come near it, the ice melts and long tails of gas and dust stretch out, always pointing...
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What are asteroids?
Thousands of small lumps of rock or metal orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. These are called asteroids. They form what is called the Asteroid Belt. Asteroids are probably the...
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What are stars?
Stars are giant, hot spinning balls of gas. Our Sun is a star. Stars give off massive amounts of energy, including light and heat. They vary enormously in size and by the amount of...
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What is the Milky Way Galaxy?
The Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy to which our own star, the Sun, belongs. Sometimes called, simply, the Galaxy, it is a vast, fairly flat spiral of stars. It is named after the...
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How big is the Universe?
The Universe is everything we know. All matter, from the tiniest worm to the most gigantic star, belongs to the Universe. It even includes empty space. Nearly all matter in the...
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How do telescopes work?
A telescope is an instrument that makes distant things appear closer. It enables us to see details that are not visible with the naked eye. Binoculars are made up of two...
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What are space probes for?
Space probes are unmanned, remote-controlled spacecraft. They are sent to explore other planets and moons—even comets and asteroids—in the Solar System. Often, they are steered...
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Is there life elsewhere in the Universe?
Extraterrestrial life, or ET, is any life that does not originate from Earth. None has so far been discovered. Alien or extraterrestrial life includes anything from simple bacteria...
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Space glossary