It is impressive to visit the wonders of our world. Sites like the Amazon Rain Forest, and Niagara Falls are breathtakingly beautiful. Among these sites is that of The Grand Canyon. Located in Arizona, USA this canyon stretches out across almost 300 miles and contains some of the most picturesque views on Earth. Even this […]
One of the most breathtaking things to see with your own eyes, through a telescope, are the rings of Saturn. These beautiful rings looked like lobs or ears to ancient astronomers. Today we know that they are massive rings of orbiting dust, ice, debris, and moons. How did these rings form? There are three competing […]
If you were to look up in the sky tonight, chances are you may see the planet Jupiter. If you have a low powered telescope it is even possible that you might see the planet’s great red spot, or eye. This jovian “superstorm” has been raging for at least 350 years. The jupiter hurricane is […]
Incoming heat being absorbed by the Earth, and outgoing heat escaping the Earth in the form of radiation are both perfectly balanced. If they were not balanced, then Earth would be getting either progressively warmer or progressively cooler with each passing year. This balance between incoming and outgoing heat is known as Earth’s heat budget. […]
How does heating and cooling affect the landscape around us? As the seasons change, what changes do you see outside? If you live in a temperate zone, the cooler weather probably brings changing leaf colors and hibernating animals. Later as the warm weather once again returns, so does life. New leaves, flowers, and baby animals […]
In order to better understand our atmosphere, scientists have divided it into several layers. These layers are divided based on the characteristics of the gases found at that height. Imagine a layered cake. A layered cake is made out of layers of different ingredients. The first layer might be cake mix. On top of that […]
This is one of the first questions that children often inquire of their parents. What makes the sky blue? Why is it not red, pink, or green? The answer to this question can be found by looking at the particulates floating in the air. The Earth’s atmosphere is filled with trillions of tiny dust particles. […]
Throughout most of history, the only tools that map makers had to help them understand and portray the shape of the Earth and its continents were the map maker’s writing implements and their own two legs. It is truly amazing how accurate maps were considering their limited technology. However, maps could vary greatly depending […]
Scientists divide our home planet into three spheres. Each sphere is categorized according to its physical characteristics. These spheres are the Atmosphere, which is made of all the Earth’s gases; the Lithosphere, which is made up of all the Earth’s physical materials, such as rocks and soil; and the Hydrosphere, which is made up of […]
Standard time is determined by checking clocks against a sundial. When the Sun is directly overhead and shadows are at their shortest, it is said to be noon. As already discussed, many areas do not observe true Sun time due to political and social borders. During the First World War, Germany instituted a daylight saving […]
