Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Knowledge of Astronomy

To be frank, I know very little about astronomy. I do know that the Sun is the star located closest to the Earth and that it will eventually burn out. Conveniently enough, earlier this week I learned that it takes 4.3 light years or so for the light from the sun to actually reach us humans here on Earth. I also know that the North Star is a constant star and was used by explorers to navigate, especially during nautical travel. If I remember correctly, Sirius is one of the brightest stars in the sky. I am also familiar with the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. Orion is also a constellation but I'm not sure where it is located in the night sky. To shift gears, I also know a little bit about the solar system. The solar system used to have nine planets but I believe that Pluto is no longer considered a planet, bringing the total number of planets in our solar system to eight. I believe the reason that Pluto is no longer considered a planet due to its very small size. Mars, also known as the Red Planet, is the only known planet to contain water and for that reason it is believed that Mars could have the potential to support life. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and Saturn is one of the largest planets and is famous for the many rings that surround it. I know that Haley's Comet is one of the most famous comets and only passes by Earth every 50 years or so I think. Well, this is pretty much all that I know about astronomy. I hope that by the end of the course I will know much more, hopefully enough to be a beast and survive in the outdoors using the stars like Bear Grylls.

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