Explore the Universe

Exploring Space: From the Sun to Constellations

• The Sun, also known as Sol, is the closest star to Earth and the center of our eight-planet solar system.

• The Sun is a five-billion-year-old ball of superhot gas, with a core temperature of 15 million degrees Celsius.

• Energy created in the Sun's core travels slowly to the surface before taking eight minutes to reach Earth as light and heat.

• Without the Sun, Earth would be a dark, frozen world with no life.

• The universe is massive, with the observable universe being 93 billion lightyears across.

• Scientists measure distances in space using lightyears, which is the distance light can travel in one year.

• Stars come in different colors and sizes, with red stars producing less energy and blue-white stars producing the most energy.

• Betelgeuse and Rigel are two stars in the constellation Orion, with Betelgeuse being a red supergiant and Rigel being a blue-white supergiant.

• Constellations are groups of stars that form patterns in the sky and have been used throughout history to tell stories and navigate.

• The stars in a constellation may look similar from Earth, but they have different personalities, colors, and sizes.

• The Milky Way Galaxy, which contains our solar system, has a wide range of stars.

• Understanding the universe's vastness and complexity helps us appreciate our place in it and inspires us to learn more.Constellations and the Zodiac: Mapping the Night Sky

• A constellation is a cluster of stars in the sky that have been grouped together in a pattern or shape and given a name.

• Astronomers use constellations to help them map the night sky and find other objects in space.

• There are 88 named constellations, with most of them coming from ancient Greek mythology.

• The stars in a constellation are not related but form a shape that the Greeks used to tell stories about their gods and mythical creatures.

• The Zodiac is a group of 13 constellations that form a circular pattern in the night sky and have been studied and tracked since ancient times.

• The constellations in the Zodiac are highly visible from Earth during different months of the year, starting with Sagittarius in January and ending with Ophiuchus.

• Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun, making one full trip around the star every year.

• The Sun appears to move through the stars over the course of the year, but it is the Earth's movement that makes it seem that way.

• Astronomers draw an imaginary line from the Earth through the Sun and toward the stars beyond it to track the Sun's apparent path through space, called the Ecliptic.

• The Ecliptic is the imaginary line that the Zodiac sits on and tracks the Sun's apparent path through space.

• The Sun remains in the same spot while Earth makes its annual journey, following the Ecliptic path through the Zodiac.

• Understanding what happens in space is fascinating and helps astronomers map the night sky and find other objects in space.

Exploring Space: From the Sun to Constellations

• The Sun, also known as Sol, is the closest star to Earth and the center of our eight-planet solar system.

• The Sun is a five-billion-year-old ball of superhot gas, with a core temperature of 15 million degrees Celsius.

• Energy created in the Sun's core travels slowly to the surface before taking eight minutes to reach Earth as light and heat.

• Without the Sun, Earth would be a dark, frozen world with no life.

• The universe is massive, with the observable universe being 93 billion lightyears across.

• Scientists measure distances in space using lightyears, which is the distance light can travel in one year.

• Stars come in different colors and sizes, with red stars producing less energy and blue-white stars producing the most energy.

• Betelgeuse and Rigel are two stars in the constellation Orion, with Betelgeuse being a red supergiant and Rigel being a blue-white supergiant.

• Constellations are groups of stars that form patterns in the sky and have been used throughout history to tell stories and navigate.

• The stars in a constellation may look similar from Earth, but they have different personalities, colors, and sizes.

• The Milky Way Galaxy, which contains our solar system, has a wide range of stars.

• Understanding the universe's vastness and complexity helps us appreciate our place in it and inspires us to learn more.Constellations and the Zodiac: Mapping the Night Sky

• A constellation is a cluster of stars in the sky that have been grouped together in a pattern or shape and given a name.

• Astronomers use constellations to help them map the night sky and find other objects in space.

• There are 88 named constellations, with most of them coming from ancient Greek mythology.

• The stars in a constellation are not related but form a shape that the Greeks used to tell stories about their gods and mythical creatures.

• The Zodiac is a group of 13 constellations that form a circular pattern in the night sky and have been studied and tracked since ancient times.

• The constellations in the Zodiac are highly visible from Earth during different months of the year, starting with Sagittarius in January and ending with Ophiuchus.

• Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun, making one full trip around the star every year.

• The Sun appears to move through the stars over the course of the year, but it is the Earth's movement that makes it seem that way.

• Astronomers draw an imaginary line from the Earth through the Sun and toward the stars beyond it to track the Sun's apparent path through space, called the Ecliptic.

• The Ecliptic is the imaginary line that the Zodiac sits on and tracks the Sun's apparent path through space.

• The Sun remains in the same spot while Earth makes its annual journey, following the Ecliptic path through the Zodiac.

• Understanding what happens in space is fascinating and helps astronomers map the night sky and find other objects in space.