Beyond Earth Chapter 12 PDF

12 Chapter Beyond Earth Nubra is a beautiful region in Ladakh. An eleven-year old girl Yangdol and her twin brother Dorjay live in one of the villages of this region...

12 Chapter Beyond Earth Nubra is a beautiful region in Ladakh. An eleven-year old girl Yangdol and her twin brother Dorjay live in one of the villages of this region. Nubra in Ladakh, India They love their surroundings—the majestic mountain peaks, and the glaciers, but their favourite is the night sky when the entire sky is lit up with thousands of stars (Fig. 12.1). The weather in Nubra is almost cloudless. With almost no air or light pollution, the night sky is very clearly visible. Night after night, Yangdol and Dorjay observe the stars and experience an Fig. 12.1: The beauty of night sky from a very dark immense sense of awe. location in Ladakh, India Chapter 12.indd 231 10-07-2024 18:13:26  Growing up, Yangdol and Dorjay have been hearing interesting stories about stars from their elders. They have heard how some particular stars in the clear skies helped the caravans passing through Nubra in finding direction in the ancient days. They wonder how far away and how big the stars are. They also enjoy trying to find some patterns among the stars that remind them of familiar objects. Have you ever looked at the stars in the night sky and tried to connect them with imaginary lines, just like dots and lines in a drawing? Activity 12.1: Let us draw ‹‹ Fig. 12.2 shows bright stars in one part of the night sky. ‹‹ Look at it carefully and try to imagine a pattern formed by a group of stars. ‹‹ Draw lines to connect the stars and make the pattern. ‹‹ Think of an animal or an object that is similar to the pattern drawn by you. Write its name near your pattern. ‹‹ Repeat the above steps and make some more patterns. ‹‹ Now think of an interesting story about your patterns. Compare your patterns with the patterns drawn by your Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 friends. Are the patterns same or different? Narrate your story to others and listen to their stories. Do you notice that everyone’s patterns, names and stories are different? Is it not fun? Fig. 12.2: A part of the night sky 232 Chapter 12.indd 232 10-07-2024 18:13:27  12.1 Stars and Constellations At night, when we look up at the sky, we see many stars. Some stars are bright and others Do we find patterns are dim. Stars shine with their own light. among the stars just Some groups of stars appear to form for fun or is there patterns which are like shapes of familiar some use of these patterns? things. Long ago, when watching stars in the night sky was a favourite pastime of our ancestors, they identified these star patterns with animals, things or characters in stories. Many cultures had names for patterns based on their own stories. These imaginary shapes helped them in recognising stars in the sky. Recognising stars and their patterns was a useful skill for navigation in the olden times. Before the arrival of modern technology or even before the invention of the magnetic compass, it helped people, particularly sailors and travellers, in finding directions at sea or on land. It is still used in emergencies as a backup method. In earlier times, groups of stars forming patterns were called constellations. Currently, the regions of sky, which include these groups of stars, are defined as constellations. However, since in constellations, the patterns of stars are often the most prominent, the term constellation is still commonly used for these groups of stars. Since different cultures denoted the constellation boundaries in different ways, an internationally agreed set of constellation boundaries were defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in the early 20th century. 88 constellations were officially listed, thus, dividing the entire sky into 88 regions. These More to regions of sky are now defined as constellations. know! Some constellations are shown in Fig. 12.3. The stars are joined by imaginary lines, drawn for easy identification. Beyond Earth The constellation Orion is often represented as a hunter. There are three stars in the middle, which represent the belt of the hunter. Some people imagine that the hunter Orion, followed by his dog (constellation Canis Major), is battling a bull (constellation Taurus). Canis Major contains a star 233 Chapter 12.indd 233 10-07-2024 18:13:46  called Sirius, which is the brightest star in the night sky (Fig. 12.3). Sirius Orion Taurus Canis Major Fig. 12.3: Some constellations and stars (The red lines indicate the patterns of stars while the green lines indicate the regions of the sky. The lines are not seen in the sky and have been drawn only for easy identification) Betelguese (Ārdrā) Aldebaran Pleiades Sirius (Rohiṇī) (Kṛittikā) Orion Taurus Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 Canis Major In Indian astronomy, the term nakṣhatra is used to denote either a certain star or a group of stars, such as Ārdrā (a star called Betelgeuse in the Orion constellation) and Kṛittikā (a group of stars called Pleiades in the Taurus constellation). Aldebaran, a star in the constellation More to Taurus, is known as Rohiṇī. 234 know! Chapter 12.indd 234 10-07-2024 18:14:03  Two distinct patterns of stars, the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, are shown in Fig. 12.4. The Pole Star or Polaris, which is part of the Little Dipper is also shown (Fig. 12.4). The Pole Star appears stationary in the North direction, which helps to locate the North direction in the Northern hemisphere. Big Dipper The Big Dipper lies in the constellation Ursa Major while the Little Dipper lies in the constellation Ursa Minor. In India, the Big Dipper is known as Saptaṛiṣhi, and the Little Pole Star is known as Dipper Dhruva tārā. More to know! Pole star Fig. 12.4: Big Dipper, Little Dipper How can and Pole Star (The lines are not seen we identify in the sky and have been drawn only for easy identification) some of these constellations in the night sky? sociated fr om co m m on regional stories as Apa rt any forest st ar s in th e constellations, m with so have g co m m un iti es or tribes of India al dwel lin ple, the r ow n st or ie s ab out them. For exam thei imately st ar s in th e Bi g Dipper that approx four in Central a re ct an gl e, ar e viewed by tribes form with ndmother’s cot” India as the “gra (other three stars) the three thieves men along the stealing it. Fisher Beyond Earth agine the four Konkan coast im ith the last three stars as a boat, w Do you s as th e ne ck of the boat. star know? 235 Chapter 12.indd 235 10-07-2024 18:14:30  12.2 Night Sky Watching If it is a clear cloudless night, a large number of stars may be visible in the sky. If you stay in a big city, you may find that the sky is rarely clear and only a few stars are seen in the night sky. This is due to light pollution, smoke and dust. The presence of excessive artificial light at night time is referred to as light pollution. In villages or areas where there is less light pollution, a larger number of stars can be seen. Also, your house may be surrounded by tall buildings and trees, which may block your view. The night sky is best viewed from open dark areas. Light pollution is growing sharply globally. This is reducing our ability to enjoy and study objects in the night sky. Some dark sky reserves and parks have been established around the world. Light pollution in the reserves is controlled to preserve dark skies for research. There are a few organisations which are working to educate Do you people about reducing light pollution. know? Not all stars and constellations are visible from all places on Earth and on all nights in a year. Can we try to find For example, the Pole Star is not visible from any constellation the southern hemisphere of Earth. To identify or star of our choice on any a star or a constellation, you need to know night from our how a particular constellation looks like location? and where to look for it in the night sky. To get familiar with the pattern of a constellation Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 you may use images such as Fig. 12.3 and Fig. 12.4. To find out when and in which portion of the sky a star or a constellation will be visible from your location, you may take the help of sky mapping apps that can be downloaded on a mobile phone, or other online resources. Sky Map is a very handy app for identification of stars, constellations and planets from mobile phones. Stellarium is another such app. The More to computer version of Stellarium is free for know! download and has many features. 236 Chapter 12.indd 236 10-07-2024 18:15:01  Preparation for night sky watching ‹‹ Under the guidance of adults, identify a dark open area for night sky watching. This should be away from lights, tall buildings and trees. ‹‹ Choose the date and time based upon what you plan to identify in the night sky. ‹‹ Choose a moonless night with no clouds, particularly for the Pole Star which is not very bright. ‹‹ It may be useful to have access to a mobile app with a sky map, or print out images of the constellations you plan to view. You may also carry a magnetic compass to find directions and a notebook to note or draw your observations. ‹‹ On the particular day and time selected, go to the identified place with an adult, where the night sky Caution watching is to be done. Do not go to a dark open place ‹‹ After reaching there, wait for about half an hour for at night time your eyes to get adjusted to the darkness. This will without adults accompanying you. help you to see the night sky better (Fig. 12.5). Beyond Earth Fig. 12.5: Night sky watching You may easily identify the Big Dipper and the Pole Star in the night sky. 237 Chapter 12.indd 237 10-07-2024 18:15:04  Activity 12.2: Let us try to locate ‹‹ Look for the Big Dipper during summer time in the early part of the night, say, around 9 pm. View the sky above the horizon towards the northern part of the sky and identify the Big Dipper. ‹‹ Once you identify the Big Dipper, try to locate the Pole Star. Look at the two stars present at the end of the Big Dipper’s cup and imagine a straight line passing through these towards the north. At about five times the distance between these two stars, the imaginary line will lead to another star which is not very bright. This star is the Pole Star. You may also locate the bright constellation Orion and the star Sirius in the night sky. Activity 12.3: Let us try to identify ‹‹ In India, Orion is best viewed during the months of December to April after sunset. So, look for it during that period. ‹‹ Three bright stars in a short straight line are located around the middle of Orion Which star is (imagined to be the belt of a hunter). closest to Identify these three stars first, as this is us? the easiest way to find Orion. ‹‹ Once you identify Orion, it is easy to locate the very bright star Sirius which is located close to Orion. Imagine a straight Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 line passing through the three middle stars of Orion and look along this line towards the east. This will lead to Sirius. 12.3 Our Solar System The Sun The Sun is a star. It is the star closest to us. It is an extremely hot spherical ball of gases. The Sun gives out a huge amount of energy, and that is why it glows so brightly. 238 Chapter 12.indd 238 10-07-2024 18:15:05  The Sun produces heat and light, and is the main source of energy on the Earth (Fig. 12.6). How big is the Sun? It is about 100 times bigger than the Earth in diameter. And still, it looks so small because it is very far from the Earth. Fig. 12.6: The rising Sun The distance of the Sun from the Earth is about 150 million km. A useful unit for expressing distances within the solar system is ‘astronomical unit’ (au) which is approximately the distance between the Sun and the Earth. More to know! Our the brightest The Sun, being Sun is also a source of light object and the most star. So how is it that t on E ar th , was elevated in the Sun appears big and and h ea a deity. t ci vi li za ti on s to the status of lights up the sky while the ancien rya. The other stars look like bright ia , th e Su n is w orshipped as Sū In Ind the Earth dots in the night sky and p ro vi d ed b y the Sun keeps heat ossible. are not even visible er at u re th at makes life p at a te m p to grow, during the day time? gh t is es se n ti al for plants Sunli animals, p ro vi d e fo od and oxygen to which sible for d in g h u m an s. The Sun is respon inclu cle, e, se as on s, w eather, water cy climat r al l of w h ic h are important fo wind s— the Earth. sustaining life on Beyond Earth However, the Sun is much closer to us than the other stars hence it appears much bigger than the stars. As the stars (other than the Sun) are much farther away, they appear like points, even though some of those stars are much bigger 239 Chapter 12.indd 239 10-07-2024 18:15:34  than our Sun. During daytime, due to the extreme brightness of the Sun, it is not possible to view the other stars. The star nearest to us after the Sun is Proxima Centauri which lies at a distance of about 269000 au. This means that its distance is about More to 269000 times our distance to the Sun. know! There are many more objects Are stars the only in the sky. Our Earth, along objects in the sky? with some of these objects, Or, are there more and the Sun together form objects which our Solar System (Fig. 12.7). we may not have noticed? Most of these objects move around the Sun. The movement of an object around the Sun is called revolution. Planets A planet is a large, nearly spherical object that revolves around the Sun. Our Earth is a planet as it revolves around the Sun as shown in Fig. 12.7. The Earth takes nearly one year to complete one revolution. Like the Earth, there are other planets that revolve around the Sun. Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 While revolving around the Sun, the Earth is also rotating about its axis. For one full rotation, the Earth takes about 24 hours which is called a day. Like the Earth, other planets also rotate about their axes while revolving around the Sun. You More to will learn more about this in the next Grade. know! 240 Chapter 12.indd 240 10-07-2024 18:16:03  Asteroid Mercury Earth Jupiter Uranus Belt Sun Venus Mars Saturn Neptune Fig. 12.7: An artist’s representation of the Solar System (To fit this figure within the page, the sizes and distances of various objects are not as per their actual sizes and distances in relation to each other, that is, the sizes and distances are not to scale in the figure) The eight planets, in order of their increasing distance from the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (Fig. 12.7). The inner four planets nearest to the Sun—Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars—are smaller in size. They have solid surfaces with rocks on them. From ancient times, various names have been used across India for the planets visible to the naked eye. For example, Budha (Mercury), Śhukra (Venus), Beyond Earth Pṛithvī (Earth), Mangala (Mars), Bṛihaspati or Guru (Jupiter) and Śhani (Saturn). More to know! 241 Chapter 12.indd 241 10-07-2024 18:16:20  Venus is usually seen shining brightly at dawn and dusk, and is commonly called the Morning Star or the Evening Star, even though it is not a star. Mars is called the Red Planet because it appears red. This is because the soil on Mars is reddish in colour. A large portion of the Earth’s surface is covered with water and thus, it appears blue from the space. Due to this, the Earth is also called the Blue Planet. The four outermost planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune—are much larger compared to the Earth, and are mostly made of gases. These giant gaseous planets have large flat ring-like structures around them which are made of dust particles and rocky material. Planets get most of their energy from the Sun. So, the farther they are, the colder they are in general. The presence of an atmosphere on a planet can trap heat which can significantly change the temperature of a planet. That is why Venus, for example, is hotter than Mercury, although it is farther from the Sun. There is another object called Pluto that lies farther than Neptune, and revolves around the Sun. It is smaller than the Earth’s Moon. When it was discovered, it was called a planet of the Solar System. But later, when similar more small objects were discovered, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006 redefined the requirements of an object to be called a planet. As per this definition, More to these smaller objects, including Pluto, are now called know! Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 dwarf planets. Among the planets, it is fy i d enti easiest to identify Venus we so, Can lanet al e which is very bright. After a p way w e the Sun and the Moon, Venus the fied th ? is the brightest object in the ti s iden ellation sky. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter st con and Saturn can also be seen with the naked eye. They are 242 Chapter 12.indd 242 10-07-2024 18:17:01  so far away that they look like shining dots, just like stars. So how can we distinguish between planets and the stars? Unlike planets, the stars appear to twinkle a lot. Activity 12.4: Let us try to identify ‹‹ For most of the year, Venus can be located either at dawn or at dusk. How can we ‹‹ When you are viewing at dawn, see the planets which are not look for it near the Eastern visible to the direction before sunrise. naked eye? ‹‹ When you are viewing at dusk, look for it near the Western direction after sunset. While many of the objects in the sky can be seen with our naked eyes directly, we can see them brighter and larger using a pair of binoculars or an instrument called a telescope (Fig. 12.8). A telescope also helps us view many dim objects not visible by our naked eyes directly. You may get an opportunity to view the sky through a telescope whenever a night sky watching event is organised in your region. Many Higher Education Institutions conduct night Fig. 12.8: A telescope We know that sky watching activities for planets move school students. There are around the Sun. many Amateur Astronomy Are there any Clubs all over the objects that move country which around planets? organise sky watching events periodically. Museums Do you Beyond Earth and Planetariums know? also organise similar events. 243 Chapter 12.indd 243 10-07-2024 18:17:20  Natural Satellites Objects that move around planets are commonly called satellites. They are smaller in size than planets. Moons are natural satellites of planets. The Earth has one Moon, while Mars has two moons. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have a large number of moons. The Moon In general, any object Earth’s natural satellite, the Moon, that moves around a takes about 27 days to complete much larger object can one revolution around the Earth. also be called a satellite. It is our nearest neighbour in the For example, Earth can space. Unlike on the Earth, there be considered is hardly any atmosphere on the a satellite of Moon. How big is the Moon as the Sun. compared to the Earth? The Moon is about a quarter the size of the More to Earth in diameter. The Moon’s know! surface shows circular bowl-like structures called craters (Fig. The Moon 12.9). Most of these craters have is about 3,84,000 km been formed due to the impact of away from the Earth. asteroids or rocks from the space hitting the Moon’s surface. Since there is no atmosphere, water or Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 (a) (b) Fig. 12.9: The Moon (a) Image taken by Cartosat, ISRO. (b) Close-up image by cameras onboard Chandrayaan-3, ISRO. 244 Chapter 12.indd 244 10-07-2024 18:18:19  life on the Moon, these features stay on the Moon’s surface for a very long time. Although the Moon is very far, humans have sent spacecrafts to explore and understand more about the Moon. India has also launched three Chandrayaan missions to study the Moon, and a further mission is being planned. To improve our understanding of the Moon, India’s first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1, was launched in 2008 and the second mission, Chandrayaan-2, in 2019. The third mission, Chandrayaan-3, was launched in July 2023 and its Vikram lander carrying the Pragyan rover successfully soft-landed on the Moon on August 23, 2023. With this mission, India became the first country in the world to achieve a landing near the little explored Moon’s south pole. To mark this success, the Government of India declared August 23 to be celebrated as ‘National Space Day’ in India. A Do you fourth mission, Chandrayaan-4, is being planned which aims know? to bring back soil and rock samples from the Moon. Asteroids The Sun and the planets are nearly spherical in shape. There are many small objects in the Solar System which are rocky and irregular in shape. These are called asteroids. Many of these asteroids revolve around the Sun in paths that lie between those of Mars The sizes of and Jupiter. This region is called the asteroids are asteroid belt (Fig. 12.7). Occasionally, from 10 m to More to asteroids pass very close to the Earth. about 500 km. know! Comets Sometimes we have visitors from the outer regions of the Solar System! These objects with long Beyond Earth tails are called comets (Fig. 12.10). They are made up of dust, gases, rocks and ice. As a comet approaches close to the Sun, the frozen material in it starts evaporating. This evaporating 245 Chapter 12.indd 245 10-07-2024 18:18:51  material forms the tail of the comet. Comets appear dim as they move away from the Sun and then, it is not possible to see them with the naked eye. Many comets have been found that revolve around the Sun. These comets approach close to the Sun periodically. However, there are a few comets that escape and move out of the Solar System. Few other comets get broken up, or fall into the Sun or other planets when Fig. 12.10: A Comet they approach them. We have learnt about the objects which form the Solar One famous comet is the System. Which are these objects? Halley’s Comet which appears The Sun, eight planets, their every 76 years. Its last moons, and many smaller appearance was in 1986. objects including asteroids, and comets, together form the Solar System. The Sun—our star—is the In Sanskrit and a few other Indian More to largest and the heaviest object in the Solar System. The Sun languages, a comet know! produces almost all the energy in is called Dhūmaketu. the Solar System. All other objects Various tribes in India also call it Pucchya-Taro in our Solar System shine due to (star with a tail) or Zendya- the sunlight that they reflect from Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 Taro (star like a flag). their surfaces. In many cultures, comets have been feared and it was earlier believed that comets bring What is bad luck. However, thanks to beyond the Solar System? scientists, we now know that these are just icy-rocky visitors making a trip close to the Sun! 246 Chapter 12.indd 246 10-07-2024 18:19:40  12.4 The Milky Way Galaxy In the moonless night sky, viewed from dark locations away from city lights, one can see an extended faint band of light from near north to south across the sky (Fig. 12.11). This is our home galaxy called the Milky Way Galaxy or Ākāśha Gangā. A galaxy has millions to billions of stars. Our Solar System is part of the Milky Way Galaxy. Fig. 12.11: Milky Way Galaxy as seen from a very dark location in Ladakh, India 12.5 The Universe What is beyond the There are many galaxies in the Milky Way outer space beyond the Milky Galaxy? Way Galaxy. Scientists study them to understand the stars, galaxies and the universe. We do not know yet if life exists Is there life elsewhere in the Universe. The search anywhere for life has been directed mostly towards else in the exoplanets—the planets discovered Universe? revolving around other stars in our Beyond Earth galaxy. Till now, scientists have not found any evidence of life but this search is on and continuing. 247 Chapter 12.indd 247 10-07-2024 18:19:42  Keywords Asteroid Draw Comet Explore Constellation Identify Milky Way Galaxy Observe Moon Planet Revolution Satellite Solar System Stars Sun Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 Summary ‹‹ The sky is divided into regions called constellations, which include groups of stars that appear to form patterns. ‹‹ The Pole Star appears stationary in the North direction, which helps in locating the North direction in the Northern hemisphere. ‹‹ The Sun is a star which produces heat and light. ‹‹ A planet is a large, nearly spherical object that revolves around the Sun. 248 Chapter 12.indd 248 10-07-2024 18:19:51  ‹‹ The eight planets, in order of their increasing distance from the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. ‹‹ The Earth revolves around the Sun in nearly one year. ‹‹ Objects that move around planets are commonly called satellites. ‹‹ The Moon is Earth’s natural satellite. ‹‹ The Moon revolves around the Earth in nearly 27 days. ‹‹ The Sun, eight planets, their moons, and many smaller objects including asteroids and comets, together form the Solar System. ‹‹ Our Solar System is part of the Milky Way Galaxy. Let us enhance our learning 1. Match the column: Column I Column II (i) Satellite of Earth (a) Orion (ii) Red planet (b) Venus (iii) Constellation (c) Mars (iv) Planet which is commonly (d) Moon called an evening star 2. (i) Solve the following riddle. My first alphabet is in MAN but not in CAN My second alphabet is in ACE and also in FAN My third alphabet is in RAT and not in CAT My fourth alphabet is in SUN but not in FUN I am a planet that moves around the Sun. (ii) Make two similar riddles by yourself. Beyond Earth 3. Which of the following is not a member of our Solar System? (i) Sirius (ii) Comets (iii) Asteroids (iv) Pluto 249 Chapter 12.indd 249 10-07-2024 18:19:55  4. Which of the following is not a planet of the Sun? (i) Jupiter (ii) Pluto (iii) Neptune (iv) Saturn 5. Which is the brighter star, the Pole Star or Sirius? 6. An artist’s representation of the Solar System is given in Fig. 12.12. Is the order of the planets correct? If not, write the correct order in the boxes in the figure. Fig. 12.12 7. A portion of night sky with stars is shown in Fig. 12.13. Look carefully and identify the groups Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 of stars that form the patterns—the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. Draw lines to connect the stars for these patterns and label them. Also, identify and label the Pole Star. You may refer to Fig. 12.4 for help. Fig. 12.13 250 Chapter 12.indd 250 10-07-2024 18:20:00  8. A portion of the night sky is shown in Fig. 12.14. Draw lines to connect the stars for Orion and label the star Sirius. You may refer to Fig. 12.3. Fig. 12.14 9. You can see stars fading away at dawn and appearing at dusk. During the day we do not see the stars. Explain why. 10. During a clear night, try to observe the Big Dipper 3–4 times at an interval of 2 to 3 hours. Also try to locate the Pole Star each time. Does the Big Dipper appear to move? Draw a rough sketch to illustrate this, mentioning the time in each case. 11. Think about the night sky and write a poem or a story on it. Learning further ‹‹ Try to find out the names of planets in your local language. Also, find out the stories associated with stars and constellations in your region. Present these stories in a pictorial form. ‹‹ If there is a planetarium or a science museum nearby, then Beyond Earth you can visit it, especially if a night sky observation session is scheduled by them. You will get to see the Moon, the planets and the stars through a telescope. If you visit the planetarium during daytime, you can also see their models, pictures and sky shows. 251 Chapter 12.indd 251 10-07-2024 18:20:06  ‹‹ Find out if the increasing light pollution is causing problems for humans, wildlife and the environment. Write an action that you would take at the personal level to control light pollution. ‹‹ Find out the weather conditions due to which the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) found Hanle, Ladakh a suitable place to set up an observatory. ‹‹ If you enjoy doing embroidery, try to embroider on a dark coloured cloth the constellations that you have seen (Fig. 12.15). Otherwise, you may use your creativity and depict constellations Fig. 12.15: Embroidery in multiple other ways using various art and of constellations craft ideas. Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, is situated atop the highest peak of Digpa- rasta-Ri mountain range in Hanle. This peak has been renamed Mount Saraswati. It has several telescopes. One of them is called the Himalayan Chandra Telescope, which has been named after the Nobel Prize winning scientist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. It is an observatory at one of the highest locations in the world. More to know! The area surrounding this observatory was notified as the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) in December 2022. The reserve is Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 open to the public throughout the year. Local people have been provided with small telescopes and are trained to be Astronomy Ambassadors for visitors by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is expected to promote astro-tourism in the region. 252 Chapter 12.indd 252 10-07-2024 18:20:23  It is not the end, my friend! This might be the last page of this book, but it is certainly not the end of our ‘Curiosity’. The title of this book not only drives our journey through the amazing world of science, but also defines what it means to be human. As a species, we are curious. We want to find out more about the world we live in and worlds beyond. By now, you have perhaps read a little bit about the world of plants and animals, done some fun activities, learnt about how we measure, wondered about the stars that shine in the night sky, and so on. But remember, this is just the beginning. Science is a never-ending adventure, with new discoveries coming up all the time. And as you progress through the Middle Stage, the things you come across will help you find out even more about the world around you. The key lies in that curiosity you have nurtured throughout this journey. Keep observing the world around you, keep asking questions, and do not be afraid to experiment. Remember, even the most groundbreaking discoveries often begin with a simple “Why?”. There are countless questions waiting to be answered, and countless answers waiting to be questioned. You, my young scientist, can find them out. So, go forth and explore! And see you again in the next Grade for more adventures in science! Chapter 12.indd 253 10-07-2024 18:20:23  Notes Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6 254 Chapter 12.indd 254 10-07-2024 18:20:23