Physics

Distances in Space

Distances to objects in space are very, very large. The nearest star (excluding the Sun), Alpha Centauri, is 41.23 trillion km, or 41,320,000,000,000 km!!



a starry background with a tape measure and the word year


What is the Sun?





Make your own pinhole camera

All of the light we receive on Earth comes from the Sun.



A graphic showing light from the Sun passing through a box and projecting on to a sreen


Particles

A diagram showing all kinds of things made of particles: atoms, electrons, trees, starsA particle is the name given to a very small object which has features like size and mass. All the matter in the Universe is made of particles. 


Waves

We are all familiar with waves; from ripples on the surface of a pond to the swell of the ocean. A wave is just a regular vibration that travels through something, like air or water. Sound is one type of wave. When someone speaks, the waves are made in their throat and travel out to the listener's ear. It is then the ear's job to change that wave in the air into a signal that can be understood by the brain. Sound waves need support - a medium - to travel.


How Do Satellites Stay In Orbit?

A satellite is an object which orbits another. An orbit is the curved path that an object in space takes around another object.



A satellite in space with part of the Earth below it. The satellite is surrounded by question marks,


How is the Universe Expanding?



Illustration representing the mesh used to describe gravity.


What Can We See on the Sun?



Close up images of the Sun including solar flares, sunspots, and a solar eclipse


Kepler's Laws: Find the Mass of the Sun

Many years ago, a mathematician named Johannes Kepler created a set of rules explaining planets' movement in our Solar System.



The picture shows a cartoon portrait of Johannes Kepler in front of an artist's impression of the Solar System.


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