Welcome to Starsearch

Hello my name is John, I operate a small homemade radio telescope in the Trent Hills area.I have it on most every night scanning the skies. I am a member of a program called Radio-SkyPipe.This site lets me strip chart my findings and share them with other observatories around the world. Here, we are going to talk about and learn about space.My goal is to inform you about our solar system its planets, stars, comets and asteroids.At this time I would like to thank you for visiting my site and hope we can learn together. 

Lets start with the Earth.The Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the largest of the terrestrial planets.The Earth was formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago and the only planet known to support life.Scientist call this the goldielocks zone.This means our home planet is just the right distance from the Sun.Not to hot and not to cold,also liquid water. The Earth surface is coverd with water in fact 70% of the surface is water.There also is a combination of life supporting gases.The Earth weighs in at 5,972,190,000,000,000 billion kg.Earth orbits the sun 365.26 days in one year,at the equator the Earth measure 40,030 km around. The Earths temperature average -85 to +58 celcius.The Earth has a very strong magnetic feild,this is because of the nickel and iron core,and the speed of its rotation .This magnetic field protects the Earth from the solar winds.The magnetic field also keeps us well grounded this is known as gravity.Our closet neighbour is the satellite we call the Moon,it weighs in at 73,476,730,924,573,500 million Kg .The Moon is in a synchronous rotation with Earth which means the same side is always facing the Earth.Orbit of the moon around the Earth takes 27.3 days and its surface temperature varies between -233 to +123 celius. The rise and fall of the tides is caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon as it orbits the Earth.                           

Ok that was to easy,we just started our journey.Keep exploring see you again.

Mercury is the the closet plant to the Sun.To every two orbits of the Sun, Mercury completes three rotations about its axis.Thirteen times a century mercury can be seen from the Earth passing across the face of the Sun this is called a trasint,the next time this will happen is on May 9th 2016.Mercury rotates on its axis very slow a day on Mercury is about 58.5 Earth days long wow what a long day.The reason for this is its close proximity to the Sun and its tidal forces.Mercury weighs 330.104,000,000,000 billion Kg,or you could fit 2.8 Earth Moons into Mercury. Mercury has no moons or orbiting satellites,it takes 88 earth days to orbit the Sun.The temprature on Mercury is -173 to +427 celcius.Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system measuring only 15,329 Km around its equator.Mercury is quite heavy for its size because it is mainly made up of heavy metals and rocks.The core makes up 75% of the planets mass its mantle is only about 500-600km.thick.It is the second hottest planet in the solar system, and not much bigger than our Moon. About 4 billion years ago,mercury was struck by a asteroids measuring 100 km across.The impact of this asteroid left a crater measuring roughly 1,550 Km across,and is known as the Caloris Basin.Scientist at first thought that Mercury had no magnetic field, but the Mariner 10 changed that,it was found there was a magnetic field but it is 1 percent of that of the Earths.Mercury is much smaller than Earth so less gravity.What this means, if you weighed 32 kg.on Earth you would only weigh 12kg.on mercury.The surface of Mercury looks alot like the surface of the our Moon,this is because it has no atmosphere to protect its surface.Mercury was the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes,he was the messanger of the gods.You may have come across picture of Hermes/Mercury with wings on his sandals.   

Hi my name is Dib and my name is Dob, have you seen Sunny the space man?Sunny is our friend. 

Let continue our look at the planet Venus.Venus is the second plant from the Sun,it is similiar in size to the Earth.The planet Venus is hard to see because of a layer of clouds made up of carbon dioxide,sulfuric acid, mercury,ferric acid,and hydrocarbons. The dense atmosphere around the planet traps the heat in and creates a greenhouse effect.Venus is 4,876,320,000,000,000 billion kg,or you could fit 10 of Earths Moons into Venus.Venus has no moons or satillites.Venus orbits the Sun every 225 earth days,also the surface of Venus is a hot +462 celcius wow now thats hot!!! .Venus rotates counter-clockwise,and is the only planet in our solar system that does.Think about that for a moment,the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east,Freaky or what!! Venus is the second brightest thing in the night sky.The pressure on the surface of Venus is 92 times greater than that on Earth.Venus has a very weak magnetic feild,this surprised scientist they thougth it would be similar to Earths,do to its mass and size.Venus takes 243 Earth days to rotate on its axis,this is slower than any other major planet, slow thats for sure,talk about a long day. This explains why the magnetic field is so weak the metal core cannot generate but a very weak magnetic pull. Venus is sometimes discribed as a stormy desert coverd with craters and active volcanoes.Venus was the roman goddess of love and beauty.In Greek her name was Aphrodite.    

 Mars the 4th planet in our solar system,the common name given to Mars is the red planet.Mars weighs in at about 641,693,000,000,000 billion kg,or you could fit 7.55 Earth Moons into Mars.Mars measures 21,297 km around the equator.Mars also has two known satillites, named Phobos & Deimos.The orbit of Mars around the Sun is about 687 Earth days,and the temprature on the surface is about -87 to -5 dgrees celcius.Many people at one time thought Mars could have supported intelligent life.This is when old science fiction movies about martians were popular.But now we know that Mars does not support life with the help of the rover mission.This historical journey started on June 10th 2003 and July 7th 2003.The rovers named,Oppotunity and Spirit,are two amazing vehicles,they are our hands and feet exploring a new world.These two rovers have drilled into rock and scooped up soil samples which has been analyzed,also the rovers are equipped with HD cameras.Science and the rovers have proven that at one time Mars had liquid water and there is water under Mars polar ice caps. Mars is the only planet other than Earth that has polar ice caps.Mars is tiltied on its axsis about 25 degrees,which is simaliar to the tilt of Earths axsis about 22 degrees. What this means is Mars has seasons just like we do on Earth but these seasons last twice as long.Mars has no magnetic field,but science beleives it could have about 4 billion years ago.If you weighed 32kg on Earth you would weigh 12kg on Mars. Mars has the deepest,longest valleys and highest mountains than any other planet in our solar system.Another thing Mars lowest northern plains are the smoothest and flatest places in all the solar system.This landscape could have been created by water flowing across the surface many many of years ago.The dusty red mineral rich soil on Mars is why this planet has the biggest sand storms in all the solar system.These storms can blanket the entire planet and last for months.Mars was the Roman god of war and agriculture.Mars protected those who fought for their community and stay home and grow crops for food.In Greek,Mars was known as Ares.  

As you can see in this photo the sheer size of the planet Jupiter compared to our home planet Earth wow!!.Jupiter is the 5th planet from the Sun in our solar system.Jupiter is so big its mass is  2 and a 1/2 times more than all the planets in our solar system combined.Jupiters magnetic field is the strongest in the solar system nearly 20,000 times stronger then the Earths.In fact if you weighed 32 kg on Earth you would weigh 84 kg on Jupite .Jupiter weighs 1,898,130,000,000,000,000 billion kg,talk about big sure is WOW!! in fact you can fit roughly 1,321 Earths into Jupiter.Jupiter also measures 439,264 km around its equator.There is 67 known satillites in orbit around Jupiter,I will name a few.Lo is one Europa is two and there is Ganymede and Callisto.Jupiter takes 4,332.82 Earth days to orbit the Sun,and its suface temperature is a chilly -108 degrees celius.Jupiter has the shortest day of all the planets,it only takes 9 hours and 50 min to turn on its axis.Jupiter orbits the Sun once every 11.8 years.Jupiter is as some people call it the Gas Giant,the reason for this,it is covered with clouds of ammonia,crystals and sulfur.The interior is that of rock,metal,ice and hydrogen compounds.Ganymede one of Jupiters moons is the largest moon in the solar system,it measures 5,268 km across.Jupiter has layers of rings around it, the first layer starts at around 92,000 km above Jupiters cloud tops and extends to more than 225,000 km from the planet surface.The upper atmosphere winds are travelling at speeds about 640 kph.Jupiter,known as Zeus in Greek mythology,over threw his father Saturn and became king of the gods.He then split the universe with his brothers Neptune and Pluto. 

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun,and the second largest planet in our solar system.As you can see in the photo above  much bigger then the Earth.How much you weigh on Saturn,would not be much different then here on Earth.This planet is known by its wonderful rings,that were discovered in 1610 by astronomer Galileo Galilei.Saturn weighs in at 568,319,000,000,000,000 billion kg 95 times bigger than the Earth.It measures a distance of 365,882 km around its equator and has 62 known satillites.Here are the names of just a few first we have Titan,Rhea and Enceladus.Saturn takes 29.5 earth years to make a full orbit around the Sun,and is a chilly -139  degrees celcius.Saturn is the fifth brightest thing in our solar system and can be seen with a set of good binoculars or small telescope.Do to Saturns low density and fast rotation on its axis,it appears that it is oblong in its shape.Saturn turns once on its axis every 10 hours and 34 minutes.Saturns atmosphere is made up of bands of clouds,the top layer is that of ammonia ice.The second layer is that of water ice and below that are layers of cold hydrogen and sulfur ice combonation.Saturn is mostly made up of methane  hydrogen and helium,under the clouds the sky gradually turns into a liquid until it becomes a giant ocean of liquid chemicals.The internal core becomes metallic and very hot.Due to Saturns tilted axis of 26.73 dg, similar to that of Earths shows Saturn has seasons.But these seasons are much more subelt then that on Earth.The reason for this is that Saturn is further from the Sun, so it is not effected by the same amounts of solar radiation as  the Earth.Saturn is a very stormy place,winds race around the atmosphere at 800 kph.Saturns strong magnetic field traps in energy particles which creates high levels of radiation.Saturn was the Roman god of agriculter.He was called Cronus by the Greeks.He was the son of Uranus and the father of Jupiter. Saturn Definetly not a prime vacation spot!!.  

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun in our solar system and weighs in at 86,810,300,000,000,000 billion kg,in fact roughly 63 Earths could fit into Uranus.Uranus measures 159,354 km around its equator.If you could travel to Uranus,when you arrived there you would weigh less than here on Earth. Here on Earth if you weighed 32kg you would weigh 28kg on Uranus.The gravity is not as strong as it is here on Earth.Uranus is known to have 27 satillites/ moons and here are a few by name Oberon,Titanai,Miranda,and Ariel.The orbit of Uranus around the Sun takes roughly 84 Earth years. A day on Uranus takes 17 hours and 14 minutes,that is one rotation on its axis.Uranus is also like the gas giants,its upper layer is that of hydrogen and helium.Below that a icy mantle,surrounding a rock and ice core.The atmosphere is made up of water,ammonia and methane ice crystals ,that is why it has a pale blue colour.Uranus is the coldest planet in our solar system,a temperature of -224 degress celcius Wow now thats cold!!!. Uranus is also known as the ice giant.Infact the data shows that this cold temperature is consistant on a global scale. Uranus is different then all the other planets in the way it rotates on its axis.This axis is at 98 dg which means it is spinning on its side rather then perpendicular.Uranus has two set of rings,these rings are made up of small dust particels and small boulders.This could have been caused by an impact with a small moon of Uranus.Scientists guess that under that hydrogen-methane atmosphere is a hot slushy ocean of water,ammonia and methane thousands of km deep.Astro mathology,Uranus was the lord of the skies and the husband of Earth. 

Voyager 1&2 Here is a little bit of information on our space travel history.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     VIM was the name given to the Voyager mission,VIM means voyager intersellar mission. The Voyager mission is to go where no man has gone before,I knew I was going to say that soon enough.Voyager 1 was launched in September 5th,1977 And Voyager 2 was launched in August 20th,1977.Voyager 1 made its close flyby of Jupiter and Saturn,completing its primary mission.Voyager 2 also made a close flyby of Jupiter and Saturn,but it also completed a close flyby of the remaining 2 gas giants,Uranus and Neptune.The extended mission is to continue to characterize the outer solar system enviroment and search for the Heliopause boundary.This is the outer limits of the Suns  magnetic field and outward flow of the solar winds.As of September, 2013 Voyager 1 was a distance of 18.7 billion kilometers from the Sun and Voyager 2 was at a distance of 15.3 billion kilometers from the  Sun.Both Voyager space craft are headed towards the outer boundry of the solar system.The Heliopause has never been reached by any space craft that we know of,so the Voyagers may be the first to travel through this region of space.The Voyagers have enough electrical power and thruster fuel to last until the year 2020.  

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun in our solar system,and is also a gas giant.Did you know roughly 57 of our Earths could fit into  Neptune.If you weigh 32kg on Earth you would weigh a little more at 36kg on Neptune.Neptune weighs in at 102,410,000,000,000,000 billion kg and is 155,600 km around its equator.Neptune has 14 known satillites/moons one is called Tritan.Neptune takes roughly 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun.The surface temperature is a very cold - 201 degrees celcius.Neptune has a greater mass than Uranus even though it is smaller.The center or mantle is extremely hot and dense made up of water ammonia and methane.The mantle is ten to fifteen times the mass of the Earth. The atmosphere of Neptune is made up of hydrogen,helium,and methane.The methane absorbs red light,this is what gives it the blue colour.Neptune is a very active place,storms zip around the upper atmophere,and high speed winds travel around the planet at speeds of 1,340 km per hour.Neptune also has a very thin layer of rings,these rings are made of ice particles mixed with grains of dust coated with carbon-based substances.I guess you would agree not a good place to live,but it would be a great to visit, just to check it out.The Voyager 2 visited Neptune on August 25th,1989.While in Neptunes orbit Voyager 2 took many pictures,and what we know now about Neptune,is from these pictures which were sent back.Astro mythology,Neptune was the god of water,but later on this included the sea when he became associated with the Greek god Posiden.  

Hi good for you,you found me,so tell me what you have learned. If you guys followed my travels,I started at Mercury all the way to Pluto.Wow good for you,can you remember the order the planets are in from the Sun.Let me know.Ok you need a little help,go to the photo gallery and watch the video our solar system.

Harold calls us down from upstairs.Oh sorry, Harold thats my father,my name is Tom.Dad looks around the room and asked,who wants to go on a long trip a really long trip?Where are we going?Tom asked.Well its going to take a very long time.Sarah thats my sister says,how long will it take?Well Dad says about 65 years,and thats if we drive at a steady speed of 100 kph.If we keep driving 57,000,000 km, thats not to far,we will get to Mars.Now to all the Dads out there how many times would we hear are we there yet?We all know that driving to Mars is not in any way possible this is just in fun.With the information you have could you figure out how many days it would take.Once you have your answer send me a note and let me know. 

Pluto the last planet in our solar system,this small planet is now considered a dwarf planet.Pluto weighs in at 13,050,000,000,000,and measures 2,306 km in diameter.Pluto has 5 known satillites,Charon,Nix,Hydra,Kerberos and Styx.The orbit around the Sun takes roughly 246.00 earth years,why it takes so long is has to travel 5,874,000,000 km.The surface temprature is a chilly -229 celcius.Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.Now what is a dwarf planet you ask,a dwarf planet is a spherical celestial body revolving about a Sun ,similar to a planet but not large enough to gravitationally clear its orbital region of most or all other celestial bodies.Pluto has a eccentric and inclined orbit,this means during its orbit it can be between 4.4 to 7.4 billion km from the Sun,The best way to discribe this is the orbit is the shape of an egg or oval.Sometimes plutos orbit brings it closer to the Sun than Neptune. When Plutos is closer to the Sun a thin atmosphere is present this atmosphere is melting of the surface,primarily nitrogen a little methane and carbon monoxide.Once Pluto starts getting further from the Sun the surface freezes up again.Gravity on Pluto is about one-fifteenth of that of Earth, if you weighed 100 lbs on Earth you would weigh 7lbs on Pluto.Talk about a crash diet! Pluto was the only planet given a name by a child.When it was discoverd in 1930,an 11 year old girl who lived in Oxford,England, by the name of Venetia Burney,suggested this new planet should be named after the roman god of the underworld.Venetias grandfather sent this suggestion to the Lowell Observatory and the name was accepted.In Greek mythology,he is known as Hades.