Venus : Sign of love and beauty!

Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It orbits at a distance of between 107.4 and 109 million km and is the second planet from the Sun. Venus is also known as the  Evening Star, because it can be seen from Earth in the evening, just after sunset. Venus can also be seen before sunrise.

Mercury : Smallest star!

Mercury, named after the Roman messenger god, is the smallest planet in the Solar System, and the closest to the Sun. This makes observations vet’, difficult as it is lost in the Suns glare at least half of the time. It can be observed for only a brief period In the morning or early evening.

The Moon : First place we could land!

The Moon is 384,400 km from the Earth and about 25 per cent of Earth’s size. The Moon orbits the Earth once every month and each orbit takes 27.3 days. It spins once on its axis every 720 hours.

The Earth : Where is your really Home!

The Earth is the fifth largest planet in the Solar System, with a diameter of 12,756 km and a circumference of 40,024 km at the Equator.

The Sun : Hot hot hot hot and hot!

The Sun is the Earth’s nearest star, about 150 millions km away. It is a medium-sized star, and belongs to a group of star types that astronomers call ‘main sequence’ stars. Most of these, including the Sun, will burn for about ten billion years before expanding and cooling to become red giants, ultimately using up all their fuel. The Sun is about halfway through its lifetime.

The Solar System : Traveling around the Earth!

Th e Solar System is made up of the Sun, the eight planets and over 160 known moons, asteroids,
comets, dust and gas. The planets, asteroids and comets travel around the Sun, the centre of our Solar System.

Space Station : Living in the space

A space station is a structure designed for human beings to live on in outer space, for periods of weeks, months, or even years. They are used to study the effects of long-term space flight on the human body and to carry out scientific experiments in space. Space stations do not have a major propulsion system and are unable to land back on Earth, Instead, other vehicles are used to transport crew, equipment and supplies to-and-from the station.

The Space Shuttle : The reusable craft

The space shuttle is a reusable craft, able to land on a runway and then blast off again on another
mission. Since the first shuttle, Columbia, was launched in 1981, astronauts from many countries have worked together on missions to launch, repair and retrieve satellites, take photographs of the Earth and deep space, and carry out experiments.

Man on the Moon : Meeting the other land!

As the largest object in the night sky, the Moon has held a fascination for man since the earliest times. It was not until the late 1960s, however, that the technology was developed to send a man
to the Moon.

Artificial Satellites : The Earth's various tools

Natural satellites are objects, such as moons that orbit planets and other bodies in space. Artificial satellites are devices that are launched to orbit around the Earth. The signals they transmit are picked up by radio telescopes and other equipment, providing us with useful information about the Earth and space, and enabling us to communicate over long distances.

Space probes : Survey the space!

Space probes are used to explore space. They are unmanned computer-controlled spacecraft Most
probes are ‘fly-bys’, which spend just a few days passing their target and beaming data back to Earth, although some actually land on the surface of planets, moons and asteroids.

Telescope and Observation : Let's study the sky

The most important tool for studying the skies is the telescope. Today, there are several different types of telescope, ranging from simple ones used by amateur star-gazers to immensely powerful space telescopes that allow astronomers to see into the furthest reaches of the Universe. Observatories are special places where astronomers study space and, to give the best view of the night sky, most are built on mountain tops far from city lights.

Asteroids and Meteors : Just stones but demolish everything!

Asteroids are lumps of rock that orbit the Sun. They are sometimes called the minor planets. Meteors are chunks of stone and iron that break away from asteroids and comets and sometimes enter the Earths atmosphere. Meteoroids are chunks of rock and dust zooming through space. When they hit the atmosphere, they burn up, leaving a streak called a meteor or shooting star.