Qs & As - Solar Questions

Here are some of the questions that I got asked by some people. I call them 'solar questions', simply because they contain the word 'solar' and I don't know how else I should put it. Here they are:


The left image was an eclipse of 1998.
The right image was an eclipse in 2006.




The moon actually should turn red when it is a total Eclipse. These pictures show a total Eclipse, but it's not 'original'. Therefore, the moon's black.
A Solar Eclipse means: The Moon will pass the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow.


What is a Solar Eclipse?/When does a Solar Eclipse happen?
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon is covering the Sun, so that we can’t see it. Some people think it’s the end of life, but there is nothing to worry about, because it’s not the end of life. There is nothing to worry about because it only happens for a few minutes, at that time we can see the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called corona, around the edge of the Moon. Here I've got pictures of different solar eclipse:


How did our Solar-System form?
The sun was maybe formed with other new stars. It all started with a big Explosion (called the BIG BANG)! In a swirling cloud of gas, ice and dust. The central heats and it ended as a Sun. The rest of the gas, ice and dust became the planets. The Solar-System was born, with all the planets going the same way around the Sun, which is left. The heavier materials stayed close to the center and formed Rocky Planets and the Asteroid Belt. Outside the Asteroid Belt, the materials were ice and dust. Some of this ice and dust made large Planets, such as, Uranus and Neptune. The rest made Pluto. Our Sun is NOW called Sol (Latin I guess, or any other language that I don't speak).

When did our Solar-System form?
Our Solar-System was formed about some four billion years ago. Our Sun and the nine planets were formed together in space. Smaller objects like asteroids and comets were also formed with our Solar-System, with only the Sun holding it.

How many moons does our Solar-System have?
I think equally there are about 80 moons orbiting planets in our Solar-System. That also means Cruithne, which some people say that this could become our second moon. Cruithne is very small, a bit smaller that Pluto. There are more than 130 moons but their names are not real names. Scientists give them codes, because they have not found out any moon names that was found in the last year of the 20th century (2000) and onwards. Code, for example (always like this): S/year it was found in planet initials (Jupiter: J) number (one: first, two: second and so on.). Maybe some has been found out but most not.

What are the largest Moons called in this Solar-System?
There are six large Moons in our Solar-System. They are called the largest Moons because, they are similar to the sizes of some planets. Even Ganymede (a moon of Jupiter) is bigger than Mercury. Four of the largest Moons belong to Jupiter. One of them belongs to us and the other one to Saturn. Ganymede, Europa, Io & Iocaste belong to Jupiter. Titan belongs to Saturn and Lunar to us.

Where is Our Solar-System?
Our Solar-System is placed in a Galaxy called “Milky Way”. Our Milky Way has two parts: the arms and the central hub. The central hub is the middle, the sort of controlling thing. The Heart. The arms are called the: Cygnus arm, Carina arm, Perseus arm, Orion arm and there is also an arm that is unnamed. People haven’t found the name of that arm yet. We are placed in the arm that is called the Orion arm.

Qs & As - Planet Questions

Here are some questions and answers about 'planets':

Are there any two planets that are the same?
There are no two planets that are the same. Every single planet is different because of its size and distance from the Sun. The bigger the planet is, the greater is the pull of its gravity will be on any gas that surrounds it. That gas makes up its atmosphere. Without an atmosphere a planet is a dry and rocky world, without any cloud, rain or oceans.

Is Pluto always the furthest planet from the Sun? The answer is no. Sometimes Neptune is the furthest from the Sun and sometimes Pluto is. This is because their orbits overlap. Neptune was the furthest from the Sun from 7th February 1979 to February 11th 1999 but now Pluto is. Pluto will be the Ninth Planet till the 23rd century (2201 - 2300). The orbital line of Pluto is the white one:

As you can see the white orbital line crosses the blue one.

This means that the orbit of Pluto overlaps Neptune's orbit.

What are the four giant planets called?
The Giant Planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They are called the Giant Planets because they are very big, nearly as big as the Sun. The biggest Giant Planet is Jupiter. Only the four Giant Planets have rings around them. Jupiter has the thinnest ring of all. Saturn has got the thickest ring of all. All of the Giant Planets are outside the Asteroid Belt. All of the giant planets contain mostly (the air) hydrogen and helium. All the Giant Planets has more than five Moons (Satellites). Last, but not least, all the Giant Planets have Rings. Most people think Neptune has no Ring(s). But it really has. Nobody can see it really. I’ll tell you more about Neptune’s Ring(s), when we come to Neptune. Which is after, Uranus. The Giant Planets are much different from the Rocky Planets. The Rocky Planets are only before the Asteroid Belt. The Giant Planets are made out of much lighter materials.

Is there life on other Planets? (one of the most frequently asked questions)
Let's say there may be life on other Planets. The Planet is not allowed to be too near to the Sun, or too far from the Sun. If it’s too near it will burn or be too hot if not burn. If it’s too far from the Sun it will be freezing or too cold. We can’t live without water. So again if it is too hot the water will turn into water vapour. If it’s too cold the water will be frozen. If there is no water we wouldn’t even live for five years (or maybe a few days).