Posts : 168 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 35 Location : Taunton
Subject: Re: Random and interesting astronomy facts Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:37 am
The Earth is the only planet in our solar system not named after Roman or Greek gods
andy 'astrojunkie' Moderator
Posts : 168 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 35 Location : Taunton
Subject: Re: Random and interesting astronomy facts Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:42 am
The first exoplanet found outside our solar system is 51 pergasi b, a hot jupiter thats bigger than Jupiter and is closer to its parent star than Mercury is to ours, this star broke all physical laws being the type of planet it is and its distance from its star, sometimes also called Bellerophon.
andy 'astrojunkie' Moderator
Posts : 168 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 35 Location : Taunton
Subject: Re: Random and interesting astronomy facts Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:44 am
Stars do not twinkle, its the light from stars that distort in the atmosphere when it hits pockets of hot and cold air, called Stellar Scintillation
andy 'astrojunkie' Moderator
Posts : 168 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 35 Location : Taunton
Subject: Re: Random and interesting astronomy facts Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:46 am
In Earths sky the Moon and Sun are both the same size, the only planet/moon in the solar system to have that relationship, and the only moon to completely eclipse the Sun.
andy 'astrojunkie' Moderator
Posts : 168 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 35 Location : Taunton
Subject: Re: Random and interesting astronomy facts Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:52 am
There are only 8 planets in our solar system, pluto got declassified to a dwarf planet in 2006.
andy 'astrojunkie' Moderator
Posts : 168 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 35 Location : Taunton
Subject: Re: Random and interesting astronomy facts Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:54 am
The Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million lightyears away from us, it is on a collision course with the milky way in around 3-5 billion years, by then the Sun would be a red giant.
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Subject: Re: Random and interesting astronomy facts
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